SALT LAKE CITY — The 45-day session of the Utah State Legislature is already under way, with the House Speaker vowing he will not be "business as usual."
"This isn’t going to be business as usual, representatives," Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said in his opening remarks to the House of Representatives. "Some of you may like it. Some of you may hate it. And that’s OK."
The Speaker touched on his priority goals in the session, including the environment.
"We are committed to protecting our state’s natural resources for future generations while also supporting responsible energy resource development," he said to applause from some in the chamber.
But House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said she did not feel her caucus was aligned in the same way with that view.
"My colleagues at times find it hard to say climate change exists. But it’s real and we see that right now with the Great Salt Lake," she said.
In the Senate, energy policy became a top priority advanced by Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton. But he also floated a new idea on education — massive bonuses for certain high-performing teachers to drive their salaries to over $100,000.
"The legislature and our teachers are and have always been committed to provide an excellent education for students in Utah," he said.
Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, said he would unveil the bill soon.
"We want to make sure really that a high-quality teacher, in the best places where they can have the most impact, by the time they make mid-career they should know this is a $100,000 career," he said.
The idea intrigued leaders of the Salt Lake Education Association. The teacher's union rallied at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday afternoon for more money and an end to bills that "demonize" educators.
"We definitely support higher salaries for teachers, especially first year teachers," said James Tobler, a teacher at Highland High School and the union's president. "It’s hard to attract and retain really quality educators. We do a great job with what we have. I am concerned with bonuses for high performing teachers because I'm curious about how that will be measured."
Lawmakers are wasting no time wading into controversial bills. Committees have scheduled hearings on Wednesday for bills that limit transgender bathroom access, eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices in the state, and a bill that would allow the state to ignore federal directives it doesn't like.
