Ya Gotta Pay the Piper
Never underestimate the ability of local and state government agencies to grasp the opportunity for an increase-in-funding request, even among those Republican anti-tax folks.
The second the Utah House got a substitute bill on the Senate-passed legislation to ban smoking in private clubs and bars Tuesday, the sticky-fingered government bureaucrats pounced.
The substitute bill exempted private clubs from the ban - after all, many of those legislators get some pretty good campaign money from tobacco lobbyists - and instead put the smoking taboo on people standing in service lines, like at ATMs, and on playgrounds.
Representatives for local governments and the State Health Department immediately informed the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's Office that they would need $790,000 to hire more people to police the playgrounds. So the Fiscal Analyst's Office placed that hefty fiscal note as an addendum to the bill.
Later, a conference committee reinstated the old bill banning clubs and bars. But at this writing, the House is still being recalcitrant and has not approved the conference committee's proposal.
As for yipping for more, some local government officials already are whining that if the cap on what people can seek in negligence lawsuits against government agencies is raised from $2 million to $10 million, those conservative Republican legislators pushing for the increase will just force local governments to raise taxes to meet the increased burden of those potential damage claims.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
The second the Utah House got a substitute bill on the Senate-passed legislation to ban smoking in private clubs and bars Tuesday, the sticky-fingered government bureaucrats pounced.
The substitute bill exempted private clubs from the ban - after all, many of those legislators get some pretty good campaign money from tobacco lobbyists - and instead put the smoking taboo on people standing in service lines, like at ATMs, and on playgrounds.
Representatives for local governments and the State Health Department immediately informed the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's Office that they would need $790,000 to hire more people to police the playgrounds. So the Fiscal Analyst's Office placed that hefty fiscal note as an addendum to the bill.
Later, a conference committee reinstated the old bill banning clubs and bars. But at this writing, the House is still being recalcitrant and has not approved the conference committee's proposal.
As for yipping for more, some local government officials already are whining that if the cap on what people can seek in negligence lawsuits against government agencies is raised from $2 million to $10 million, those conservative Republican legislators pushing for the increase will just force local governments to raise taxes to meet the increased burden of those potential damage claims.
Cheers,
Paul Rolly
3:48 PM
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2 Comments:
The SL Trib noted that more than half of Utahns - even LDS Utahns - think you should be able to smoke in a private club.
Why do you write about this like it's a "no-brainer"?
This bill isn't about health - it's about someone else's morals being foisted on the minority. Again.
Legalize adulthood!
Funny thing is that in other states, the Republicans are the one to fight against smoking bans. Things get clouded here in Utah though.
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