Melva Gifford

Here are my notes. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker. This is a submission to caucus corner.

– The governorship has not had an open seat in 1992.
– What separates me from the rest?
– Grew up different than other candidates. He spent four years as majority whip and four years speaker of the house. I grew up under a single mom. I know what it is like to be evicted, been in different school sidetracks. Our power got shut off. Share this it forms who I am.
– I was the pioneer; I came across the plains to Utah in an old car.
– I am a small business owner. Feel empathy is important.
– I understand that adversity in our lives has taught me lessons.
– I was the first speaker of the house of the nation to endorsed candidate Trump in 2016. Got a lot of flak. I support president trump today. Rump did things for Utah. The white house has arranged for locally elected officials to meet in the shite house.
– There is a crowded field of good candidates. Db54 passed> duel track. Do signatures only. Just conventions. Or signatures and delegates.
– I chose to do the convention route only. Let the delegates who represent the people decide. Don’t want to make a decision out of fear.
– Conservative: I’m pro-life. My votes have been consistent.
– The second amendment is a sovereignty issue. We need arms to ensure we can protect our rights. I voted for constitutional carry.
– Taxes: if we need to pay bills as a state. When the economy is good we can meet needs when there is a troubled economy it harder. If people have resources they prosper.
– I’ve made difficult decisions in public policy
– Conservative: Voted conservative see my voting history.
– Utah has the highest birth rate in the nation. 70 % of the growth comes from our homes. 30% of people drawn to this state.
– 4 counties have 80% of the population.
– Roual Utah interest and the Watsach match.
– This is a transcontinental moment for utah. Just like when the railroad met in Utah it transformed the state. Inland imports that manage imports and exports can change Utah.
– East coast has a bottleneck of ships. They have to wait offshore to be processed. Inspections holds ups and what is exported. Inspections of imports are processed land and not just at the ports. Inland ports can offload the workload and process things more quickly. We have the advantage of all railroads going to Utah.
– Utah building an entirely new international airport that can increase air frate capability. The state has been considering an inland port since 1978. They exist in other countries and have benefited the economy where they exist. The rai roads don’t come only in one place but also Price, Uinta basin, has railroads. Create railroad spurs and arrange greater efficiently. Different places have a system of inland ports. Utah ruel areas need roadways, water, railroads and fibrotic. Our children provide an emerging workforce. We need to develop other areas of the state and our children won’t have to move out of state.
– Inland port: when you build something close to the port is it more economic. Businesses are built around those ports. Start seeing a developing Ecosystem around the inland port.
– Utah trucks leave full of alpha full but they come back empty. If we have more rail cars then we need fewer trucks.
– School choice: looking for ways to handle education funds. We have more children to educate.
– Need to withstand.
– Illegal immigration:
– America is a melting pot of different cultures. We are a nation of immigrants. Utah is a pioneering state. He has participated in naturalization ceremonies.
– Announced at a car dealership owned by a Russian family of immigrants. Why would we permit or encourage an underclass? Opposed to illegal immigration. I believe in the wall but we need to have a gate. I need to understand the person who talks to me. Fix the leak of the roof before you fix wood floors from water damage. Illegal immigration hurts people. They have to hide in the shadows and hurt economics.
– Refugees: disagree with Governor Herbert’s letters we’ll take more Refugees. Don’t want to do more than recommend when it could influence national security.
– Homeless: obios addiction turns into hereon is ravaging every community of the nation. Number of deaths each day is equal to the crash of a 747 jet. Wolves prey on victims in 1917 three crime cartels fighting over the homeless. Legislators put money set aside to address homelessness. July 4 2017 attended a meeting to discuss how are were doing. He was told everything is worse. At a later press conference, he suggested we call in the National Guard.
– As the speaker of the house, he rented a room in the build in front of the drug dealers. Everyone who came to see him saw first-hand what was happening to dealers giving drugs to people. The press asked what the governor was doing. On July 27th meeting launched operation Rio Grande. We went after the wolves preying on the weak.
– Wolves are among the homeless to prey on them. With all the challenges people face, many would be tempted to self-medicate. People are shelter resistant because they get robbed there.
– Here are three solutions:
– 1. Go after the wolves> police care. People need to feel safe.
– 2. If we know who people are we can help them. Criminals don’t want to be known. they will flee in fear of being known. If they or a veteran there is help. If there is domestic violence, there are resources.
– 3. Other places are simply warehousing human beings. So also all the human trafficking and crime being moved into a warehouse. Utah wants to go on the trajectory of self-reliance. Get yourself to be self-reliant.

