Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Thanks to those of you who took the time to join the call last Thursday night – at one point, we had almost 800 people on the call! Here are the results of the survey questions I asked:

What issue should I spend the remainder of session focused on?

1. Jobs & economy – 30.9%

2. State spending – 24.7%

3. Other – 17.3%

4. Health care – 16.0%

5. Transportation – 11.1%

The state Supreme Court told the Legislature before session that it needs to put more money into education and teacher salaries right away, despite the fact we spent over a billion dollars more in K-12 education in last year’s budget. Do you agree with the court’s ruling?

1. No – 61.5%

2. Not sure – 20%

3. Yes – 18.5%

The governor recently suspended the death penalty – do you agree with his decision?

1. No – 78%

2. Yes – 22%

We also had about 70 people attend the in-person town hall meeting on Saturday with Sen. Michael Baumgartner and Rep. Kevin Parker.

What I hear over and over is that people are concerned about two things: jobs and education. This makes perfect sense, since they are directly related to our future and achieving the American dream!

Please continue to share your concerns and questions!

My legislation moving forward

I’m pleased House Bill 1902 to provide lifetime registration for owners of intermittent-use trailers was passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee yesterday.

Many thanks to Senator Dansel for helping me move this bill forward in the Senate without any changes to the legislation. Working as a team with other legislators makes a big difference in crafting quality legislation.

Budget proposals released

Last week, the state’s revenue forecast showed an additional $30 million in current revenues the state expects to bring in. In the scope of a $33 billion budget, this is really miniscule, but I’m glad the numbers continue to be positive!

My priorities with the budget have and continue to be: no new taxes on hardworking families, prioritize education and public safety, and protect pension funding so we remain the top-funded in the country.

This week, we have seen budget proposals from the majorities in the Senate and House. Read more about the Senate bipartisan proposal and the House Democrat proposal – I’ll be providing more analysis next week. The good news is that these proposals are not too far apart – and chances are still good that the Legislature will adjourn on time March 13.

As always, I appreciate hearing from you, and welcome your questions, concerns and suggestions. It’s an honor to serve you.