As lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for the annual Utah Legislative session, Gov. Gary Herbert says several issues already have his attention.
“Tax reform is a big issue, and it covers a lot of different areas. Whether we start looking at closing, I don’t want to call them loopholes, but we have sales tax exemptions, tax credits, income tax credits and whether we want to make it more flat,” says Herbert. “Which would you say is more fair? That will be something we’ll want to take a hard look at.”
Herbert estimates that lawmakers will, just like past years, introduce more than 900 bills, and pass about 500 of those.
Tax reform, particularly sales taxes on online purchases, should take up a lot of political bandwidth during the session, which is something Herbert applauds
“We want to make sure we have a tax policy that will be optimal for the marketplace,” he says. “However, that’s all changing with the disruption of us buying online. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates 50-percent of our purchases are being made online. That’s tax money owed to the state of Utah that’s not being collected, which means the brick and mortar stores are not being treated fairly.”
Herbert also says possible changes to the Utah Transit Authority is a top issue for his office. House Speaker Greg Hughes has already called UTA governance an issue that could “hijack” the 2018 session.
“There’s some good thought process about what we can do to restore trust with the public in the UTA,” says Herbert. “We have some good people on the board now, and chairman Greg Bell is doing a good job.”
Left unsaid from the conversation is the fact that Bell was Herbert’s Lt. Governor who resigned to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
Another hot topic on the Hill this year will be the state’s response to the opioid crisis. President Trump has declared it a public health crisis, and Herbert says there’s the possibility that the state could join the more than 100 cities and states suing opioid manufacturers for their role in the epidemic.
“The concern I have that is being raised by others is that those who make the product (opioid painkillers) were maybe not quite as forthright on their addictive powers, and maybe pooh-poohed that when we know it’s very addictive. If that’s the case, then there is some responsibility and liability that the product makers have for the problem we face.”
Herbert raised some eyebrows when it was reported he had raised more than $600,000 in campaign money during the last year, even though he has previously said this would be his last term in office. He says he currently has no plans to run again in 2020, but you can never say never in politics.
“There certainly are a lot of people who would like to see me stay and they like the results. It’s heartwarming that people like the services rendered and the results. There are other good people out there that are willing to step up and run, so it’s an opportunity for others.”
But what about all that money? Herbert says it will help him still play a role in Utah politics, even if he’s not in office. One concern for him is the ongoing debt problems plaguing the Utah GOP. Chairman Rob Anderson has been able to pay off about $120,000 in operational debt left by his predecessor James Evans, but there’s still about $50,000 to go. Herbert has already hosted a fundraiser to help the party, and he plans on giving more.
