by Bill Tibbitts

At the time of writing this  blog post, Representative Tim Quinn's bill is number 57 on the list of bills in line for a final vote in the House of Representatives. It is very likely it will make its way to the top of the list before the end of this week. That means today is a very good day to contact your Representative and share some of the facts found below. If you do not know who you representative is you can find out by entering your address and zip code on this page of the state legislative website: https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp

This week it is also very likely that there will be a committee discussion about a bill raising Utah's minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 per hour to $3.25 per hour. This hearing may be the only opportunity to ask legislators to raise the wages paid to low income workers this session. We may only get 24 hours notice of when it will take place. If you would like to be notified when the hearing is scheduled join the CORC Multi-Faith Advocates Group on Facebook or let me know that you would like to receive an email, text or phone call.

A group of CORC members are planning to go to the Capitol on Thursday morning at 10:45 to talk to legislators about one or both of these bills. You are absolutely invited to come with us.

Key Facts about food tax bill
1) Rep. Tim Quinn's HB 148 passed 8-3 in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Wednesday, February 7 and should be voted on this week.
2) HB 148 would eliminate the state portion of the sales tax on food, cutting the total rate from 3.0 percent to 1.25 percent. The bill is revenue neutral for state government because it increases the tax on nonfood items by 0.22 percent.
3) HB 148 will be a tax cut for most families in Utah because: a) it cuts the rate on food by 7.95 times more than in increases the tax on non-food items, b) housing and healthcare costs are already exempt from sales tax, and c) most families do not spend $795 on clothes for every $100 they spend at the grocery store.
4) HB 148 helps low income families the most because, on average, they spend 30 percent of their income on food.
5 Only 13 states charge sales tax on food purchases at the grocery store.

Key facts about server's wage bill
1) Rep. Brian King's HB 118 would raise the minimum wage paid to tipped employees from $2.13 per hour to $3.25 per hour.
2) The minimum wage for tipped employees has not been adjusted in Utah since the last time it was raised at the federal level, in 1991.
3) 71.5 percent of Utah’s tipped employees are women
4) 17.4 percent of female tipped employees in Utah are in poverty:

Meanwhile, President Trump today unveiled his budget which includes cuts to housing programs, ideas for "welfare reform" and an infrastructure plan that gets its funding from these cuts to the safety net.  Read more about this proposal here:
White House budget proposes increase to defense spending and cuts to safety net, but federal deficit would remain
​Trump Infrastructure Plan Wants to Stop ‘Overreliance’ on Federal Money

by Bill Tibbitts

Representative Tim Quinn's HB 148, which eliminate the state portion of Utah's sales tax on food, will be debated by the House Revenue and Taxation Committee tomorrow, Wednesday, February 7, 2018 in a meeting that begins at 3:40 PM in Room 445 of the Utah Capitol Building.  Taxing food is such an unfair and unpopular idea that only thirteen states in the whole country charge sales tax on unprepared food.  Taxes on food hurt low income families more than other families because food makes up such a big share of their total budgets.

House Revenue and Taxation Committee Members:
Rep. Steve Eliason (R), Chair  
Rep. Douglas V. Sagers (R), Vice Chair  
Rep. Joel K. Briscoe (D)  
Rep. Gage Froerer (R)  
Rep. Brian M. Greene (R)  
Rep. Ken Ivory (R)  
Rep. Brian S. King (D)  
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee (R)  
Rep. Jefferson Moss (R)  
Rep. Tim Quinn (R)  
Rep. Robert M. Spendlove (R)    
Rep. Brad R. Wilson (R)

by Bill Tibbitts

Yesterday morning  members of the Coalition of Religious Communities went to the Utah Capitol to find out what is happening on key poverty issues.  Here is what we learned:

1) A $100 million bond for affordable housing cannot be appropriated unless it is connected to a bill.  Representative Joel Briscoe has filed a bill for this purpose.  If you want to thank him for leading efforts to address Utah's housing crisis you can get his contacts information on his legislative web page.

2) Representative Quinn's bill repealing the state portion of the sales tax on food may be assigned to a committee toward the end of next week.  House tax bills are currently being held by leadership until they can be considered together.  You can read an endorsement if Rep. Quinn's bill from the Park City's newspaper, The Park Record, here.  If you want to thank Rep. Quinn for leading on this issue you can reach him here.

3) Representative Brian King is now taking the lead on efforts to raise the minimum wage.  Representative Lynn Hemingway is out of state dealing with a family emergency and so his bills raising the minimum wage, HB 117 and HB 118, have not been able to get a hearing in the Business and Labor Committee, where they have been assigned.  House Minority Leader Brian King has now agreed to take the lead on these bills and so it is very likely they will get a hearing next week.  HB 117 would raise the minimum wage to 10.25 per hour this year and $12.00  per hour in 2022. HB 118 would increase the minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 per hour to $3.25 per hour.  This would be the first time the Utah's minimum wage for tipped employees has been increased since 1991.  Both bills will be heard by the House Business and Labor Committee.  If you support one of both of these bills tell the committee members:  Representative James A.  Dunnigan (Chair), Representative Mark K. Roberts (Vice Chair),  Representative Susan Duckworth, Representative Gage Froerer, Representative Timothy D. Hawkes,  Representative John Knotwell, Representative Michael K. McKell, Representative Jeremy Peterson, Representative Val K. Potter, Representative Mike Schultz, Representative Jon E. Standard, Representative Curt R, Webb, Representative Mark A. Wheatley, Representative Brad R. Wilson.

4) The text of the House Medicaid expansion bill is still not available.  Representative Robert Spendlove is working on a  bill to expand Medicaid to 60,000 people under the poverty level.  The House Speaker, Representative Greg Hughes, has indicated he wants this bill to pass this year but the bill is still not fully written.  Hopefully the full text will be available to the public soon.

CORC will be returning to the Capitol on the morning of Thursday, February 8, to get updates on these issues.  We need volunteers to help us talk to as many legislators as possible.  We will be meeting outside the House Chamber at 10:45 AM and leaving at 12:15 PM A group will be carpooling to the Capitol at 10:30 AM.  Cal me if you would like more details at 801-364-7765 ex 107.
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by Bill Tibbitts

I would personally  like to thank all of the over 90 people who came to Faith & Poverty Day at the Utah Capitol last week.  You need to know that we made a difference.  Last year we fought off a bill that would have doubled the sales tax on food.  This year we are supporting a bill to completely eliminate the state portion of the sales tax on food.  

The other big issue we discussed on Thursday was issuing a $100 million bond  to address Utah's housing crisis.  On Friday, the Democrats in the Legislature announced that this is one of their five priorities this year.  Over the coming weeks we will be working to convince Republicans from cities that also have severe housing challenges to support this idea.  We will be meeting every Thursday in February at 10 AM in the Seagull Room of the Senate Building -- starting this Thursday, February 1, 2018.

Together we can help legislators to focus more of their time and attention on the needs of low income people during the remaining 40 days of the state legislative session.

This morning the Utah Housing Coalition sent out the following action alert about a bill that would eliminate a requirement that certain local funds be used to create affordable housing: