Newsletter- Rep. Albrecht’s Second Week of Session
It was a great week of work and legislation on the hill. I moved several bills and projects through the legislative process that do good for District 70 and rural Utah.
Highlights of Week 2
I passed my second Bill through the House of Representatives on Wednesday with HB 72: Electricity Rate Amendments passing unanimously. It will now move to the Senate, making us one step closer to ensuring fair rates for Utah payers.
On Tuesday, HCR 1: Concurrent Resolution Regarding the Grand County Water Conservancy District moved further along the process with my presentation to the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee. The committee was very responsive to this bill and saw the good it would do for this rural community. It passed the committee unanimously with a favorable recommendation, moving it the Senate body where it will be voted on next.
Tuesday was a busy day as I also presented HB 253: Agriculture and Food Amendments to the House and Human Services Committee. This bill was a combined effort with the Utah Department of Agriculture to make slight changes to law that ensure the state supports our farmers and ranchers. It passed out of committee with a unanimous vote of favorable recommendation.
I presented HB 249: Nuclear Power Amendments to the House Public Utilities and Energy Standing Committee on Monday. This historic bill is the first piece of legislation is the first nuclear energy bill in Utah’s history that also does good for the further development of energy in Utah. It will establish a Nuclear Energy Consortium whose purpose is to advise State legislation on nuclear energy. As nuclear energy emerges as a future viable option in the field of energy, this bill helps lay the groundwork for the future of Utah’s energy. It passed out of committee with a unanimous vote of favorable recommendation.
The Rural Water Association of Utah held a rally on Thursday where I presented my bills concerning water, HB 41: State Water Policy Amendments, HB 47: Public Lands Watering Rights Amendments, HB 174: Water Rights Restricted Account, and HCR 1: Concurrent Resolution Regarding the Grand County Water Conservancy District. It was great to have the opportunity to discuss these bills with rural water representatives and gain their support on these bills.
The highlight of the week was being joined on the House Floor by my grandchildren Boone and Emery. Boone gave the opening prayer of the floor time while Emery led the gallery and chamber in the pledge of allegiance.
Committees
We heard and discussed a handful of bills this week in the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee, as well as the committee I Chair, House Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Environment Committee. Some great bills were passed through committee, including HB 212: Advanced Transmission Technologies which will update and improve our transmission of power in this state, especially in rural areas with outdated equipment.
Request for Appropriations
I had two presentations for my requests for appropriations. On Tuesday I presented my Utah Cyber Security RFA to the General Government Appropriations Subcommittee. These appropriations would ensure the state allocates the funds and resources to help businesses and entities in rural Utah communities avoid cyber-attacks. My second RFA presentation was on Wednesday to the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Environment subcommittee. This request is to allocate money to fees incurred by Kane County in their fight to keep BLM roads open. These funds would go a long way in the fight to give rural Utah access to our public lands.
Your involvement is vital to our process, make your voice heard. Please feel free to attend any public meetings or attend online to listen and testify. Contact me through phone or email; carlalbrecht@le.utah.gov, (435) 979-6578. You can also contact my intern, Joe Boyle; jboyle@le.utah.gov, (385) 420-3096. Thank you for your continued support.
