Libertas Legislator Profiles

Libertas Legislator Index Rankings

The following rating measures how consistently this legislator votes in support of individual liberty, private property, and free enterprise. To learn more, see the main index page.

2014	2015	Overall Rating
47%	79%	63%

To see the specific votes used to rank this legislator, click the link in the table above for any of the yearly percentages listed.

Sponsored Ranked Bills

This legislator was the sponsor of the following bills, which were ranked by Libertas Institute in their respective year's Legislator Index.

• SB204: Parental Rights in Public Education Amendments (2015)
  In 2014, the Utah legislature passed a law to protect the right of parents to opt out of assessments performed on their children in public schools. The Utah State Office of Eduaction defied this law and forced children to take mandated assessments despite the wishes of their parents. This bill makes the language more explicit in the hopes that parents will more easily be able to guide the education of their children while enrolled in government schools.
  
  This bill passed out of the Senate 18-6 and the House 54-19. Libertas supports a "yea" vote.
• SB97: Property Tax Equalization Amendments (2015)
  This bill imposed $75 million in new property taxes on Utahns to increasingly fund government schools, in an effort to provide more equalized funding in certain areas where property valuations are less than other areas. Owners of a residential property worth $200,000 will see an annual increase of $46 in taxes. This tax increase came in a year where the state had a $740 million surplus to work with.
  
  This bill passed the Senate 20-9 and passed the House 43-41. Libertas supports a "nay" vote.
• SB33: Public School Graduation Amendments (2015)
  This bill would have required government high schools to inform students and their parents about how the student can graduate early on an accelerated schedule. It also would have increased the Centennial Scholarship from $1,000 to $2,000, which provides a financial incentive to children who graduate early which can be used on tuition for college in Utah. As taxpayers spend over $6,000 per student in public school, encouraging them to more quickly get out of school is a net savings and positive step.
  
  This bill passed the Senate 24-2 and failed in the House on a 31-41 vote. Libertas supports a "yea" vote.
• SB39: Home School Amendments (2014)
  This bill deregulated homeschooling law in Utah, removing an annual requirement for an affidavit signed by parents and repealing requirements regarding the subject and hours taught to each homeschooled child.
  
  Libertas Institute supported this bill. We supports efforts that recognize and protect parental stewardship in determining how best to educate one's child.
  
  This bill passed the Senate 22-5 and passed the House 52-17. Libertas supports a "yea" vote.
• SB111: Education Funding Equalization (2014)
  Currently, the minimum basic tax—a state property tax—decreases as property values increase, thus keeping the tax revenue neutral. This bill would have frozen the tax rate, preventing it from decreasing in the future with rising values, thus taking tens of millions of dollars from Utahns that otherwise would remain in their pockets.
  
  Libertas Institute opposed this bill, as we oppose all tax increases. The state already takes plenty of money from taxpayers, and adding to that burden is the wrong direction to go.
  
  This bill passed the Senate 16-12 but did not receive a House vote. Libertas supports a "nay" vote.

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