Dear Neighbors,
I’ve just completed my first week of my first session as a legislator and survived to tell you all about it! Since our legislative session is relatively short compared to other states, there is much to do and only a short time in which to do it. The appropriations subcommittee process has dominated the opening week. I am serving on the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee this session with responsibilities for overseeing the budgets for the Department of Public Safety, Department of Corrections and several other executive branch departments. The subcommittees are the first step in the budget building process.
Each committee sifts and weighs the various budget requests and then sends the final recommendations to the Executive Appropriations Committee to be compiled into the base budget and voted on by the House and Senate.
Our work this week has been difficult as we consider how to meet a $313 million shortfall in current levels of State spending. Complicating matters, the shortfall projections do not reflect enrollment growth in public education, higher education, or Medicaid — areas which all experienced tremendous growth in the past year.
Even though the State’s economy has shown positive growth in recent quarters, it is doubtful that it will grow fast enough to bridge the gap. Obviously we have several revenue options to address the difference: further budget cuts, tax increases, fee increases or spending the remaining $210 million one-time funding in the Rainy Day Fund are all options on the table. In some cases State agencies will have to accomplish more with less. In other cases, we may see government doing less with
less.
As we move into the second week of the session, subcommittees will be finishing their examination of all base budget requests. The question of how we will handle the difficult budget shortfalls before us sets the tone for the entire session, not to mention the financial well being of the entire State. As I experience the budget process first hand this session, I plan to keep you up to speed on the legislative process and the important spending decisions being made on the Hill.
I welcome any questions or comment from you, especially during the legislative session. I can be reached by email at bradwilson@utah.gov or by phone at the Capitol (801) 538-1029. The Legislative Home Page, features links to proposed bills, live audio and visual feeds of legislative debate and committee meetings and contact information for all members of the Legislature. Check it out during the session to see what I’m up to at the Capitol.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your representative.
Rep. Brad Wilson
