These are classic discussions published back in May 2011

The Governor and the Utah Legislature

May 9, 2011
The Legislature overrode 2 of Gov. Herbert’s 4 vetoes.  What does that mean in terms of Exec/Lege relations? The answer should be “not much,” but I’m not entirely sure that is accurate.  Several legislators I’ve talked with are concerned about dualities coming from the Governor’s office in terms of statements it makes to legislators and to the public. Executive contradictions regarding the gas tax already were on legislators’ minds as we convened the override session.  Statements from the Governor’s office regarding the 4-day work week have compounded such concerns. The Governor’s office has stated that (1) the veto was only about funding, (2) agreement exists between the Executive and Legislative branches that moving back to the 5-day work week will cost $790,000, and (3) the Executive did not threaten a lawsuit over the override.  The public would have little way of knowing it, but to those who know the facts those statements contradict the facts. 1.  Why Was HB 328 Vetoed? The Governor wrote Senators... (read more)
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Veto Override: 5-day work week

May 8, 2011
The House has voted to override the Governor’s veto of HB 328 – the bill that moves Utah government back to a 5-day work week.  The Senate will convene tonight at 7:30, to do the same. In 2008, with little research, public discussion or input, Governor Huntsman declared that state government would move from a 5-day work week to a 4-day work week.  He declared that it would save millions of dollars. In 2010, the program was audited.  The audit determined that the declared savings had not materialized.  Most of the claimed savings were due to other factors (i.e., better heating and cooling systems).  Though it did not specify a number or even a range, the audit determined that any savings would be less than $1 million.  (Note though: $203,000 of savings was realized because of decreased janitorial services). The audit raised significant concerns that any savings could be significantly dwarfed by productivity losses.  (pp. 47-60).  After implementing the 4-day work week, the... (read more)
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