Good Morning. As we begin this General Session, allow me to express my gratitude to all of you for the opportunity to be the Speaker of the House. I am truly grateful to serve this House and the people of Utah.

One of the benefits of being the Speaker is that I get to brag about what Utah is doing. During my travels this past year, I’ve been able to share what we’ve done to achieve some pretty impressive successes. How despite some lean times we’ve budgeted wisely while crafting creative pension and medicaid reform; funded education, found innovative immigration solutions; and held to our belief in the free market and the power of individuals and families.

For me, the most significant visits took place not in Charleston, Tampa or New Orleans. Not in Puerto Rico or even China. Instead, these experiences took place right here in Utah.

The first was in Ephraim, where I spoke to a room full of exceptional rural High School students. Given the sincerity, urgency and meaningful nature of our interaction, I can only hope they will be among the people who replace you and me in these chambers someday. Logan Wisener, who led us in the pledge of allegiance this morning, was one of those students.

During my visit we discussed their future, what their world would look like, and their place in it. As part of a little experiment, I asked Logan and his fellow students to share with me some of their hopes and dreams and fears. We did it via text message so we could keep their identities anonymous, and quite frankly, because most of them are more comfortable communicating that way.

Afterwards, I wrote down a few of their responses so I could remember them. Their comments made a profound impact on me, and I hope I can convey the spirit in which they were sent.

“My deepest hope,” wrote one student, “is that they find a cure for cancer really soon so my family will stop suffering.”

Many students mentioned their concerns about the economy, our military conflicts in the Middle East, even our national debt. It’s clear they are connected to the world around them. But more encouraging than their grasp of current events, was the realization that they belong to a generation that wants to make a positive difference.

A number of students stated they didn’t want to let their parents down.

“To recognize truth,” wrote one. “To make a difference in just one person’s life,” wrote another. “To be the kind of person others can look up to,” wrote a third.

In the midst of daily meetings with influential people about complex issues, these students and their simple statements brought some questions into sharp focus for me.

How can we in this body help our youth achieve their hopes and dreams? What should we be focusing on?

We can’t cure cancer in this chamber, but we can help make Utah a welcoming place where university research is encouraged and businesses who will find a cure can thrive.

We can’t change our demographics. In Utah, we like our families large which makes funding schools a little more difficult. But we can provide a world class education to those who want to learn and use innovative techniques to deliver that education.

We can’t ensure that kids won’t let their parents down. But we can make Utah a place where families have every opportunity to be strong and where the rights of parents are protected.

The second profound experience was on Memorial Day. I was invited to speak at Camp Williams where families gathered to pay their respects. Even the most eloquent words would be insufficient to describe how humbling it was to stand before people whose loved one sacrificed all in defense of freedom. We honored the sacrifice and bravery of these soldiers. We honored men from Logan and American Fork, from West Valley and Clinton.

We speak on this floor often about freedom, liberty, God-given rights and the Constitution. And for good reason. These are ideals worth fighting for, and worth dying for. And many Utahns have paid that price. May we remember them when we are considering the issues before us.

Finally, I was invited to visit a few of the private organizations that partner with the State to provide services to the homeless. We in this room live relative lives of comfort, and I don’t think any of us truly understand the lives of those teenagers who escape to that run-down building on State Street. These are young men and women who often prostitute themselves to survive, these are lost boys who have nowhere to go.

As I met with the adults who provide the basics of life for these children, I was impressed by their compassion and dedication. I thought of my own children about the same age. My heart ached for these kids and their seemingly insurmountable challenges.

I don’t tell this story to demand that we fund a program. Government alone can’t and shouldn’t solve this problem. But as lawmakers, we can be aware of problems plaguing our society and help make those around us aware of such problems. We can encourage the private sector and our citizens to lend a hand that will be much more effective than government red tape. We can make it easier for all to get involved and help lift up those who have been knocked down.

With massive amounts of information and new cutting edge tools at our disposal, we should be able to craft creative solutions. As a society, we should be able to provide an effective safety net for our most needy without burying them in needless bureaucracy. As a government, we should be able to protect our citizens without trampling on their civil rights. As a legislature, we should be able to meet the needs of the people of Utah without over-burdening them with taxes. As parents, we should be able to figure out how to proactively teach our children without breaking the bank.

