Town Hall Meeting this Saturday

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rWe are now halfway through the 2016 General Legislative Session. While we have competed the important task of balancing our base budgets, significant work remains. We are gearing up for votes on the most pressing issues of the session such as election laws, final budgets, water infrastructure funding, education funding, and many others.  If you have not yet taken my legislative survey and would like your voice heard on these issues, please do so by clicking the following link.r2017 Legislative Surveyr

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rThis week the House passed, by a vote of 62-7, H.J.R. 8, Joint Resolution Supporting the Retention of Public Educators. The resolution recognizes the shortage of credentialed public educators in the state, acknowledges the critical nature of public education to Utah’s prosperity and lays out a mechanism for potentially increasing educator salaries. Because almost 64 percent of Utah is controlled by the federal government, educational opportunities and funding options are severely constrained. Nearly 65 percent of state tax dollars are dedicated to education in our state. Even when combined with federal dollars, over 40 percent of our funds are dedicated for this purpose, the highest level in the nation. The resolution ends by proposing that 50 percent of any new ongoing revenue from the management of public lands transferred from the federal government to the state would be used to increase salaries of public school teachers.r

rUtah, like many states, is facing an opioid epidemic that has led to hundreds of deaths. Seventy percent of those who misuse narcotics report obtaining the drugs from family, friends or off the street. The practice of illegally obtaining narcotics is commonly referred to as diversion. H.B. 146, Partial Filling of a Schedule II Controlled Substance Prescription, would help reduce diversion by allowing a partial prescription to be filled instead of the full amount, upon request of the prescriber or patient. A partial fill is considered anything less than the initially prescribed quantity. If a patient chooses multiple partial fills, the total amount allocated cannot exceed the total quantity prescribed and the cost cannot exceed the original cost of the full prescription. H.B. 146 will empower patients and prescribers with the ability to request a partial fill of a Scheduled II drug, rather than depending on efforts to safely dispose of unused medication in the case that only a portion of the original prescription is needed.r

rThe chart below shows the results of the instant poll that many of you took last week.

Recently a legislative committee approved a bill that would reduce the legal blood alcohol content limit for driving under the influence from .08 to .05. The fate of this legislation will be decided by the entire Utah House of Representatives soon. Which position more closely reflects your view?r

rThank you for the great privilege of representing House District 66. I look forward to a great session. If you have any questions during the legislative session, please feel free to contact me any time. I can be reached on my cell phone at (801) 210-1495. If for any reason you are unable to contact me during the legislative session, my intern Cody Corrington can be reached at (385) 441-0587 or ccorrington@le.utah.gov

rSincerely,rrMike McKellrUtah House of RepresentativesrState House District 66r(801) 210-1495rmike@mikemckell.com