Governor Mike Leavitt: Updates

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This is the March 1 - 14, 1997 update.

March 14, 1997
Contact Vicki Varela, 538-1503
or Paula Ernstrom, 538-1509

Listed below are the highlights of Governor Mike Leavitt's activities over the past two weeks. Please call if you have any questions.

Completed a successful legislative session. Governor Leavitt spent numerous hours meeting with legislators to ensure that the critical needs of our state were met. The following is a list of accomplishments from the session.

TRANSPORTATION

Launched an unprecedented $2.6 billion, 10-year, statewide transportation initiative. $1.3 billion will be spent for expansion and reconstruction of a 17-mile section of I-15 in the Salt Lake County area. The other half of the funding, $1.3 billion, will be spent to expand and upgrade other state roads throughout Utah.

Funding

Those who use the roads will pay for the roads, and all citizens get a 1/8 cent break on their sales tax to offset the increased road costs. Funding includes a 5-cent per gallon gas tax increase, a $10 increase in vehicle registration, a shift in diesel tax collection, and a gas tax shift from storage tank cleanup into road funds.

Local roads

In addition to the $2.6 billion statewide transportation initiative, cities and counties received an additional $210 million generated by their share of the gas tax increase. The first year's funding is $18 million. The distribution formula for B and C roads was also changed to give paved roads a larger allocation of B and C road funds.

Legacy Highway and other new roads

Set in place a means for future transportation corridors to be preserved. This provides for long-term planning on the Legacy Highway and other transportation corridors, and avoids future costs associated with purchasing developed property.

Toll roads

Authorized the construction of roads with tolls as a means of financing.

WORKFORCE SERVICES/WELFARE REFORM

Consolidated the state's employment and temporary public assistance services into a new Department of Workforce Services. The department eliminates welfare as we know it. Clients are provided educational opportunities, job training, child care and other tools to help them find jobs and become self sufficient.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Three percent increase in the value of the Weighted Pupil Unit.

Converted $41 million in one-time expenditures to ongoing funding in order to support necessary ongoing programs.

Authorized a task force to study Centennial Charter Schools, which would provide even greater local autonomy and parent involvement at neighborhood schools.

Maintained substantial programs to improve Utah schools, including Centennial Schools and class size reduction.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Moved forward with 'semester conversion' as a means for reengineering the quality of courses and departments in higher education in addition to facilitating the transfer of students between Utah colleges and universities.

Restored 100 percent of last year's one-time appropriations to ongoing programs ($8.5 million); this will assure continuation of important higher education programs.

Invested in technologies that will position Utah as a leader in providing state-of-the-art distance education courses to the Western Governors University which will be headquartered in Salt Lake City.

Provided much needed funding for higher education libraries and classroom space throughout the state.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Funded the creation of nearly 1,200 new slots for juvenile and adult offenders.

Launched a new system of juvenile sentencing guidelines which emphasizes swift early intervention and tough punishment for repeat offenders.

Appropriated $2 million for jail contracting. This allows the state to rent jail space from counties at a substantial savings compared to the cost of housing offenders in state facilities.

The Controlled Substance Act creates a new drug king pin offense with a recommended sentence of seven years to life.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Funded five new highway patrol troopers. Supported increasing the number of dispatchers at the Salt Lake Communications Center to meet increased demand.

Increased training capacity at the Fire and Rescue Training Academy. Increased training capacity and course improvements at POST.

HUMAN SERVICES

Continued significant reform of the child welfare system to protect children from abuse and neglect.

Funded increases in children's mental health, treatment for youth and adult substance abusers, and three percent provider increases for local authorities of mental health, substance abuse, and aging services, as well as community providers of services for people with disabilities.

HEALTH CARE

As outlined in Health Print, moved health care reform forward by expanding open enrollment to individuals and small groups that previously had difficulty getting access to health care. Also infused $5 million into the Health Insurance Pool, funding Area Health Education Centers (AHEC). This allows continued leveraging of federal money and the opening of three new centers in rural Utah. Established the Medical Education Council, which allows Utah to capture federal graduate education dollars and to guide the mix of physicians in the market. Funded growth in the Early Intervention-Baby Watch program, providing services to an additional 500 disabled infants and toddlers.

TECHNOLOGY

Began implementation of Phase I of UTAX, the Tax Commission's project to integrate and modernize tax systems.

Created an independent state agency to provide for governmental public safety communications services and facilities (HB 187).

Obtained funding to insure continued operation of critical state computer applications through the change in century (Year 2000).

QUALITY GROWTH

Established a Quality Growth Efficiency Tools (QGET) project team to design growth models that compile growth data and analyze the cost of alternative growth scenarios. The analysis will be conducted in coordination with the Utah Quality Growth Public/Private Partnership.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Authorized counties to reduce property taxes and substitute local sales taxes.

Funded continued training and education of county officials involved in county land planning activities. The Local Government Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee was funded at $150,000.

INCREASING REGIONAL POWER

Gained legislative endorsement of a Joint Rocky Mountain Primary, which would increase presidential candidates' interaction with western voters and their attention to western issues.

Called on business leaders to help relieve traffic congestion during the I-15 reconstruction. Governor Leavitt addressed leaders from 100 of the largest employers along the I-15 corridor at a conference designed to prepare them for the upcoming construction. "This is not going to be an easy time, and we shouldn't expect it to be. But I also believe it's clearly survivable," the governor said. Leavitt also encouraged employers to adopt flexible and staggered work schedules telecommuting and encouraging use of bus riding and car pooling. The state is already taking the lead in many of these areas. One example of this is at the Utah Department of Transportation where employees who car pool have preferred parking.

Praised efforts to preserve agricultural land as open space. Governor Leavitt joined with Utah Open Lands, officials from Draper, and landowner Gene Wheadon to announce the singing of the first agricultural easement in the Salt Lake Valley. The easement will ensure that Wheadon's 80 acres of prime farm land is preserved forever. "This is the ethic that needs to be encouraged. I commend Mr. Wheadon and Utah Open Lands for their dedication to protecting some of the most productive agricultural land in the Salt Lake Valley," the governor said.

Asked Congress not to place a federal cap on Medicaid spending. As a member of the National Governors' Association's Medicaid Task Force, Governor Leavitt and Nevada Governor Bob Miller testified before House and Senate committees. They expressed strong opposition to a federal cap on Medicaid spending and offered an alternative to accomplishing the necessary budget savings by allowing states greater flexibility. Governor Leavitt said that the caps would lead to a snarl of bureaucracy, choking state efforts to meet citizens health care needs. "We are confident that with the additional flexibility we will ask you for today, states will be able to produce an additional $8 billion in scoreable Medicaid savings between now and 2002," the governor said. Governor Leavitt has been meeting with other governors to work out a compromise on Medicaid reform as congress tries to balance the federal budget.

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