In fact, we must be cautious now more than ever with how we spend taxpayer money so that we don’t do anything to cause our re-blooming economy to wilt.

Almost daily I have opportunities to meet with amazing Utahns doing remarkable things that make our state a wonderful place to live. We talk about their issues and I am reminded that we are elected to understand the proper role of government and meet the legitimate challenges facing our State.

Those of us who sit in this chamber today have been elected to help overcome those challenges. I can promise that the next 45 days will be both fulfilling and frustrating. Remember that you are responsible first and foremost to your constituents. You are here to serve them. You are in this room to make the hard choices just like others have before you.

And while we are making those choices, think of the hopes and dreams of those High School students and how we can best help them. Is it debating over who can braid whose hair or figuring out how to stop jails from filling up and students from dropping out? Is it in finagling ways to fund our pet projects or scrutinizing budgets that stretch into the billions of dollars?

During our lively and passionate discussions of founding principles and state sovereignty, let us not forget the many lives willingly given to protect our ability to have those conversations.

Throughout this intense and fast moving process, it is my hope that we look to our future. We must give thought to our communities and our role in providing an appropriate safety net for the most vulnerable among us. We must create an environment of safety and security for future generations.

So take what is in your heart – and in your mind – and apply it to our occasionally flawed but brilliant political system. Come up with real solutions for Utahns that will work without being intrusive. Not everyone will agree with your position every time. You may need to find a way to compromise while holding firm to your principles and values.

Be bold. Be brave. Be able to say when this session is over that you did your very best.

Thank you.

• We addressed a number of issues during the 2011 session, including immigration reform that we hope the federal government will agree is an excellent step forward.
• We also passed Medicaid reform that could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars, again if the federal government gives us the green light.
• Being beholden to the federal government over nearly ever every aspect of our state has proven a great frustration to conservative lawmakers like myself. To that end, we passed several pieces of legislation that pushes back against the federal government intruding in what we feel is state business.

Throughout the second half of 2012, the Legislature went through a once-in-a-decade practice of redrawing political lines throughout the state. We’re required by the state constitution to redraw the lines of the State House and Senate, the State School Board, and the Congressional districts based on new Census data. These maps will go into effect for the next election cycle.

The boundaries of House District 64 did not change significantly, but please visit the link on this site to the new map. Our county clerk is busy adjusting the voting precincts so that they are finalized by the end of this month. Your voting precinct may change. Watch for a notice from the county clerk informing you of any changes. Feel free to contact him with your questions (Bryan Thompson 801-851-8109).

During the 2012 session, which begins Jan. 23, the Legislature will be addressing some significant issues including:

• the management and oversight of the Division of Alcohol Beverage Control. An investigation performed by our Auditor found some serious issues in this agency, and we will be working to correct them and ensure they don’t happen again.
• the State Budget, which will consume much of our time and effort. The good news is that Utah appears to be leading the way out of our national recession. But we have a long way to go. So while we have some positive revenue growth for the first time in many years, we’ll continue to hold state agencies accountable for how they spend your hard-earned money.

My thoughts on being the Speaker of the House:

The opportunity to represent the people of District 64 is a great responsibility. Just after the last election, I was afforded the honor of being elected by my peers in the House of Representatives to be the Speaker of the House. This position continues to be both challenging and rewarding.

I’ve learned much this past year. I’ve learned to be more aware of the media. I also hope I’ve learned to be more savvy. I offered a different style of leadership to the House, one that would afford every Representative the opportunity to take part more fully in the process. I believe that debate should be embraced and encouraged. We should not be afraid of this great American process of making law and setting policy. This way of doing business is at times messy, and it is of course, more time-consuming. Not everyone enjoys this change, but I believe it is a healthier way for the House of Representatives to function.

This has been an unprecedented term for the House. We have had numerous resignations; more than in recent memory. There is a very steep learning curve in the Legislature, and I have worked to make sure all of the new members are prepared to contribute to the process on their very first day. I have been very impressed with their abilities and personal qualities.

