Pat Bagley’s March 8 cartoon, “Backdoor Bills,” was perfectly timed. The Legislature passed Sen. Jerry Stevenson’s Inland Port Authority Bill (SB234) in what must be record time. The bill was introduced late in the session and, according to newspaper articles, there were good-faith negotiations taking place between state and city officials on how best to manage the Northwest Quadrant.
The last day of the session, amendments were added that showed no sign of negotiations or discussion. In fact, the area to be under the control of the new body was greatly increased and the role of the city minimized. Even with undiscussed major changes, the bill went through the House and on to the Senate, where it was approved in 17 minutes.
Shall we call it a “land grab”? If it had been the federal government usurping Utah land, you can bet that’s what our Legislature would have called it.
As citizens, we should not allow this kind of “backdoor” legislation to become law. A bill of this magnitude should be discussed and have input from knowledgeable people. We urge Gov. Gary Herbert to veto this bill. We ask concerned citizens to let him know this is not an acceptable way to create law.
Marge and Bill Young, Holladay