Utah Legislature 70716GOC

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Government Operations Interim Committee

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MINUTES OF THE
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS INTERIM COMMITTEE
Wednesday July 16, 1997 . 9:00 a.m. . Room 416 State Capitol

Members Present:
    Sen. L. Alma "Al" Mansell, Chair
    Rep. Jordan Tanner, Chair
    Sen. LeRay McAllister
    Sen. Robert M. Muhlestein
    Rep. Trisha S. Beck
    Rep. Perry L. Buckner
    Rep. Neal B. Hendrickson
    Rep. Joseph G. Murray
    Rep. Lowell A. Nelson
    Rep. Michael R. Styler

Members Absent:
    Sen. Robert C. Steiner
    Rep. Martin R. Stephens

Staff Present:
    Mr. John Q. Cannon,
     Research Analyst
    Mr. John L. Fellows
     Associate General Counsel
    Ms. Junie G. Anderson,
     Committee Secretary

Note:    A list of others present and handouts distributed are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1.     Call to Order - Chair Mansell called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m.

2.     Committee Business -

     MOTION: Rep. Hendrickson moved to approve the minutes of the June 18, 1997 meeting. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Buckner, Rep. Nelson, and Rep. Styler absent for the vote.

3.    English as Official State Language - John Cannon, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, provided background on H.B. 387 "English as Official Language of State." He distributed a handout titled, "English as Official Language - A Summary of State Laws." He explained the contents of the summary. A tracking report of some states' laws on English as the official language was also distributed.

    Kyle Rogers, Director of Government Relations for U.S. English, Inc., spoke in support of H.B. 387, and distributed a handout titled, "Testimony of Kyle Rogers."

    Rep. Tammy Rowan explained that she sponsored "H.B. 387 - English as Official Language of State." She distributed a document titled, "1997 House Bill 387: English as Official Language of State" and an outline pertaining to the bill. She went over the outline with the committee. She noted exemptions and suggested that economic development be added to the bill.

     MOTION: Sen. McAllister moved that the words "and economic development" be added
to page 1, line 25, after the word "tourism." The motion passed unanimously.
    Rep. Styler was concerned about the possible adverse effect on bilingual education. Mr. Rogers clarified that bilingual education will continue to be conducted according to current procedures. Sen. Muhlestein expressed concern about the impact of this bill on people with disabilities. Mr. Rogers said that federal law supercedes any bill drafted by individual states, and the Americans with Disabilities Act would ensure the protection of these people.

    Sen. McAllister asked about the legal risk of offering drivers license exams in multiple languages. John Fellows, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, explained the potential risk involved.

    Rep. Loretta Baca opposed the bill. She said that this is not just an English problem but an education and truancy problem. She said that immigrants are being used as scapegoats.

    Others, including Lorena Riffo, Director of Hispanic Affairs, David Doty, Davis County School District, Leticia Medina, Vice Chair for Hispanic Advisory Council, and Matt Shaw, American Civil Liberties of Utah, spoke in opposition to the bill.

    Amy Owen, Utah State Library Division, was concerned that the bill may prohibit libraries from acquiring bilingual and foreign language materials, and would also stop many literacy programs currently offered through public libraries. She asked that committee members consider amending the bill to allow continuation of the current programs.

    Eldon Brinley, Salt Lake City resident, spoke in favor of the bill.

    Rep. Tanner said that the bill does not represent a Spanish/English issue; that it involves all languages. He said the bill would be a way of unifying people, not dividing people.

    Rep. Rowan summarized by saying that no rights will be taken away from anyone. She said that it would be considered discrimination to allow English and Spanish written documents, without allowing documents to be written in other languages also. She said that the bill pulls people together. Rep. Rowan requested that the committee consider approving the bill as a committee bill.

    Rep. Styler said that he would like amendments made to the bill before bringing it to the committee for an official vote.

    Chair Mansell suggested that Rep. Rowan prepare amendments to address the concerns raised and that the bill be presented to the committee at the August meeting. The committee will then act on the bill.

4.    Voting Rights of Felons - John Fellows, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, provided background on draft legislation "Resolution Eliminating Voting Rights of Convicted Felons." He distributed a handout titled, "Felon Voting _ Decision Tree."

    Representative Carl Saunders said that anyone convicted of a felony should be deprived of the right to vote, and that right should not be restored until his/her debt to society is paid in full.
    Linda Lunceford, Weber County Clerk Auditor, said that after speaking with representatives from the Department of Corrections, the Courts, and the Lieutenant Governor's Office, they would suggest limiting the legislation to revoke the rights of only those felons who are incarcerated. Notification that a person's voting rights have been extinguished could go to the Lieutenant Governor's Office, and that office could be responsible to notify each of the respective counties involved. She suggested that a felon's voting right should be restored upon release from prison.

     MOTION: Rep. Styler moved to amend line 16 to delete the word "convicted" and insert the word "incarcerated." The motion passed with Rep. Hendrickson voting in opposition.

     MOTION: Rep. Styler moved to approve the resolution as amended. The motion passed unanimously.

5.    Salary Increases for Government Officials - This item was not heard at this meeting.

6.    Utah Navajo Trust Fund - This item was not heard at this meeting.

7.     Adjourn -

     MOTION: Sen. Muhlestein moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:52 a.m. The motion passed unanimously

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