These are notes from a church talk. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– When people of condo converted to Christianity, they threw their idles into waterfalls.
– You need to fill out something that will
– How to replace sin
– Replace your old life.
– You need to repent each day.
– Think of Christ and what he did
– Repentance is not just stopping; repenting is to devote your life to Christ in addition to stopping the sin. Throwing sin away if not enough.
– One member of the class does training to help people with behavior problems. It is unethical to tell people to stop an action. You need to address the cause of the behavior and do an activity to address the challenge.
– One person who had issues with pornography devotes his time to church history on the computer.
– Some missionaries will ask investigators to discuss the motivation of why they want to follow Christ. Those having that motivation can help them.
– Satan is very subtle in encouraging us to sin. We must rely upon God to strengthen us. We need an unwavering commitment to Christ.
– Jude: 1:3-4 things that we are challenges.
– Nelson: women conference said, “Put aside the things of this world.
– For our faith to grow, we must choose faith-building actions, such as praying, studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament keeping the commandments and serving others.
– Faith building tools:
– Extra mile for others
– Temple, mindfulness
– Listen and act
– Strengthen others
– Teaching
– Ministering
– Meeting attendance as well as temple.
– Recognize blessing/ answer to prayers
– Thoughtful activities
– Consistency of Good behavior
– Make sure our thoughts are the focus on the savior.
– Think of a moment in your life. What is different at the time you had a strong commitment to Christ. Once you see those conditions, repeat them.
– Avoid distractions
– Think of the convent that has to change from old friends to new friends to overcome bad habits and to commit themselves to live under Christ.

I attended a meeting where we heard from these members of the legislators. Any inaccurate and misinformation is the fault of the note taker. This is an entry for Caucus Corner.

Brady Brammer
– He is on the Judiciary committee: last year address two abortion bills.
– This year concentrates on the protection of religious liberty. One bill presents that a clergy member can be held accountable for not disclosing to the police a child abuse crime confessed to them. The democratic sponsor thought the right of the child was greater than the clergy/ confessor. Committee said ignoring the rights of religious liberty can tilt the balance in a negative way. It was proposed to the sponsor that religious leaders not be liable in the crime volunteer notified authorities. They won’t be sued. She was upset and did not accept the suggestion. Later she came back and decided it was a good compromise.
– Natural law precedes the constitution. After the constructional issues comes the law of the land. If you give a good reason why an alternative might be better. It can be sometimes accepted between opposing forces.
– Creating a baseline where people can succeed is an appropriate form of governing. Because the United States established roads and communication help accelerated the success of the country.
– Legislators suggested that universities teach class throughout the day and more at night. Increase the building use from 24% use to 35%.
– There is a bill that a warning label to be on pornographic content.
– Domestic abuse amendment; is someone not paying alimony or child support. If the source has to chase them, then it allows to collection fees in addition to originally owed alimony.

