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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- With stronger cocktails and higher paid teachers coming Utah's way, Gov. Jon Huntsman said Thursday there's no need for a special legislative session anytime soon.
The Legislature adjourned Wednesday night with a balanced budget and addressed all the major issues Huntsman wanted them and a few he didn't.
Among other things, lawmakers set the stage to make health care more affordable and Utah less hospitable to illegal immigrants.
Legislators also passed laws that increases the standard size of a shot in a cocktail from 1 ounce to 1.5 ounces while banishing wine coolers from grocery stores.
Huntsman cringed at what banishing wine coolers to state liquor stores would do to the state's image, but was willing to accept it for stronger drinks involving liquor.
The governor is the only person who can call a special session and lawmakers try to avoid them if they can.
The sessions are typically reserved for major budgetary issues, necessary corrections or to pass a law with popular support.
Last year, Huntsman called a special session in the hope of passing an animal cruelty law that would stiffen penalties for those who torture animals. The bill had widespread popular support and was named Henry's Law after a dog that survived being put in a hot oven.
Rural lawmakers opposed the measure, though, saying it could make farmers vulnerable to oppressive penalties if they were found to have committed crime. That led to this year's compromise, which makes torturing a dog or a cat a felony but excludes other animals.
Following the end of the 45-day legislative session, Huntsman praised lawmakers for all they did. "This is the fourth session for me, and I gotta say it's been the very best," Huntsman said. "Thank you for delivering for the people you represent."
Lawmakers passed an $11.5 billion budget that included the third largest surplus in state history.
As part of the budget, teachers will receive a $1,700 raise. Increasing teacher salaries and education funding was one of Huntsman's biggest priorities.
Last year, Utah ranked 46th in average teacher pay. The state also has the nation's largest class sizes and spends less per student than any other state.
Huntsman, along with all 75 House members and half of the 29 member Senate, will be up for re-election this year.
Huntsman said lawmakers can be proud of how they spent taxpayers' money this session. Last week, Utah was named one of the best-managed states in the country by the Pew Center for having an effective government based on how it manages it budgets, staffs, infrastructure and information. Having an economy that remains strong doesn't hurt, either. "I think it's great that we can be a little oasis of excellence in a sea of uncertainty," Huntsman said.
Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said increasing education spending is the issue legislators would likely brag about most to their constituents. "We really put our money where our mouth is," Valentine said.
However, it's unclear if the additional money for teachers will be enough to heal wounds created last year when the Republican-controlled Legislature created the broadest private school voucher program in the country.
Voters killed the program by a wide margin in a referendum before any vouchers were granted. The issue invigorated Democratic Party leaders who pointed to the referendum that Republicans were out-of-touch with the voters they represent.
Particularly vulnerable this election is House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. Curtis won re-election in 2006 by 20 votes.
Since the election, he shepherded the voucher program through the House by one vote and helped broker an unpopular deal to help Real Salt Lake build a soccer stadium in his hometown of Sandy.
Curtis acknowledged his circumstances on the House floor Wednesday. "I don't know if I'm going to be back. Some people tell me I have a target on me," he said. "You know, what's new?"
Curtis will face Democrat Jay Seegmiller again this year.
Curtis isn't the only Republican lawmaker being targeted. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has pledged to do whatever it can to oust Sen. Chris Buttars from office. During debate over an education bill Buttars didn't like, the Republican from West Jordan said, "This baby is black, I'll tell you. It's a dark, ugly thing."
Buttars apologized, but the NAACP continues to call for his resignation.
Jeanetta Williams, president of the local NAACP branch, said she doesn't care if a Republican or a Democrat defeats Buttars as long he doesn't win re-election.
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(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