But know that my No. 1 responsibility is to serve my constituents. You’ve entrusted me with the opportunity to serve, and I owe you my best efforts. I will continue to strive to provide the best representation for our district while also meeting my obligation to lead the entire House of Representatives.

An online survey is available. Please fill it out so I can know your concerns and comments. Having access to your email address is critical for me to continue to communicate with you through the year. Please know that I will not use if for any other purpose than to keep you updated on the issues.

I look forward to providing weekly updates during the 2012 Session, as I did last year. I want to hear from you! Please let me know your thoughts. I will do all I can to provide you with information.

Multiple groups including both Republicans and Democrats are threatening to sue if they don’t get what they want. It brings to mind the phrase that if everybody hates what you’re doing, you must be doing it right.

Redrawing Utah’s political lines is constitutionally mandated and a matter of necessity because of population growth. The Legislature will meet next week to approve maps that will be used for the next 10 years. Those maps will include 75 state House districts and 29 state Senate districts, 4 U.S. Congressional districts and 15 state school board districts.

Everyone along the political spectrum including the deceptively labeled “good government” groups want their own special gerrymander under the guise of fairness.

But despite the easy sound bites from political party hacks, radio talk show hosts and editorial boards, we don’t draw arbitrary lines. We can’t. The population deviations between districts have to be extremely small. There may be philosophical differences, but what is drawn will be legal because we are using sound principles established by both state and federal court precedent.

As a result, some Democratic-leaning districts will have to be combined. Conversely, some Republican districts – more than the Democrats, in fact — will also have to be combined. Friends from the same side of the aisle will likely have to run against each other, because in the end the numbers reign supreme. Equal representation demands that district boundaries will shift to where the people have chosen to live.

We’ve been elected as legislators to make tough decisions. We look at all sides, hear all arguments and do some serious soul-searching. And though the Legislature is constitutionally mandated to draw districts, we have involved the public at every turn.

The redistricting committee, of which I am a member, has held dozens of public meetings over the summer throughout the state. Committee members represent all geographic areas of the state, and even over-represent the ratio of Democrats in the Legislature. We’ve fielded thousands of e-mails and phone calls.

We launched an unprecedented public website — RedistrictUtah.com — that allows anyone to draw their own maps and comment on others. To date, there are nearly 300 maps drawn by legislators and the public, with more than 1,000 comments written about them. The School Board map adopted by the committee was originally submitted by Rob Horner, an interested citizen from Logan.

But even with huge public input and a thoroughly transparent process, calls continue for a so-called “independent commission” from groups who quite simply aren’t getting their way. When their arguments are not convincing, they claim we aren’t listening. This is just not true.

Aside from the fact that these groups are deceptive in their purpose, it’s a ludicrous idea that there is even such a thing as an “independent” person or commission when it comes to political lines. Everyone has a conflict. And I, for one, would rather have an elected official accountable to the people be making the decisions rather than someone who will make decisions and then disappear into the night.

It’s been disappointing, though perhaps not surprising, to hear of the planned lawsuits over a redistricting effort that is not only incomplete, but has been the most open and inclusive in Utah’s history.

The legal maneuvering comes from those who want us to break the basic laws of mathematics and the political will of the people of Utah. They think they shouldn’t have to face the same realities everyone else will. They’ve decided to attempt to achieve through the courts what cannot be attained through the duly elected representatives of the people.

It’s willful ignorance or outright self-importance on their part that they won’t acknowledge that the very demands they are making are the very things that will get us successfully sued at a cost of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

Their talk is cheap. Their threats are opportunistic. Their verbal bomb-throwing is meant to obscure the reality of a fair process.

Starting on Monday, the Legislature will be in session to debate the maps, as we’ve been elected to do. It will be heated, and there will be some from both sides of the aisle unhappy with the results. But in the end we will send good maps to the governor for his signature.

If the naysayers think they’ve got themselves a lawsuit after that, there’s really only one thing left to say:

Bring it on.

