Newsletter Week 7 – Rep. Carl Albrecht
Working For Utah
The seven-week Legislative Session is over, and my colleagues and I have wrapped up our work. The seventh week of the Session turns the grueling marathon into an all-out sprint to the finish line, and most of our time this week was spent mainly on the House Floor finalizing the budget and the remaining Senate bills. I’m thankful for everyone who took the time to contact me on issues concerning them and for those who took the time to come visit during this time. As we head home to spend some time with our friends and family before we return for Interim work, I want to provide an overview of some of my work this year at the Capitol.
Legislative Updates
I ran several successful bills this year. Here is an update on how those turned out. H.B. 31 AGRITOURISM AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 54 COAL MINER CERTIFICATION PANEL AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 61 WATER MEASURING AND ACCOUNTING AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 124 ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE AMENDMENTS, Governor’s Desk, H.B. 239 STATE EMPLOYEE CYBERSECURITY TRAINING REQUIREMENTS, Governor’s Desk, H.B. 241 CLEAN ENERGY AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 363 LIVESTOCK GRAZING AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 384 UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DATA SUBMISSION AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 483 CONSTRUCTION TRADE AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 496 PUBLIC LAND USE AMENDMENTS – Governor’s Desk, H.B. 522 VETERINARIAN EDUCATION LOAN REPAYMENT – Governor’s Desk, H.C.R 8 BUTCH CASSIDY STATE MONUMENT – Signed by the Governor. All my Requests for Appropriations were funded and included in the final budget that passed Friday. I’m thankful for all of the people who worked on these bills and those who brought forward any concerns so that we could resolve them and pass all this legislation. I’m proud of the work I’ve done this year to help all Rural Utah. You can always take a more in depth look at my bills at le.utah.gov.
We passed over 465 bills this Session, with some just being minor clean up bills of Utah Code or extended commissions or programs. Some are more significant changes, like H.B. 562 which provides funding mechanisms for a stadium to host a MLB team right here in Utah. I supported this legislation because the money for the ballpark would come from a 1.5% tax increase on rental cars in the state and a tax within the ballpark district. 90% of car rentals are from the Salt Lake City Airport and this tax would affect mostly tourists traveling here. That tax increase would only go into place once there is an official agreement to bring a team to Utah, and Utah would retain ownership rights of the stadium. This has zero effect on taxes for rural citizens.
Interim Work
Though our 45-day Legislative Session may be over, our work is not. As a Legislature, we will spend the next 10 months meeting in our committees, learning about the pressing needs of the state, and preparing for next year’s Session. Our first interim meetings of 2024 will take place this coming May. I am your Representative all year long, not just during our 45-day Session, and I would love to continue to hear what issues matter to you. You can follow along with the whole process, in person or online at le.utah.gov.
Final Thoughts
I am honored to have had the privilege to represent all of you this year, and I will continue to work hard throughout the Interim and into the future. My job is to represent the interests of those in the counties I serve and all Rural Utah. I am committed to learning more each day on the issues we collectively face and how I can help provide a solution. Please continue to reach out to me if you have anything you would like to address, I am always willing to help where I can. You can reach me at calbrecht@le.utah.gov or (435) 979-6578. Thank you again for this privilege. It is an honor to serve.
PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS
Albrecht7.1: Representative Albrecht and his intern Gage Duffin
Albrecht7.2: Representative Albrecht, Chair of the House Public Utilities, Energy and Technology with his Vice Chair Representative Colin Jack
Albrecht7.3: Rep. Albrecht and his wife Gail the last night of the Legislative Session
