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Richard Piatt reporting The Utah Legislature has one more day until the end of the 2008 general session. Among the topics still in flux on Capitol Hill are education funding and new alcohol laws.
There is only one day left, but legislators don't seem stressed out. Most of the hard work is done, but there's plenty of work left in these final hours.
For dogs and cats, and their owners, this was a good day at the Legislature. An animal cruelty bill got final passage. If the governor signs on, torture to canines and felines is a felony. "People who have dogs and cats should give them a big hug and realize that we now have one of the strongest animal protection laws for dogs and cats in the country," said Gene Baierschmidt, with the Utah Humane Society.
The animal cruelty bill is symbolic of the way most of the 2008 session went: a collaborative, compromising session where lots of people are mostly happy.
Not everyone is entirely happy, and those in the middle are exhausted. "I can't tell you how happy I am that this animal cruelty bill is done," Sen. Allen Christensen said.
It was the same kind of negotiating that brought comprehensive immigration reform to pass and for changes in the state's alcohol laws to advance.
Lawmakers also took steps to study health system reform--to fund children's health insurance, Medicaid programs, and transportation.
But House and Senate leaders say the crowning glory is education. "We have spent the most money, we have spent the most time and effort in education," Senate President John Valentine said.
House Speaker Greg Curtis said, "Two hundred million ongoing dollars into education, public education. That's significant."
But public education advocates continue to fight for as much money as possible. As it is, teachers will get a $1,700 raise and districts will get a 2.5 percent boost in classroom funding.
"The PTA believes that in class size reduction, that's the number-one issue, and it's not being addressed; and yet that's what we heard from every parent we talked to during the voucher issue," said Marilyn Simister, president of the Utah PTA.
Lawmakers are clearly annoyed by any implication that education is not a priority this year. They deny any hard feelings over last year's school voucher fight. "We're not being vindictive. I've never heard it discussed up here," said Sen. Lyle Hillyard, appropriations co-chair.
Money is the one issue that is always a sticking point right up until the Legislature adjourns. This year, even with one of the highest surpluses in the state's history, that is again the case.
