Dear Neighbors,
One of the hottest bills at the Capitol this week was a seemingly innocuous piece of legislation on animal cruelty by Rep. Curt Oda (R-Clearfield). The bill dealt with how one might dispose of feral animals, and was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee of which I am a member. Even before the committee hearing, the bill had received quite a bit of media attention and Rep. Oda had received a lot of feedback on the bill. This, however, was my first experience on dealing with a bill that generated a huge emotional response from the public. The committee received a lot of email on the issue and listened to very lengthy public comment during the committee hearing. The comments were overwhelmingly opposed to the bill and ultimately the committee voted to amend the bill to only deal with the ability to kill an animal that is attacking a person. I wanted to share this experience so you know that we do listen and public comment is a very important part of the process. Please continue to weigh in on issues of importance to you and your families.
Legacy Parkway
Though not strictly a legislative issue, I wanted to touch on a hot issue affecting our community and provide an update on what is happening on the proposed highway in West Kaysville.
In a very frustrating announcement, UDOT surprised two west Kaysville neighborhoods and an area of Syracuse with the news that their homes may be demolished to make way for the northern section of Legacy Parkway. While the issues would take pages to discuss, please know that I am extremely concerned about the impact of this announcement, I have been clear with UDOT regarding the inequities in this process and am working with other elected officials to let our frustration be known and work toward solutions. These are very difficult issues. We must not unnecessarily displace residents to protect low-level wetlands. Please, one and all, visit the UDOT website and let your concerns be known. http://UDOT.utah.gov/westdavis
I will keep you updated as I meet with UDOT and affected residents.
In the Press
I authored two articles in local papers this week.
- http://clippertoday.com/view/full_story/11327957/article-State-revenues-shrink-while-costs-rise?
- http://www.standard.net/authors/rep-brad-wilson
Though things move quickly on the Hill, I welcome any questions or comments 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, www.le.utah.gov, 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. Stay tuned for more updates as the Legislature moves into Week 4.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your representative.
Sincerely,
Representative Brad Wilson
