Press Releases
Lee, Herbert Host Utah Solutions Summit on Improving America’s Regulatory Climate
Aug 12, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY - Senator Lee, Governor Gary Herbert, Salt Lake Chamber, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, and the Utah Association of Counties will host a daylong solutions summit to discuss America’s vast and uncertain regulatory burden that is hindering economic growth, exacerbating unemployment, and making it harder for Utah businesses to succeed. The summit will facilitate a discussion of regulatory compliance issues states, communities, and businesses must deal with and offer a number of solutions to improve America’s economy through regulatory reform.
Senator Mike Lee, Governor Gary Herbert* and Lt. Governor Spencer Cox will give remarks, along with Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who will deliver a special keynote address in the morning. The early session will also include two panels featuring state and city officials, as well as business leaders to discuss the relationship between regulation and economic development.
The media is invited to attend the morning and lunch speeches, as well as the panel discussions. There will be special seating for reporters, along with access to Wi-Fi. Live blogging and tweeting are encouraged. Following the lunch speech, media outlets will have special access to the event speakers for one-on-one interviews.
Media is required to RSVP no later than Tuesday, August 19, 2014 to Emily Long, 202-224-3904 emily_long@lee.senate.gov.
*Governor Herbert will not be in attendance. His remarks will be delivered by pre-taped video.
UTAH SOLUTIONS SUMMIT
August 21, 2014
Little America Hotel
Salt Lake City
Agenda (subject to change):
8:00am Registration
8:30am Welcome
United States Senator Mike Lee
9:15am Keynote
United States Senator Tom Coburn
10:00am Local Regulations Panel Discussion
Chris Gamvroulas, President of Ivory Development, Ivory Homes
John Curtis, Mayor, Provo City
Stuart Clason, Director of Economic Development, Salt Lake City
Caitlin Gochnour, Ogden City Council
Maxine Turner, President, Cuisine Unlimited, Inc.
11:00am State Regulations Panel Discussion
Rich Walje, President & CEO, Rocky Mountain Power
Natalie Gochnour, Chief Economist, Salt Lake Chamber
Darrel Bostwick, Bostwick & Price
Bryce Bird, Director, Division of Air Quality, Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Derek Miller, President & CEO, World Trade Center Utah
11:45am Welcome
Governor Gary Herbert (by video)
11:50pm Lunch?
12:20pm Speech
Lt. Governor Spencer Cox
12:50pm One-on-One Interviews with Event Speakers
Senator Lee Announces August Town Hall Meetings
Aug 4, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY - Senator Lee announced five upcoming town hall meeting that he will be holding during the month of August. He plans to visit Cache County, Salt Lake County, Sanpete County, and Washington County. In addition to these visits, he will also be holding a town hall meeting that will focus on the military and veteran communities in Utah.
For a full list of the dates, times, and locations of these events, please visit the Town Hall Page of Senator Lee's Website.
Senator Lee looks forward to meeting with Utahns across the state to hear their concerns, answer their questions, and share more information about the solutions he is working on in Washington DC. He invites all Utahns to attend a town hall meeting in their area to be a part of this important dialogue.
Cache County
Salt Lake County
Military and Veterans Town Hall
Sanpete County
Washington County
Lee: A Better Way to Improve America's Transportation Infrastructure
Jul 29, 2014
“Under the Transportation Empowerment Act, Americans could finally enjoy the local infrastructure they want. More environmentally conscious states and towns could finally have the flexibility to invest in more green transit projects and bike lanes. Regions reaping the benefits of America’s energy renaissance could accelerate their infrastructure build-outs to keep up with their explosive growth. Dense cities could invest in more sustainable public transit networks.
“Meanwhile, surrounding counties could re-open the frontiers of the suburbs to a new generation of more livable communities. State and local governments will also be freed to experiment with innovative funding mechanisms not tied to the unreliable gas tax. And by cutting out the Washington middle-men, all those states and communities and taxpayers will be able to get more for less…
“Today Americans are unnecessarily stuck in traffic, stuffed in overcrowded subway cars, missing their kids’ games and recitals, priced out of neighborhoods close to their jobs and spend almost a full 40-hour work week per year stuck in gridlock.
“They deserve better than what Washington is offering, which is just the status quo plus a little more money. A new era demands a new approach.”
Senate to Vote on Lee's Transportation Reform
Jul 23, 2014
“Nearly half the states are already taking steps to become more fiscally independent in how they fund transportation projects,” said Sen. Lee. “This legislation would make that process easier and empower all 50 states to be more responsive to the needs of their citizens. The states already own and maintain the roads. There is no good reason why they should have to send their citizen’s infrastructure money to Washington first.”
The Transportation Empowerment Act phases down the federal gas tax over five years from 18.4 cents per gallon to 3.7 cents and transfers highway authority from the federal government to the states.
“Under this new system, Americans would no longer have to send significant gas-tax revenue to Washington, where politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists take their cut before sending it back with strings attached,” Lee added. “Instead, states and cities could plan, finance, and build smarter and more affordable projects.”
Lee’s plan would ignite a new era of infrastructure innovation and diversity. Some communities could choose to build more roads, while others might prefer to repair old ones. Some might build highways, others light-rail. And all would be free to experiment with innovative green technologies, and new ways to finance their projects, like congestion pricing and smart tolls. For the country as a whole, this plan would mean a better infrastructure system, new jobs and opportunities, diverse localism, and innovative environmental protection.
“Americans know we need more roads, bridges, lanes, and mass-transit systems. My plan will not only allow local communities to develop infrastructure projects according to their own needs and values, but will allow their dollars to go further by cutting out the political middle-men in Washington. Properly planned and located, these projects would help create new jobs, new communities, more affordable homes, shorter commuting times, and greater opportunity for businesses and families,” said Lee.
Lee’s stand-alone bill (S.1702) has been cosponsored by Senators Rubio, Cruz, Roberts, and Johnson, while a House companion (HR3486) introduced by Rep. Tom Graves has 49 cosponsors.
