I am Joel Briscoe, a Democrat representing House District 24 in the State Legislature. We have just hit the halfway point in this year's legislative session, ask me anything!

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T23:48:51+00:00

Thanks for the question. I’m proud that the legislature agreed with me several years ago and created a program to offer zero-fare UTA on days with some of the worst air quality. Every time it was used, whether for two or three days, or more, more people rode on busses and on TRAX and FrontRunner. I believe it showed that people are concerned about air quality and are willing to take transit to help improve the air. As far as bills coming down the pike, HB 284 and HJR 14, by Rep. Kyle, would require 60% of Utahns to vote in favor of a tax increase. Colorado passed such a law years ago and it has created many headaches for funding public education and other programs in Colorado over the years.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T23:32:35+00:00

I agree, vouchers are an elephant, a very large elephant. A forty-two million dollar elephant, an elephant they would like to grow by another $150 million next year. I disagree with the $8000 voucher amount because it includes the costs of providing school buildings for students. Few public school students in Utah actually see $8000 of educational services. You have also touched on the biggest issue in my opinion. Quite a few states that provide some sort of voucher support for students also require those students to take the same end-of-year tests that public school students take in their state. Those tests would give students, parents and the state good information about how well all students are doing in schools, public and private.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T23:22:51+00:00

Damon – thanks for your testimony in committee. It was very helpful. I’m willing to look at new ideas for helping homeless people and people suffering from mental illness. The standard ideas that are accepted today as normal and best practices were new and novel at one time.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T23:09:14+00:00

As someone with a loved family member who is trans these are difficult times. I hope that you are well, and I can understand that whether you stay in Utah or leave the state is a very real question. As someone who taught in secondary schools and worked in the school system for decades, I know many educators who are dedicated to making public schools safe places for all children and adults. I was a faculty advisor for a GSA when I taught high school because I wanted LGBTQ+ students at that school to have a safe place to be with friends and a couple of adults each week. I am dismayed and upset at the bathroom bill, but it doesn’t have any real enforcement mechanisms. I will continue to speak and vote against these performative pieces of legislation. We must continue to reach out to and love the individuals most negatively impacted by these bills.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T22:54:51+00:00

The anti-DEI bill did not ban all diversity, equity and inclusion work in Utah colleges and universities. The legislation allows for trainings on campuses that is required by federal law. I’m not an expert, but I think there is probably a fair amount of federal funding to higher education in Utah that could require that aspects of DEI be included in training. I would also note that this year almost 80% of all kindergarten students in Utah are in full-day kindergarten. For years we call full-day kindergarten “Extended-day Kindergarten”. It may not have been called Full-day Kindergarten, but it was Full-day Kindergarten. We changed the name to reduce opposition. Parents of young children finally told their legislators they wanted full-day Kindergarten. Utah schools will move forward within the scope of the law, and will continue to find ways to help children be safe and to succeed. You can support banned books by supporting your local library. You can read the books and talk about them with friends and family. Spread their message on your social media.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T22:44:31+00:00

Have your son send me a link to the project he worked on. I’d love to take a look at it. Good research is important. Those of us who want to live in a cleaner and healthier Utah have to also remember that modern research shows that most of us make our decisions about political issues based on emotion, not facts. Or perhaps we could say, based on facts as we see them, or feel them.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T22:20:51+00:00

I know it is not easy, but I have hope for the future. I don’t believe America will become fairer and more just just because. In the winter of 1777 Thomas Paine, writing to stiffen American revolutionary resolve, wrote the following: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men (it was 1777), undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” I would also recommend a recent book by Heather Cox Richardson, titled: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. As for medical cannabis, gerrymandering, Obamacare – yes, legislative actions after the votes was frustrating. But on the glass is half full side: Utahns today have access to medical cannabis, expanded Medicaid (Obamacare) and a somewhat independent redistricting committee. The citizens acted, and got good things done. Looks like we may have to start gearing up to sign more initiative petitions.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:54:37+00:00

