May 2018 Legislative Highlights

Hope you are having a great Spring/Summer! Thanks again for your support and for contacting me regarding any issue you would like to discuss. I hope these newsletters are a good resource for tracking the work of the legislature as it continues during this interim period.

Interim Sessions

Following the completion of the general legislative Session begins the off-season, or "Interim" Session. Once a month we meet in committees comprised of both House and Senate members and begin to craft and discuss proposed legislation for the 2019 general session. This year, our first Interim Session is on May 16.

Items Discussed During the May Interim Session

The Utah Attorney General’s office said the state will be suing Purdue Pharma, one of the country’s biggest opioid manufacturers, following the lead of state lawmakers. [Trib]
Studied payroll tax fraud (workforce hiring, cash payments, etc.) and illegal avoidance of the payroll tax for workers' compensation. [Trib]
The Utah Legislature reversed its decision to rename the Utah Transit Authority to the Transit District of Utah after the public stir it caused. Also, the Utah attorney general’s office said UTA may have violated the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act. [Trib]
The Utah Legislature is considering a request that would let “Dreamers” take the Utah bar exam. [Trib]
Discussed drivers insurance and the business model for peer-to- peer vehicle renting compared to the traditional car rental business. Heard remarks from a peer-to-peer vehicle rental provider and stakeholders. [Trib]
Received a report from the Department of Health on three applications for federal Medicaid waivers it has prepared in response to legislation passed during the 2018 General Session.

Other Items

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Although I won't be on your ballot for this upcoming election (I don't have a Primary Election opponent), I encourage those who belong to political parties who have primary elections to vote. If you mail in your ballot, it must be postmarked by Monday, June 25. Many of you may have already received your ballot in the mail. If you have any questions regarding the Primary Election, call the Salt Lake County Elections Office at 385-468-7400.

Rep. Hall - 2018 Business Champion

Thanks to the Salt Lake Chamber for recognizing me as one of their 2018 "Business Champions." Although we still have work to do, there's a reason Utah's economy is ranked by several major publications as one of the best. It doesn't happen by accident.

Ceremonial Bill Signing with Nurse Wubbels

After the General Session we had a ceremonial bill signing for HB43, which requires a warrant when law enforcement seeks a blood draw. This bill will absolutely help avoid a repeat of the altercation we saw at the University of Utah Hospital.between the nurse and law enforcement.

Thanks to Nurse Alex Wubbels for doing what she knew was right that day. And for helping us get the bill passed.

Thanks to my legislative colleagues for recognizing the need for the bill and for your unanimous and bipartisan support.

Thanks to the Governor for signing the bill, and for having this public ceremonial bill signing.
And thanks to all of you who reached out in support of the bill. I greatly appreciate it. Great work!

Discussing My 2018 Bills with Inside Politics

A few weeks ago, I appeared on Onside Politics where I discussed:

1 - My blood draw bill
2 - My remote filing-for-political-office bill
3 - My bill addressing an issue we saw in the SLCo Recorder's Office.

http://www.good4utah.com/…/new-blood-draw-proced…/1066831948

Hamilton with two Granger High School Students

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the musical Hamilton with two Granger High students. They won tickets after writing letters to their elected officials. Wonderful program to help our students attend such a great show! Go Lancers!

Summary of the 2018 Regular Session

For those interested, the legislative staff has put together some good summaries of what was accomplished during the last Legislative Session:

A complete list of all bills that were passed can be found here: https://le.utah.gov/asp/passedbills/passedbills.asp
A good explanation of some of the more interesting bills that passed can be found here: https://le.utah.gov/~2018/SelectedHighlights2018.pdf
FY2018 - 2019 budget. If you want to know how Utah will be spending its money over the next fiscal year, click here for a fantastic summary.

Read all of my previous email newsletters here: http://bit.ly/YJCYy1

Thanks again for all your support. My contact information is as follows. Feel free to contact me regarding any issue.

Legislative email: chall@le.utah.gov
Personal email: hcraighall@yahoo.com
Website: www.votecraighall.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/votecraighall
Twitter: www.twitter.com/hcraighall
Cell phone: (801) 573-1774