Keven Stratton
– no vote repeal of the tax sb2001 (tax restructuring bill)
– Feels he as a legislator has three goals.
1. must attend to the Fiscal state of the house.
2. oversight of the branches
3. ?
– There is three creation of policy.
– On constitutional defense counsel.
– He is also on the water conservations committee.
– On the federalism committee (limiting the 10 amendments) few powers are offered to the nation.
– Fiscally: the state has a triple-A rating. We have great revenue. Record levels of revenue toward education. A general fund. We do have a structural challenge. Pyramid taxing is when an item is taxed multiple times. For example 1. When you buy the raw material, it is taxed. 2. Items involved with the production are taxed. and 3. Selling the end product is taxed.
– The population will jump from three million to six million.
– Protect our liberty, our freedom, and our children.

Dan Hemmert
– Is the Senate majority whip.
– He is on the social services committee. The biggest bill is Medicaid. Ran a bill: remove Utah from the affordable care act. It did not get past attorneys.
– Law enforcement: somite
– The vast majority of bills are tweaks of old bills.
– Tweak: Yerkes are illegal. Make Yerkes no longer illegal. (He said a Yerkes is a type of house I think but I was confused by this part of his presentation.
– Concurrent resolutions more study to emotional support animals. Rise a bar of what represents a special needs pet. A man back east labeled beer as his emotional pet because it has yeast which is a live organism.
– Encourage private landowners to take personal action to negate wildfires. Get tax exemptions.
– Cost of prescription drugs: apply a wavier to import drugs from Canada. Out of country drugs or half or a third of the cost of US purchased drugs.
– Drug transparency bill> more transparency from manufacturers, pharmacy, and insurance and shows the cost structure and where are the rebates going to.
– Regent scholarship: is currently only available going to state schools. Want to expand to students attending credited non-state schools.

Question and Answer:
– How will k12 funding be secured? Address low pay for teachers. State income tax related to education. A report sees Utah 12th in the nation.
– Two red flag laws got killed in committee
– Sb54 (bill for caucus and signatures: The senator thinks it’s ok as currently is. the two representatives say follow the will of the people. Agrees with duel path.
– All agree to protect the rights of parents to protect parents on how they can educate their kids. Bill 241
– All three legislators support parents to have control over if or if not vaccinate their kids.
– How to modify regulations of Utah water go into Colorado goes to cal. We don’t use much of the water going off our mountain into the Colorado River. Maybe discuss the lake Powel pipeline instead.
– Should there be a cap for nonparents? One rep says no. An educated population is part of the public good.

Sometimes I just want to remember a term of something or the name of someone. Often I forget the name for those who came to America to escape religious persecution. They were pilgrims. So when you are sick and tired you might take pills of medicine to get better. So, I can remember that PILgrims were sick and tired of religious persecution and thus moved to America.

Here they made a contract with God. Which influenced the foundation and mindset of America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrims_(Plymouth_Colony)

This was a presentation at the book of Mormon conference by Dean Sessions. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– If we can have more spirit in our lives we can have more truth.
– UM is a new millennial science.
– Truth-seekers: ums
– Lived a long journey started at 30 yrs. ago.
– How the universal Model science support the book of Mormon.
– Q: What did the Book of Moran prophets teach on the plan of salivation> the creation
– Alma 19:36?
– Will discuss the creation of the world.
– To comprehend the atonement we must first comprehend the fall and the fall from the creation (paraphrase)
1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2. V 2 earth was without form and void. (gas or liquid)
3. God created the earth out of the waters.
4. All living things and rocks are created out of water.
– Pearl of Great price, Moses 6:63: spiritual and temporal were created.
– God’s plan is for us to create our own worlds.
– Creations require 4 things
– Origin of man: j
– The theories of man are not the laws of God.
– Natural laws are not being taught in science
– 93 % of scientists are atheist agnostic.
– Interpreter: A JOURNEL OF LDS. CRATER OF FARMS AND CENTRAL AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY.
– Nelson: the conflict between science and religion is because we don’t have all the information on either (paraphrase)
– Summary audio promo audiobook share with friends.
– Copy of presentation: info@mobom.org presentations PowerPoint. And email: mobominfo@gmail.com

