Governor Mike Leavitt: Updates

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This is the March 15 - 28, 1997 update.

March 28, 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.

Launched a historic investment in transportation. Governor Leavitt joined with members of the Legislature and local government leaders to sign seven bills that will give the state an estimated $2.6 billion dollars for transportation over the next ten years. "This is a powerful expression of optimism about our future. We are investing in the future," Leavitt said. "We will drive on these roads, our children will drive on these roads and their children will drive on these roads." Among other things these bills:
- Increase the gas tax 5 cents per gallon and lower the sales tax 1/8 cent starting on July 1. Vehicle registration fees will also be raised $10 starting July 1.
- Exempt road bonds from the self-imposed debt limit and authorize borrowing for highways for up to $600 million.
- Divert a 1/64 percent share of the current state sales tax earmarked for Olympic construction to highways, beginning in 2000.
- Redirect a ½ cent gas tax to highways that has been charged for cleaning up leaking under ground storage tanks.
- Alter the diesel-tax collection method to raise an extra $10 million annually.
- Crack down on Utahns who register their vehicles in other states to avoid taxes.
- Restructure the funding formula for B and C roads to give paved roads a larger allocation of B and C road funds.
B and C roads will also benefit greatly from the increase in the gas tax. It is estimated that cities and counties will share an additional $210 million during the next ten years.

Complete listing of bills signed by the governor

Named Gary L. Carlston as his new Deputy for Education. He replaces Dr. Corrine Hill who is retiring. He is expected to join the staff April 1. "Gary's experience in both public education and higher education prepare him well for this leadership role. He is a distinguished and well respected member of Utah's education community. I look forward to working with him as we continue developing a world class education system here in Utah," the governor said. Carlston is an associate dean of the College of Education at Utah State University and an associate professor in the Department of Elementary Education. Before joining the USU faculty, he spent seven years as the superintendent of the Logan City School District and ten years as curriculum director for the district. During that time, he was instrumental in establishing a computer instructional program for grades K-12 and securing funds for a computer writing lab in the Logan High School English Department. He has also followed public education legislation and has worked with legislators on public education issues. He has held numerous education committee and board positions including being a member of the Snow College Board of Trustees, the administrative vice president of the Utah Congress of Parents and Teachers, the chair of the Edith Bowen Advisory Committee, and chair of the Utah Testing and Evaluation Council. He is also a member of Phi Delta Kappa. Carlston completed his Ed.d at Brigham Young University specializing in educational administration. He received his masters degree from Utah State University in curriculum development. Carlston has received numerous awards and broad recognition for his service in education. He received the Golden Apple Award for excellence in education in 1993. Utah State University College of Education and Alumni Association and Snow College have both recognized him for his many achievements.

Named five Utahns to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument management planning team. Governor Leavitt joined with Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to announce the assignments. The five are wildlife biologist Clair Jensen, geologist Robert Blackett, paleontologist Alden Hamblin, professor of environmental studies Kathleen Truman and Ken Sizemore from the Five County Association of Governments. "The Department of the Interior, the BLM and the state of Utah are committed to designing a constructive planning effort which will benefit both the resources of the area and the surrounding communities, and at the same time set a precedent for effective intergovernmental cooperation," Governor Leavitt said. During the three-year development of the management plan, these individuals will work with ten other members comprised of experts in recreation, archeology, botany, realty hydrology, range ecology and other disciplines recruited from a nationwide pool of federal natural resource professionals. The entire team will work out of the planning office in Cedar City under the direction of BLM monument manager Jerry Meredith.

Accepted an award on behalf of the state, naming Utah as the best state to locate a business. Governor Leavitt traveled to New York to accept the award from Financial World Magazine. "This award says a lot about the quality of Utah's workers, businesses, education system, and the ability of our past and present leaders to plan for the future," the governor said. In its first year of ranking states in this manner, Financial World looked at such key data as each state's cost of doing business, recent economic history as well as its economic prospects and supply of educated labor.

Kicked off the new Department of Workforce Services. Governor Leavitt joined with officials from the new department, legislators, and local leaders to sign the bill that officially implements the consolidation of Utah's welfare and employment services into one department. Although the bill designates the department's official start date as July 1, Governor Leavitt announced that his office will now recognize the department as a functioning state agency.

Signed 396 bills. The governor vetoed six bills, and vetoed line items within one bill. He allowed six bills to go into law without his signature.
Governor Leavitt's action on legislation passed by the 1997 Legislature.
- Bills signed: 396
- Bills vetoed: HB 42, HB382, HB385, HB404, SB247 (Items 81, 92, 96, 113), SB40, SB70
- Bills that will go into law without signature: HB18, HB363, HB369, SB2, SB9, SB210
Commended the Utah Department of Transportation for their selection of a contractor to rebuild I-15. "There are few events in Utah's history that have had such important ramifications for Utahns today, and for future generations, as the rebuilding of the heart of the state's transportation system. These roads will carry our children and our children's children safely and efficiently," said Governor Leavitt. UDOT awarded the contract to Wasatch Constructors after a months-long selection process during which three construction consortiums were evaluated. Wasatch Constructors submitted the strongest technical proposal, the best price for the most critical features, and a promise to finish I-15 three months early, said UDOT Executive Director Tom Warne.

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