INTRODUCTION
The 5th week of the 2024 Legislative Session is over. We have nine working days until we adjourn, but we still have a lot of work left to finish. We are dedicating more of our working hours to Floor Time now, where bills approved by committee are being considered before the entire body of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and we will start working later into the evenings to hear more debate on the legislation that affects our constituents.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
My final three bills were officially introduced and have been making their way through the process. H.B. 483 Construction Trade Amendments amends the threshold dollar amount where a handyman can engage in a construction project. The current amount is set at $3,000 and has not been changed since the 1980s to reflect inflation. Many projects that handymen work on surpass this amount now due to the inflationary cost of labor and materials. This bill increases that threshold to $9,000, so those who wish to do some side work can do so without concern of legal repercussions. This bill passed out of the House Business and Labor Committee unanimously. H.B. 496 Public Land Use Amendments prohibits Natural Asset Companies, or NACs, from ever purchasing or leasing state public lands for their purposes. NACs are a new tool that the federal government in conjunction with the New York Stock Exchange tried to implement to control more of our public lands. Although they recently reversed their decision, this bill ensures that if these or similar policies return, we have a tool to fight back against federal overreach. H.B. 522 Veterinarian Education Loan Repayment Program Amendments is a supplement to a bill I ran last year, allowing repayment of veterinarian school loans to be paid out yearly in smaller sums rather than in full at the conclusion of their education. This change was proposed to help attract more vets to Rural Utah, specifically focusing on livestock medicine. Both H.B. 496 and H.B. 522 passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously Friday morning and will be heard on the House Floor sometime next week. H.B. 31 – Senate, H.B. 124 – Senate, H.B. 239 – Governor, H.B. 241 – House, H.B. 363 – Governor, H.B. 384 – Governor, H.C.R. 8 – Governor, H.C.R. 13 – Senate.
GUESTS
I had the honor to introduce some incredible guests on the House Floor Thursday afternoon. Former Top Gun and Space Shuttle pilot Doug Hurley, Jordan Christensen, former resident of Glenwood and Iraq War Veteran, and Four-Star General Robert Oaks who served under President Bush, and the CEO of Hunter Nation, Keith Mark, are all in Salt Lake this weekend for the Hunt Expo. These heroes are true examples of sportsmen, and their shared love of hunting and conservation is admirable. The Hunt Expo welcomes over 65,000 hunters from over 33 countries, raises over $100 million dollars in just one weekend, and is hosted right here in the great State of Utah.
Members of the House Majority Caucus held a press conference on Monday with Former President Trump’s National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien to learn more about the crisis at our southern border and various areas of the word. Speaker of the House Mike Schultz also shared his experience earlier this month at the Texas border, and Governor Cox has deployed members of the Utah National Guard and Utah Highway Patrol to assist Texas in gaining control of their border.
I had a chance to meet with Representatives of the Navajo Reservation to discuss their support of some bills that I will hear as a member of the House Business and Labor Committee. I also welcomed a group of educators from the rural schools in Iron County and their concerns on the mental health crisis facing our elementary youth. I look forward to working with them over the Interim to help provide solutions to help our rural students. Governor Cox joined us Friday morning for Rural Caucus Breakfast and reaffirmed his commitment to working hard for Rural Utah.
CONCLUSION
I hope that all my constituents reach out regarding any concerns, I again invite you to do so. My intern is Gage Duffin, a graduate of Utah State University. His email address is gduffin@le.utah.gov. His telephone number is (385) 420-3079. I will continue updating you throughout the Session on these important issues that influence your local communities. I always look forward to representing all the needs and interests of all Rural Utah. Please contact me directly by email at carlalbrecht@le.utah.gov or text or call (435) 979-6578.
PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS
Albrecht1: Rep. Albrecht with President Trump’s former National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien
Albrecht2: Members of the House Majority Caucus with Robert O’Brien
Albrecht3: Rep. Albrecht Introducing sportsmen Doug Hurley and Jordan Christensen
Albrecht4: Albrecht with representatives of the Navajo Nation
Albrecht5: Representative Albrecht and Iron County educators
Albrecht6: Representative Albrecht and his wife Gail celebrating Valentines Day