Here are my notes on a two church talks by the Mission President fo the Utah county mission and his wife. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker. (Title by Melva)

– President Nelson: the lord is hastening his work. He addressed the youth, the sisters and then the elders to contribute to the work.
– We need the members to be a source of investigators.
– Kimble says there is more to mission work than tracking. It is through the members of the church.
– Many Utah members have never seen missionaries in Utah.
– Your success will be increased as you harness the members. The member-missionary message was created to share from missionaries to members.
– Moroni shared at the end of Mormon verse 30. I speak unto you as if I speak from the dead. This book so for you. These are the things we have desired concerning our brothers. Are according to the prayers of those who have dwelt in the land. Prayers will be granted according to their faith.
– We need our prayers and we need your faith.
– Do having moved 33 times in her life she made the commitment that each new place she lived that she would commit her life to where she lived and to establish the relationships of where you live.t
– The lord has panted you here in this spot for a specific reason.
– The Lord orchestrates the locations of people to be in our lives so we can influence them.
Talk two:
– Over a thousand new residents come to Utah country every single month.
– Elder Christenson: many are coming are many of the Lords elect and gathering them to Utah.
– The last of us to expect to be a good example but to welcome and embrace them and share the gospel message with them.
– Luke 10:30 parable of the Good Samaritan. Jericho is the lowest city in the world. It was a place of a bit of a vacation area. We could be considered as half-dead spiritually. As spiritually we are separated from God. The first two helpers had other diversions that prevented them from helping. The Samaritan acted. Took care of him. And took him to the in (could be interpreted) to the church.
– Elder Oaks says that the first step we can do is play for the desire to help. 2. We can be faithful and obedient to the spirit so we can recognize the spirt. 3. Pray for the inspiration of what we can do.
– Nelson: if you ask the Lord to put someone in your path, it will happen.
– Maybe the Good Samaritan had prayed that morning on how he can help someone today.
– An investigator moved to Utah to join the church. No member talked to him. He came late and left church early. After five months two sisters found him. In the second lesson, she invited him to join the church. He happily accepted.
– Nonmembers are all around us.
– If we pray for the opportunity for those who are half dead (man in Good Samaritan) if you have true desire your eyes will be opened and it will happen.

Good: constituent
Bad constinuient

The main thing I get wrong is it does not have a 3 n. So remember two N, two Is and three Ts to bridge the gap coNsTITueNT.

I went to some training at the Statehouse sat and here are some of my notes. This presentation was provided by Tim cox: (rules chair in the Utah statehouse 2020). This is a submission to caucus corner.

