Week 2 Legislative Update: Capitol Tour, School Choice Award, Increased Penalties for Drug Dealers & More

Dear Constituents,

I hope this post finds you well. It was another busy week up at the Capitol and I wanted to give you an update on what I've been working on!

It was a pleasure to join the Hinckley Report to give an update on our busy second week of the session, and the bills we voted on and discussed. You can watch the full interview here.

REMINDER: Capitol Tour Family Night

Tomorrow is my annual Family Night Tour. Please let me know if you plan to attend by responding to this email. We will meet in the Rotunda (2nd floor) of the Utah State Capitol at 6:30pm. Join me for a fun evening chatting about legislation, touring the Capitol and enjoying refreshments!

Champion for School Choice Award

On Tuesday I had the honor to accept the Champion for School Choice Award and spoke to families from all across Utah who are excited to apply for the Utah Fits all Scholarship. I firmly believe that supporting education means supporting the best approach for educating each individual child in our state–right now, there are over 30,000 students who have indicated they would like to apply for the scholarship.

Applications for the Utah Fits All Scholarship will open up on February 28th and close in April.

HB 68: Drug Sentencing & Increased Penalties for Drug Dealers

This week I voted in support of HB 68, to increase criminal penalties for drug distributors who are in possession of a dangerous weapon. Unfortunately, drug runners have identified Utah as a soft spot for distributing and selling fentanyl–this bill increases the penalty for drug distributors with a deadly weapon, and gives law enforcement a stronger tool to keep these people off our streets.

Property Taxes & Tax Cuts

While the majority of policies that impact property taxes are at the city and county level, I have had a lot of people understandably emailing me with questions and concerns on their property taxes–given the rising costs of living and owning a home in our district.  I wanted to update you on what we’ve done and are working on to try and offer some relief. During the 2023 legislative session I voted for SB 81 Property Tax Deferral Revisions. This is a program available for eligible seniors living on a fixed income. The program will begin this summer, and you’ll need to contact Salt Lake County to apply. The sponsor is expanding eligibility for the property tax deferral this session in SB 12 which I plan to vote for.

As we’ve budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year, we have set $160 million dollars aside for an income tax cut that would take Utah’s income tax from 4.65% to 4.55%. It is critical to me that we are putting more of your hard-earned money back into your pockets. In the past I ran legislation to stop taxing our military’s retirement income, as well reducing the tax on social security income. This session I look forward to voting to continue to reduce the tax on social security, lowering the income tax rate, and finding ways to cut wasteful government spending.

As a reminder, if you would like to follow along as we discuss important issues or give public comment at a committee hearing, please visit le.utah.gov to join online or view committee schedules. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our district. Please feel free to email me with any concerns or questions you have at cpierucci@le.utah.gov. Be sure to include your home address so I know you live in my district!

Sincerely,

Candice B. Pierucci State Representative for House District 49

Take Legislative Issues Survey

Bills Passed by the House This Week:

• H.R. 3 House Resolution to Recognize Janice Gadd

• H.B. 70 Fatality Review Amendments

• H.B. 81 Domestic Violence Modifications

• H.B. 91 Utah Office of Regulatory Relief Revisions

• H.B. 73 Rehabilitation Services Amendments

• H.B. 26 Correctional Facility Amendments

• H.B. 44 Social Work Licensure Compact

• H.B. 49 Justice Court Reform Task Force Sunset Extension

• H.B. 11 Water Efficient Landscaping Requirements

• H.J.R. 1 Joint Resolution Supporting Justice Court Reform

• H.B. 77 Division of Human Resource Management Amendment

• H.B. 76 State Resource Management Plan Amendments

• H.B. 57 Snake Valley Aquifer Advisory Council Amendments

• H.B. 61 Water Measuring and Accounting Amendments

• H.B. 120 State Park Funding Amendments

• H.B. 85 Electric Bike Amendments

• S.J.R. 6 Joint Resolution Authorizing Pay of In-session Employees

• H.B. 1 Public Education Base Budget Amendments

• H.B. 5 Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Base Budget

• S.C.R. 2 Concurrent Resolution Honoring the 100th Year Anniversary of the Utah Association of Counties

• H.B. 6 Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Base Budget

• H.B. 7 Social Services Base Budget

• H.B. 68 Firearm Modifications

• H.B. 116 Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Act Amendments

• H.B. 74 Utility Relocation Cost Sharing Amendments

• ​​H.B. 227 Municipal Office Modifications

• S.B. 7 National Guard, Veterans Affairs, and Legislature Base Budget

• S.B. 6 Infrastructure and General Government Base Budget

• S.B. 4 Business, Economic Development, and Labor Base Budget

• S.B. 1 Higher Education Base Budget

• H.B. 142 Railroad Drone Amendments

• H.B. 144 Vehicle Accident Liability Amendments

• H.B. 257 Sex-based Designations for Privacy, Anti-bullying, and Women's Opportunities

• H.B. 261 Equal Opportunities Initiatives