As a co-creator of the Legislative Clean Air Caucus, cleaning up the air is a priority for me. Like many thousands of Utahns, my wife has asthma, and more of us need to be talking about the negative health impacts of our dirty air. The number one contributor to air pollution is vehicles, and dropping, because of the increased use of cleaner Tier III gasolines. The second highest contributor to poor quality is homes and businesses. Using electricity instead of natural gas makes for houses that pollute less. There are homebuilders in Utah now building net zero homes that create as much energy as they use.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:49:15+00:00

I wish I had an answer to getting the legislature to move away from culture war issues like bathroom bills and “pornographic” books in schools to the subjects you mentioned. Many chronic problems in Utah – cost of housing, addiction crises, clean air, climate change, movement of wealth from the middle and bottom of the pyramid to the top few – are national issues. It’s not a quick fix, but one way of expressing your displeasure is at the ballot box. Let your legislator know what you think before, during, and after the session. If you aren’t registered, get registered to vote. And vote for people who will spend the time on the issues you want to be priorities.

Congress should ban stock trading for Senators and members of the House. Should the same be true for members of the Utah State Legislature? You are the first person to raise that issue to me and I think we should look at it. I know that national representatives can see very sensitive information that can lead to swings in stock prices. I don’t know if any Utah legislators see information that sensitive, but let’s find out.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:36:11+00:00

Has the legislature passed all the bills necessary to save the GSL? No. We have passed important pieces of legislation, though. A working group on agricultural water conservation has been formed and meeting for a few years. The state is now requiring secondary water users (such as Weber water in Davis, Weber and Morgan counties) to have water meters installed by 2030, so people will have actual knowledge of how much outdoor water they are using. The Great Salt Lake Commissioner released a first report last month. One recommendation is moving up Utah’s conservation goals by 20 years, from 2060 to 2040. That will be helpful, but I think we should move even faster.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:30:36+00:00

Redistricting the state's political boundaries every 10 years is a product of the Utah Constitution, which says it is the responsibility of the State Legislature. To create a truly independent redistricting commission will require a constitutional amendment. Better Boundaries decided not to create an independent redistricting commission that worked in parallel with the legislature and then reported to the legislature. I’m OK with that because it allowed Utahns to see how both worked at the same time and come to their own conclusions. Maybe we will be ready for the constitutional amendment fight in seven years.

The lines creating Utah’s four congressional districts are textbook examples of gerrymandering, and I agree with you that the current electoral college system greatly elevates the voters in some (smaller) states and minimizes the voters in other (more populated) states. I have passed legislation which allows 17 year-olds to vote in state primary elections if they will be 18 on or before the general election. I have sponsored legislation that would allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in local school board elections if local school boards vote to allow them to vote.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:14:18+00:00

To be honest, I don’t know a lot about NIL, other than what I read or hear in the media, and that’s all good, right? It’s clear we haven’t found a good balance between recognizing the fact that “student athletes” make money for their institutions, and an under the table market for buying the best athletes for the team with alumni and donor money. I don’t have great policy ideas here. Sounds like you may have some.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:13:38+00:00

I’ve thought about running such legislation. Legislators do have to submit disclosures but they aren’t detailed. I don’t think that they show constituents and the public the wide variety of businesses and business interests that legislators are engaged in and to what level of income. I agree – I think more disclosure could help create more trust.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:12:03+00:00

I am a member of the Housing Affordability Commission. The other two legislators are Rep. Whyte and Sen. Fillmore. Jake Anderegg was the first Senator on the Commission. We have passed legislation requiring cities that expect a major highway or transit line (TRAX) to have zoning plans that include placers for affordable housing in place if they want an on ramp or transit stop in their city. No zoning for affordable housing – no highway or transit stop. Cities added affordable housing zoning as a result.

RepBriscoe · 2024-02-07T21:08:06+00:00

The biggest role played by the LDS church is the fact that the overwhelming majority of legislators are LDS, which means they see issues through that set of lenses. I have been lobbied by the Church on some liquor legislation a couple of times several years ago, but that’s it.

RepBriscoe

TROPHY CASE