Robert Celt
New Member
With the Utah State Legislature past the halfway mark of its session, Cache County's legislators held to a common theme in their reports at the weekly constituent meeting Saturday morning: money.
"One thing I've always said when you're looking at who's supporting what issue is to follow the money," Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said when discussing medical marijuana legislation in the Senate. "If an initiative comes along to put marijuana legalization on the ballot, ask yourself where all the money is coming to pay for it, because I guarantee it will be lambasted with money. It's not going to be these poor sick people, but the people who see money in selling the drug."
Hillyard sat alongside Rep. Ed Redd, R-Logan, Rep. Curt Webb, R-Providence, and Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, in discussing a number of topics, including the state budget, medical marijuana, transportation funding and education, all of which boiled down to a discussion of funding, where it comes from and how it ends up spent.
As chairman of the Senate Executive Appropriations Committee, Hillyard said he has frequently placed a balanced state budget as a top priority. Hillyard discussed the status of the budget, which he said must now reconcile a possible decrease in projected sales tax revenue with $222 million in additional funding requests from committee prioritization lists. He said projected revenue figures would be announced Monday, with the House and Senate appropriations committees working from there to determine a trimmed budget.
"These are just the legislative priorities, and I know things will have to change," Hillyard said. "While I don't expect we'll drop regular revenue significantly, I think we will be lucky to stay at the level we now have."
Draxler reported success for his transportation bill, House Bill 183, which would amend a decision from the previous session on placing an optional sales tax increase on the ballot to help fund transportation projects. The bill, which would give counties Class Three and below – including Cache County – the opportunity to reallocate the revenue more toward cities and counties instead of transportation districts, passed through the House 67-5-3 and will now be discussed in the Senate. Draxler said he is optimistic about the bill's chances.
"It's been a good process with great support from the county and city officials all around," Draxler said. "It meant a lot to have the bill endorsed so strongly."
Medical marijuana was once again a hot topic during the meeting, as two medical marijuana bills were discussed in the Senate on Friday. Senate Bill 89, which focuses on the use of the non-psychoactive component of the plant, cannabidiol, for specific illnesses, passed on a vote of 26-3. A heavily amended version of Senate Bill 73, which once called for the medical legalization and access of the whole plant but still calls for the legalization of products made from it, will be voted on Monday.
Redd, a physician, echoed sentiments of previous meetings in calling for additional research on the plant's medical uses before legalizing it in Utah. He said that even though over $900 million of legal sales of marijuana had occurred in Colorado, it would be a slippery slope for Utah if the whole plant became available for medical use.
"For some it sounds like a great idea, especially if they're the ones suffering," Redd said. "But it needs to be taken care of by pharmacists who can obtain those same effects in a more controlled environment. When it comes down to it, there are enough proponents of medical marijuana who likely want it more for its recreational benefits than its medical ones."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: 'Follow The Money:' Cache Legislators Discuss Funding, Budgets, Medical Marijuana
Author: Clayton Gefre
Photo Credit: None found
Website: HJnews
"One thing I've always said when you're looking at who's supporting what issue is to follow the money," Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said when discussing medical marijuana legislation in the Senate. "If an initiative comes along to put marijuana legalization on the ballot, ask yourself where all the money is coming to pay for it, because I guarantee it will be lambasted with money. It's not going to be these poor sick people, but the people who see money in selling the drug."
Hillyard sat alongside Rep. Ed Redd, R-Logan, Rep. Curt Webb, R-Providence, and Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, in discussing a number of topics, including the state budget, medical marijuana, transportation funding and education, all of which boiled down to a discussion of funding, where it comes from and how it ends up spent.
As chairman of the Senate Executive Appropriations Committee, Hillyard said he has frequently placed a balanced state budget as a top priority. Hillyard discussed the status of the budget, which he said must now reconcile a possible decrease in projected sales tax revenue with $222 million in additional funding requests from committee prioritization lists. He said projected revenue figures would be announced Monday, with the House and Senate appropriations committees working from there to determine a trimmed budget.
"These are just the legislative priorities, and I know things will have to change," Hillyard said. "While I don't expect we'll drop regular revenue significantly, I think we will be lucky to stay at the level we now have."
Draxler reported success for his transportation bill, House Bill 183, which would amend a decision from the previous session on placing an optional sales tax increase on the ballot to help fund transportation projects. The bill, which would give counties Class Three and below – including Cache County – the opportunity to reallocate the revenue more toward cities and counties instead of transportation districts, passed through the House 67-5-3 and will now be discussed in the Senate. Draxler said he is optimistic about the bill's chances.
"It's been a good process with great support from the county and city officials all around," Draxler said. "It meant a lot to have the bill endorsed so strongly."
Medical marijuana was once again a hot topic during the meeting, as two medical marijuana bills were discussed in the Senate on Friday. Senate Bill 89, which focuses on the use of the non-psychoactive component of the plant, cannabidiol, for specific illnesses, passed on a vote of 26-3. A heavily amended version of Senate Bill 73, which once called for the medical legalization and access of the whole plant but still calls for the legalization of products made from it, will be voted on Monday.
Redd, a physician, echoed sentiments of previous meetings in calling for additional research on the plant's medical uses before legalizing it in Utah. He said that even though over $900 million of legal sales of marijuana had occurred in Colorado, it would be a slippery slope for Utah if the whole plant became available for medical use.
"For some it sounds like a great idea, especially if they're the ones suffering," Redd said. "But it needs to be taken care of by pharmacists who can obtain those same effects in a more controlled environment. When it comes down to it, there are enough proponents of medical marijuana who likely want it more for its recreational benefits than its medical ones."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: 'Follow The Money:' Cache Legislators Discuss Funding, Budgets, Medical Marijuana
Author: Clayton Gefre
Photo Credit: None found
Website: HJnews
