Legislative Update

As 2020 has ended (It’s about time!), we set our sights on 2021 with a new president in the White House (maybe), a new governor (definitely), a 17% turnover in the legislative body, and the general legislative session in the midst of a pandemic. At the writing of this article, the United Kingdom has approved Pfizer’s vaccine, which means one of three things as you read this: 1) It is working and vaccines are proliferating around the world and the pandemic is finally coming to an end, 2) It didn’t work and it is back to the drawing board so put AN UNCERTAIN your mask back on but look at the bright side, you still get to do your virtual meetings in your pajama pants, or 3) It worked for a time. And then there was a terrible side

LEGISLATIVE effect of the vaccine and the zombie apocalypse that many of us have been preparing for has finally happened and SESSION FOR all of the research I conducted in my basement (playing Xbox) is finally going to pay off! Needless to say, this year has brought us challenges we could not have imagined

UNCERTAIN but, as Clint Eastwood says in “Heartbreak Ridge,” “You Improvise. You adapt. You overcome.” Excellent advice for a recon platoon of Marines and excellent advice for

TIMES every business, community, family, and individual on the planet.

We Must Be Flexible The general election saw statewide voter turnout topping 90% with more than 1.5 million of the state’s 1.7

Going Into a New Year million registered voters casting their ballot; breaking a record that has stood since 1960 when the state first by david peterSon, ryan peterSon started keeping records. Utahns sent two incumbent and CraiG peterSon Congressman back to Washington (Rep. John Curtis and Rep. Chris Stewart) and two freshmen (Blake Moore from the 1st district and Burgess Owens from the 4th district), which flipped Republican after Ben McAdams held the seat for the last two years. While the legalization of marijuana wasn’t on this year’s ballot, you did vote to make seven amendments to the state’s constitution. Some of the more noteworthy amendments included Constitutional Amendment C, which removed the ability for slavery or involuntary servitude to be used as a punishment for a crime from the state constitution. Constitutional Amendment E preserves the individual right to hunt and fish subject to regulation and establishes hunting and fishing as the preferred way to manage wildlife. Finally, Constitutional Amendment G amends the constitution to expand the use of money from income tax and intangible property tax to support children and people with a disability. This final amendment gives the legislature a bit of flexibility to use income tax revenue,

normally earmarked solely for educational purposes, and use it to provide social services for the disabled. So, what will the 2021 Utah Legislative Session look like? Capitol Hill is still closed to the public and will be, for the most part, when the legislative session begins on January 19. We’ve met with members of both the House and Senate and while there is still a significant amount of uncertainty regarding most of the particulars, we’re fairly confident the 2021 general legislative session will be executed as it has in previous years. With almost 800 bill files opened, there will be more plexiglass, less access to legislators, and no school children on Capitol Hill. The State Office Building, which sits behind the Capitol, has been converted to house additional committee rooms. A reservation system designed to allow in-person public comment is being tested so constituents will still be allowed to participate in the legislative process. However, the third and fourth floors of the Capitol, which hold the House and Senate floor, the public gallery, and all legislative leadership offices will be closed to the public. The one significant change that has not occurred is the use of college interns. According to legislative leadership, interns from colleges and universities across the state will converge on Capitol Hill to assist legislators throughout the session. The question begs to be asked; is it smart to surround 104 lawmakers with an average age that reflects both their experience and wisdom, with a group of individuals widely recognized in the media as the most dangerous demographic for the spread of the virus? As previously mentioned, the plan is to execute the legislative session as it has in previous years but something about plans and mice and men keep running through my head.

During my time on active duty, we adopted a form of the Marine’s Semper Fi. It was called Semper Gumby — always flexible. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us how to find alternatives or workarounds, and we fully expect a legislative session full of opportunities to improvise, adapt, and overcome. As always, we cannot overstate the importance, even during a pandemic, of the eyes and ears of association members who provide valuable information which facilitates our legislative mission. It is the combined efforts of a dedicated association which will ensure our success in the coming general legislative session. Stay healthy, stay safe, be patient, and smile under your mask. n advoCaCy

David Peterson is a partner and attorney with Peterson Consulting Group. He received a B.S. degree from Brigham Young University, his J.D. from the University of Toledo, and his LL.M. from The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. He has served on Active Duty and with the Army National Guard for more than 20 years and currently holds the rank of Major.

Ryan Peterson is the managing partner of Peterson Consulting Group. He has been a contract lobbyist in the state of Utah for the last 12 years. He received a degree in economics from the University of Utah with a focus on statistics and econometrics. He is an avid golfer and resides in Salt Lake City.

Craig Peterson, senior partner of Peterson Consulting Group, has been involved in legislative processes for almost 40 years as a State Representative, State Senator, and Republican Senate Majority Leader. During the past 20 years, he has been a lobbyist, successfully representing a broad spectrum of clients. Craig and his sons Ryan and David have become a strong political voice for their clients.