As most of you are aware, the General Session closed at midnight on March 10. I believe the Legislature accomplished much good this session. We reduced the structural imbalance(one time money in ongoing programs) in the state budget (down from 313 million to 50 million), funded growth in Public Education, replaced a building for severely mentally ill children at the State Hospital in Provo, did NOT raises taxes, and left hundreds of millions of dollars in the state’s rainy day funds. We also addressed significant policies surrounding Immigration. Unfortunately, one issue seems to overshadow our work. I have spent every day since the end of the session working on this issue. Even when I am not at the Capitol, I am dealing with the consequences and fallout of HB 477.

Over the last two weeks, much has been said and felt about  HB 477. I voted for HB 477 believing that this bill maintained openness in government while solving well documented abuses of GRAMA. Since the bill passed, and even with a delayed effective date, it has become abundantly clear that few in the public share that sentiment.

As Speaker of the House and your Representative, it was not my intent to sneak anything through the legislative process or violate the public trust. My only goal was to pass good policy that would serve the people and taxpayers of the state well. We all learn lessons in life. This is one of those times. I have learned that the public needed more time to become aware of the issues surrounding GRAMA, and help us formulate solutions. It is a lesson I won’t forget.

Our Republic is based on the people making their wishes known, and their Representatives responding to them. We have heard your voice. We are listening. And the Republican caucus is responding to your concerns by supporting a repeal of HB 477. I believe the House of Representatives will do its part to repeal HB 477 during the Special Session on Friday. I personally support the repeal and my vote will reflect that decision.

We will work over the next few months with a broad-based working group to address this issue in a thoughtful and measured way and bring forward solutions to the challenges and questions facing elected officials, political subdivisions, and taxpayers. The first meeting of this working group was yesterday, Wednesday March 23rd, at 9:00 am, and we streamed it live for anyone and everyone to see and hear. The working group decided to hold a meeting every Wednesday at the same time and at the same location. I invite you to continue to follow their deliberations through streaming video at the House and Senate web sites. Or feel free to come to the Capitol in room 210 of the Senate Building. We are working on a web site, a twitter account and Facebook page for the working group as well. This group’s efforts will result in new legislation that brings GRAMA into the 21st Century. It will be legislation we can all be proud of.

I have attached some of the information that I have concerning the GRAMA issue. First is a comparison of GRAMA with and without HB 477. (Remember that HB 477 will not and would not have gone into effect until July 1, 2011). Next, is a copy of the policy questions the working group will try to answer during its meetings. Finally, I have attached a Supreme Court decision that directly impacts the application and interpretation of GRAMA. Please understand that I did not go into this decision or process on HB 477 with no knowledge or information about the issue.

Please visit the Legislative Web Site at www.le.utah.gov to see the text of HB 477 or any other piece of legislation. There you can also listen to recordings of floor debates and committee hearings: some dating back many years. The schedule of all of our meetings is posted there as well. The House also has a web site: www.utah.gov/house and a blog: Vox Populi at www.utahreps.net I welcome your input and suggestions at any time. My government email is blockhart@utah.gov (be aware that anything you send me, due to GRAMA, may be subject to public disclosure-that includes anything on my personal electronic devices as well)

Best Regards,

Representative Becky Lockhart

View the GRAMA – HB477 Comparison Chart

View the  Working Group Policy Questions

View Deseret News vs. Salt Lake County GRAMA Supreme Court Case

Lockhart believes the legislature’s aggressive approach to balancing the state’s budget early in the session is because “it’s a sign that the legislature takes their responsibility to balance the budget very seriously.”

The Utah House Majority launched an official blog UtahReps.net. Check it frequently for daily House updates, schedules, a morning recap and messages from the Representatives.

Read more>

Like many University of Utah students, Mattie Hughes was a firebrand. She was outspoken and passionate. She was independent — washing dishes, doing laundry and secretarial jobs to work her own way through school.She majored in Chemistry, and at age 25 launched her career as a doctor.

Today, she’d blend in among the U’s 30,000 students. Except that “Mattie” Hughes went to school in the 1880s and the school was known then as the University of Deseret.

