Dear Friends:

I wanted to take this time to tell you how sincerely honored I am
to represent and serve you in State Senate District 4. This district includes the eastern portion of Salt Lake City; Millcreek Township's (soon Millcreek City) four community council areas, including Canyon Rim, East Mill Creek, Mount Olympus and Millcreek (except for its western portion); Holladay City; and a portion of Murray City.  These areas fit within the larger area which I represented while on the Salt Lake County Council.  It means a great deal to serve the same constituency, and the experience is helpful in understanding what issues are important to you.

It's hard to believe that the 2017 Legislative Session is just around the corner! Although we meet and work throughout the year, the intense, 45-day General Legislative Session begins on January 23, 2017.  For a complete summary of topics discussed during our recent November interim meetings, as well as all interim meetings, please see Interim Highlights and Fiscal Highlights.


For the upcoming session, I have been assigned to additional committees. It will be very hectic and challenging, but also rewarding and beneficial as it extends my role in representing our district and your interests. I was elected to leadership and will now be on the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC).  EAC makes final determinations on all appropriations and determines what gets funded.  I was also assigned to the Senate Rules Committee, which assigns legislation to specific committees. Essentially, the Rules Committee determines which bills survive to reach the floor for debate. I am excited to also sit on the Education standing committee. With this committee and the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee, I will see the full breadth of legislation, fiscal notes and appropriations for K-12.

Standing Committees Senate Rules Committee Senate Ethics Committee Education Government Operations Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment	Appropriations Subcommittees Executive Appropriations Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Public Education
Senate Confirmation Committees Economic Development and Workforce Services Education Health and Human Services Judiciary Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Natural Resources and Agriculture	Other Legislative Assignments Federal Funds Commission Native American Legislative Liaison Rural Development Legislative Liaison Utah Constitutional Revision Commission

Note:  Some of the Senate Confirmation Committees and Other Legislative Assignments may change at the first of the year.

On December 7, Governor Herbert briefed our senate leadership on his proposed budget recommendations ( "Cultivating Utah's Economic Prosperity and Quality of Life").  Ultimately, it is our legislature which will determine the final budget.  I always refer constituents to our nationally-recognized legislative website le.utah.gov, to find out about committee meetings, legislators, legislation, audits, budget information, and much more.

	Completion ceremony of a redesigned entryway, including roundabout, into soon-to-be Millcreek City

I am presently preparing legislation addressing catastrophic claims for personal injury that exceed the statutory limits, our environment, the elderly, veterans, and more. I will update you when legislation is finalized.

Although I have always been committed to responding to every email and call, it can be challenging due to the high volume and because of our meeting and floor schedules, as well as the time spent reading and preparing legislation. It would assist me if you could provide the following information with your email or call:

• Your full name, home address and telephone number
• The bill number and title
• Whether or not you need a response
• If you are waiting to receive a response from me, your email may be accidentally lost or in junk mail etc. Please try again. 

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This Senate seat includes the following house districts: District 36 (Rep. Patrice Arent), District 37 (Rep. Carol Spackman Moss), District 40 (Rep. Lynn Hemingway), District 46 (Rep. Marie Poulson) and District 28 (Rep. Brian King). To see who your Representative is click here!