– Founding fathers setup system to check abusive power.
– They arranged to check and balances by sharing powers between different branches to check each other.
– It has been arranged to be hard to make or change a law. That is intentional
– The rules committee has the ability to help determine who is on a committee and can direct bill to an area that may cadre to a specific need.
– You need to present a bill way before the legislators meet.
– Legislative time frames.
– Seven weeks is intense ad a lot of events happen
– It starts in the first week of Jan and end the first of March. 60 days after the session (may) people can submit a bill for the next year? The earlier the better.
– Bills drafted in mid-may have a better chance of being reviewed.
– Start in late spring/summer-like May, June and through summer. Beyond fall you can have issues.
– First is the idea phase.
– Legislators have different skills and different opinions.
– Some legislators will look at other legislators who may have a strong skill set to understand a policy in that leg skill set.
– Ideas can come from an interest group. It can come from national organizations.
– Ideas can come from citizens.
– Some ideas will come from legislators.
– A legislator has the authority to ask a drafting attorney to put into a law language.
– The second step is to open a file.
– Boxcar: is a secret folder of files that may be bad or good bills so that it can get considered. Eventually, the boxcar needs to move down the track and is viewed by the public.
– The more fully formed the idea that is presented to the billing attorney the better success it has to move forward into a bill.
– The attorney has drafted it the rules will approve it. The bill will be drafted and will be viewed by public notes.
– A physical note will be looked at to what the cost of the budget related to that bill. You want to start your bill with your legislator.
– Your own legislator wants to represent their continuants. If they don’t want to represent the proposed bill, they may refer to another person. Can approach a legislator that has the same mindset that you do.
– How to contact legislators? Put yourself into their shoes. Send an email to your representative. Make sure to tell him or her that you are constituents. Send an email during sessions not effective.
– You can text them. Treat with discretion. More effective during a session.
– A better way is to contact the intern. Call the house and they can connect you to the intern.
– Outside session invite a rep to breakfast. Emails drop down to lower numbers.
– You can attract a lot more bees with honey than with vinegar. Be polite and respectful.
– Green notes: You can send a green note to your rep. that may give you a chance. They might come out on the floor. Influence of how many notes they have. A green note is a form you can have delivered to a legislator as a personal message to him or her. If given a green note to elected or green leadership it has less chance to set a note. Appointed leadership appointed by the house.
– It works better when they are in a campaign run. Work for their team and get to know them. Build a relationship.
– The presenter has his iPhone configured to direct all calls not on my contact list. You may know someone well enough that they become a contact.
– Some constituents have shown themselves to be experts in certain areas. And legislate may call certain citizens that may have expertise on a certain topic to advise. If you can provide credible info to legislators.
– Legislators are information starved and have limited information.
– Back to boxcar: first arrived at rules committees. The rules committee is a traffic cop) is the switchman of the railroad to determine what track the bill goes. Bill has been drafted and has a physical notes rules direct it to what committee it goes to. The rules committee knows who weak and strong committees are.
– One they go to a certain committee they are locked into that committee.
– The rules chair will determine when a bill will be addressed.
– The chair will put it on the agenda. Must be on the agenda for 24 hours before address o agenda.
– Utah website has a bill tracking services on the website. You can listen to the committee and legislators’ debates. You can get alerts. The business committee plus and natural resources committee takes 70 %. Social series also takes a lot. Address medial issues.
– In committee: will be presented the bill. Committee will ask questions. And there is an area for public comment to the committee.
– A lot of legislators will make up their decision before it goes to the committee. You need to let legislators before the committee.
– Before a committee you might be able to talk to someone Maybe you can ask can I walk with you.
– If bills are late on agenda you may be shorted your time to give a presentation. Give handouts.
– What would prevent a bill from getting a number? The attorney may run out of time. Legislators never give it a number.
– 1400 bills setup box cars and 800 will be drafted and about 700 will voted on.
– Titles will be responsible to title a bill.
– If you give your rep a word file with important info highlighted in red its easier for the rep to access etc. that can help a bill.
Green paper:
– Topic/bill number:
– Date
– Time
– To rep
– From
– []is waiting to see you ( door location)
– [] Time message sent in
– [] Please call at phone #
– [] returned your call
– Message
Other processes
– Need friends in both houses.
– Goes out of committee (held) if yes moves on to the floor
– Bills come in the order it arrives and debated on the floor
– If passes it switches over to the other house.
– 85% bills top conservatives and top liberal agree on most bills. In state committee, senate floor. Agreed
– Goes to the Governor to sign it or veto it.
– If Governor does not sign a bill it is yes.
– Bill becomes effective 60 days after the legislation.
– If your bill has a physical note of 10K or higher it goes to the budget committee.
– It governed vetoes it is dead unless house and senate vote by 2/3 to have it passed.
– One law may touch upon the public has access of water.
– A compressed session hopes to have the bottleneck push good bills forward. The downside of a bottleneck downside when we debate under s short time. Last 3 days a bill does not have to go through the committee. Sometimes only two senators can vote on a bill and is not debated on the floor.
– Each Senator represents 40K Utah citizens.
– How to provide info to a legislator?
Short summary: other info available links
Bullet point and one page is your best.
Also, email your rep with hyperlinks.