Hughes would go on to establish a training school for nurses, become a resident physician and marry Angus Munn Cannon. We now know her as Martha Hughes Cannon. She was drawn to politics, and felt so strongly about the issues of her day that she ran for office against her own husband in 1896. She defeated him and became the first woman in our nation to be elected to a State senate.

Martha Cannon may not have recognized the significance of her influence, but surely we recognize it now: She was a leader. She was the kind of leader who helped build this great State into the envy of our Nation: A safe environment for parents and their children. Fertile ground for businesses and their jobs. A desirable destination for visitors and their dreams.

Today, at the opening of the 59th Legislature ask yourselves: How can we be effective legislators? How can we be leaders?

A leader learns to navigate the legislative process. A leader reads the bills that come before him. A leader listens more than talks. A leader is a good example.
A leader is respectful to Utah citizens who take the time to approach him on an issue.

Leaders are elected to understand the proper role of government and meet the looming challenges facing our State. In Utah, there is a legacy from past legislatures filled with many accolades including best managed State in America. However, we cannot just stand on the accomplishments of the past in order to build Utah’s future. There is too much at stake. The decisions we make today will affect the generations of tomorrow. Our children and grandchildren will reap the consequences of our actions. As a State we face real challenges. We must address our challenges head on. When we do that, we enable our posterity to create their own bright future.

Over the next seven weeks, we will debate immigration reform and health care reform. We will address an economy that needs less government, not more while it recovers. We have an education system that needs attending to and a dangerous $300 million problem known as structural imbalance.

There are fundamental principles upon which this country was founded. Federalism and State sovereignty. Our inspired United States Constitution limits the powers of Federal Government. Are there instances when the federal government intrudes upon our State sovereignty? Is Utah willing to tell the federal government to go away at times when it oversteps its authority? Are we willing to heed the advice of Thomas Jefferson, who said “A government big enough to supply you with everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have”? I believe that together we can find answers to these questions.

Because we come from all walks of life, we have different world views and different ideas for solutions. On one hand we have Representative Cox. Our newest member has been a representative for just two weeks and has yet to debate a bill, much less vote on one. On the other hand is Representative Hendrickson, who has been around for over 1,000 weeks and has cast tens of thousands of votes.

We have Representative Mathis, whose district is responsible for most of Utah’s oil and gas production. And we have Representative Wiley, who actually produces and uses his own bio-diesel. Our youngest members — Representatives Ryan Wilcox and Jeremy Peterson could double their ages and still be younger — excuse me — less distinguished than our indomitable Representatives Kay McIff and Mel Brown. These differences give us strength as leaders and as a legislative body.

And so I encourage lively, energetic and passionate debate. I invite principled stands and the expression of deeply held convictions. I encourage you to be advocates and allies. But above all I encourage you to be statesmen. Because whether you find yourself soaring from victory or grounded in defeat, remember that the people who surround you in this chamber are your colleagues, your friends, your legislative family. We’ll have our differing points of view — but never forget the bonds that unite us to work for policies that benefit the people of Utah. This Capitol and the legislative process will continue long after we are gone, but for this moment we serve together as Utah Representatives within these hallowed walls. It is our obligation to craft the policy and appropriate a budget that is best for the citizens of our great State.

While you’re walking the corridors of power and being courted by the powerful you need to remember how you got here. You were chosen to lead by farmers and mechanics, attorneys and doctors, software programmers, teachers, and homemakers.

Even more than the respect we give each other, these constituents have the right to our time and attention. They have a right to an explanation for why we vote the way we do. They have a right to know how the laws we pass will affect them and their children, and future generations.

It was Mattie Hughes Cannon’s eye toward future generations that made her work so hard 120 years ago. Mother, suffragette, doctor, wife and politician, she led the way for all of us.

On this, the opening day of Utah’s 59th Legislature, I encourage you to consider your responsibilities as a leader. Ponder your commitment to the people of Utah. Let the history books record that this House of Representatives fearlessly faced difficult issues, carefully resolved fiscal problems and faithfully upheld cherished Utah values.

Thank you.