This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 12:01 AM- After 44 days of relative calm, the Utah Legislature stormed to an end Wednesday, as fights over road construction and education spending flared up and were on their way to being hammered out before the gavel dropped at midnight.
It was a session where confrontation generally gave way to compromise on issue after issue, from health care to animal torture, and where a late-session budget hit and a major commitment to fund education left lawmakers snarling over scraps of money.
Throughout the Capitol, lobbyists and lawmakers marveled at the "kinder and gentler" tone this session, but that gave way in the waning hours to typical tension between the House and Senate.
Public education fared well, with teachers receiving a substantial pay raise, and the Legislature gave the go-ahead to begin work on a $2.6 billion overhaul of Interstate 15 through Utah County.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. speculated the milder tone was, at least in part, due to being in the newly renovated Capitol building, which he said "inspires best behavior, it inspires professionalism."
"That was not the case in the rented digs down the street," he said, referring to the temporary chambers near the Capitol. "Second, I think nothing tends to focus the senses quite like being shot at or being voted upon, so you've got an election right around the corner so people want to be seen as doing the people's work."
And then there was the comment. Sen. Chris Buttars spurred public outrage when he said of a bill he opposed that "This baby is black. . . . It's a dark, ugly thing."
His racially charged remark drew calls for his resignation and prompted legislative leaders to warn members to choose their words carefully, perhaps contributing to a softer tone.
Indeed, many of the most divisive issues were simply negotiated away.
"This session more than others we saw negotiations in good faith on major issues and got to the broad middle ground," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem.
A comprehensive immigration bill was refined and pared back and implementation put off for a year while a task force studies the issue. Ambitious talk of sweeping health care reform also gave way to a task force.
Disagreements over animal torture penalties, Salt Lake City's domestic registry, alcohol policy and a fight between banks and credit unions all were massaged to the point where advocates on neither side were happy, but got a bill they could stomach without fights spilling out onto the legislative floor.
Budget talks occurred largely behind closed doors, as legislative leaders scrubbed normal budget committee meetings late in the session and, instead, presented finished budget bills to their members.
But as the final hours ticked away, the civil veneer began to crack.
Wednesday evening, House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, was irritated with the Senate's tinkering with bills he thought had won agreement, calling senators' action "disingenuous."
"It's a little bit strained at this point in time," said Curtis, scurrying into the governor's office to counter some Senate demands. "It's extremely frustrating on the last day."
There was heartburn in the House over the ambitious plan to rebuild Interstate 15 through Utah County and whether the project would sop up almost all of the money available for buildings and could require a tax increase.
But when it came time to vote on the bill giving transportation officials a green light to start the massive project, Curtis led the chorus in support, while warning members they had better be prepared to fund the project.
The Legislature also agreed late Wednesday to potentially float a $42 million loan to St. George City so it can begin work on its new airport. It will repay the loan when it sells its old airport to a development company with close ties to Curtis. The speaker avoided taking part in those discussions.
But as the final issues worked their way through the body, there was no question among lawmakers and the governor about the session's top achievement: public school funding.
Despite a $340 million drop in projected revenues, schools got more than $200 million in new funding, including a $1,700 raise for every teacher, plus money to hire new math and science teachers and bonuses to reward the best teachers.
"Given that the numbers had to be recast," said Huntsman, "I think we can still stand very tall with the overall education package."