May Newsletter: Redistricting & Interim
I hope you and your family are enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. I wanted to report back to you on things I’ve been working on since the session ended.
Redistricting Committee Appointment
I am honored to have been appointed by Speaker Wilson to serve on the Redistricting Committee. The Utah Constitution delegates the responsibility of drawing district boundaries to the legislature. Because of the pandemic, we won’t receive census data until September, after which we’ll be doing town halls across the state, meeting with communities to listen to their input and reviewing maps they draw. You can read the full press release here.
In addition to the legislative Redistricting Committee, as per Proposition 4 that passed in 2018, there is an Independent Commission that will also be working on drawing maps for redistricting. More information on the commission can be found here.
Preliminary Census Data:
Over the past decade, Utah was the fastest growing state in the nation, with our population increasing by 18.4%. It's no surprise that one of the fastest growing areas in our state is our district (Herriman, Riverton and South Jordan).
A deeper dive into the census data shows that our official apportionment population is 3,275,252 (this includes Utah residents and military overseas). This means that generally speaking ideal district sizes would be:
Congress: 817,904
Utah State Senate: 112,814
Utah State House: 43,622
State School Board: 218,108
Utah will have the fifth largest congressional districts in the country, we were just shy of 136,978 to have received an additional congressional seat.
Utah continues to lead the country in economic growth and development; we have unique opportunities ahead to address infrastructure, transportation, education to ensure that our rapid growth is managed and we're able to maintain our quality of life.
National Police Week & Utah Highway Patrol Ride Along
I was grateful to have the opportunity to join the Utah Highway Patrol on their DUI Blitz recently. The dedicated service, professionalism, expertise, and kindness they demonstrated throughout the night while keeping our community safe was exemplary and an example of the great work they do. From getting drunk drivers off the road to tracking down fugitives, these individuals are up all hours protecting and keeping us safe.
This week is National Police Week, if you see an officer today, be sure to thank them for their public service. These men and women do more for our public safety than we will ever fully know.
Interim Assignments
Over interim (not during the general session), committees study important issues and policy ideas and make policy recommendations as bills, in preparation for the general session. I look forward to continuing to serve as Vice Chair of Health and Human Services and as a member of the Transportation and Retirement and Independent Entities Committees over interim.
IN THE NEWS
State of Reform
I appreciated the chance I had to discuss our efforts as a legislature to address mental health in Utah with Eli Kirshbaum with the State of Reform. This is an important issue that I'm committed to working with my colleagues on as Vice Chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee.
You can read our interview here.
Washington Examiner
Grateful for the chance to discuss the legislation I worked on during the session to stop taxing military retirement pay with Abraham Mahshie with the Washington Examiner. It is time Utah shows our gratitude by not taxing an individual's military service.
You can read the article here.
SLCC Talk
I joined the SLCC Talk podcast to discuss the session, issues I’m working on and things my family and I are looking forward to this summer.
You can listen here.
CNN
I appreciated the chance to join John Berman on CNN's NewDay show to discuss the future of the Republican Party and the Utah GOP Organizing Convention. As a country, we have to get back to chatting politics at the dinner table, learning how to disagree civilly, and working to find common ground.
You can watch the full interview here.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent you, to work with you and for you, on issues important to our district and state. Please feel free to email me at cpierucci@le.utah.gov with legislative concerns you might have.
Sincerely,
Candice B. Pierucci
Representative for House District 52