Task forces fall victim to deadline dispute

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Mar 6, 2008

With just minutes left in the 2008 Legislative Session, it appeared a legislative task force to study immigration would die, because of contention over an education task force that was also attached to the bill.

The immigration task force by itself hadn't been controversial and was a much-touted piece of legislation to compliment SB81, an omnibus immigration bill that takes effect in July 2009.

The conflict arose when the Senate changed HB490. Sponsor House Majority Leader Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, said the Senate had reneged on an agreement and Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, the sponsor of the immigration task force, said the House was too "hard headed" to talk it out.

"This is dying a slow death sitting on the board," Jenkins said. "SB81 is sitting out there. It's going into effect in a year and we're not even going to look at it."

Clark also expressed disappointment, but suggested that the issues could be explored in regular committee meetings. Extra meetings could also be scheduled if needed.

Also included in the Senate version of HB490 was the Public Education Task Force had been set to study the implementation of a goal-driven compensation system; and an Education Systems for the 21st Century Task Force, which would have studied how the state's public and higher education systems meet the education and workforce needs of the state in the global economy.