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Utah County receives $2M for projects Print E-mail
Rette Speight - DAILY HERALD

Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, said that last week at the state Legislature was a week for dealing with "pork," which is something that might be brought home to your own district.
Valentine was one of the Utah County lawmakers who participated in Saturday's weekly legislative wrap-up in Provo. The session ends at midnight on Wednesday.

Along with the Provo airport radar, Utah County also received $2 million in ongoing money to complete Utah Valley State College's transition to Utah Valley University as well as funding for the Freedom Festival, the Thanksgiving Point museum, the Utah Lake environmental study and future work for Interstate 15 in Utah County.

"Even though the amounts weren't exactly what we were looking for, we did get them funded," said Executive Appropriations Vice Chairwoman Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, R-Provo.

Valentine said that more than 50 percent of the new budget is going to public education. There has been some consternation concerning education funding, said Lockhart, who has had seen some friction among legislators and school districts while determining exact funding.

"I was not elected to represent the city of Provo's interests or the interests of a school district," she said. "I don't represent a special interest. I represent the people of my district."

While representing the people, however, the term "conflict of interest" was heavy on the legislators' minds as they reacted to previous media accusations.

Rep. Bradley Daw, R-Orem, said that Utah has a "part-time Legislature," which is a great strength.

"That means that every one of us goes out and makes a living, and brings back that experience to the Legislature. I think that makes us a better Legislature," he said.

Dealing with bills in areas of their specialty or familiarity may qualify as a conflict of interest. Daw said that it shouldn't be a conflict of interest to deal with bills in areas of personal expertise.

Rep. Lorie Fowlke, R-Orem was at the top of the list with a reported 100 percent of her bills having a conflict of interest. Fowlke, who is an attorney, is currently involved with a bill reducing "frivolous lawsuits" among homeowner's associations.

"We're making sure people still have access to courts, but we're taking away the ability for people to sue everyone up and down the line," Fowlke said.

The bill, she said, will prevent homeowner's associations from being "strongarmed" into lawsuits by out-of-state attorneys.

"This is about making money, it's not about fixing construction," she said.