March 30, 2006

"I'm delighted that we had a partial victory (to reduce the sales tax on food) since it was such an uphill battle, and the priority right now is income tax reform, and I'm confident we will be successful there, and then in turn we will take a look at the remaining portion of the sales tax on food." -Gov Huntsman

Reporters: (in order of appearance):

KEN VERDOIA, KUED
ROD DECKER, KUTV
REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
LISA RILEY ROCHE, DESERET MORNING NEWS
RICH PIATT, KSL-TV
TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS
DAN BAMMES, KUER

Transcript:

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, as we meet the national debate over a response to undocumented immigration is heating up nationally, and it's also coming to the floor of the United States Senate. Now, you've advocated for major changes in the way this nation responds to challenges of illegal immigration. I want you to help me draw a bottom line. What do you hope Utah will experience if we undergo a major national revision of policy?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well I think we need a couple of things that are addressed and tackled during this debate. They're really an outgrowth of what some of us who are among the western governors articulated in a resolution. And the first is you've got to do something about the border. It isn't necessarily a wall. I hear a lot of talk about a wall. What do you do? Do you build a 20 foot wall? Do you build a 30 foot wall? In which case you get a 21 foot ladder or a 31 foot ladder? Sure, a wall in some highly populated regions is probably appropriate. In fact, I think we already have it in some. But we have the technology today -- aerial technology and surveillance technology -- to be creating a virtual wall that is supplemented by ICE troops and perhaps periodic rotations of national guard troops. It is something that needs to be considered. But in any event, the first key category has got to be the border. That has to be fortified. It has to be strengthened. That is kind of where it all begins. And it must, I'll add, be done in conjunction with the Mexican government as well. They have a very important role to play toward that end.

Second is really how you deal with the 11 million undocumented workers present in the United States, maybe seven or eight of whom are from south of the border, either mexico or Latin America. The rest are from across the pacific or Africa. There has to be some legitimate pathway toward citizenship that is earned; that a penalty or a price that one pays for having broken the law and then a means which one can become a green card holder, work permit, then a green card, and then ultimately citizenship if it is earned, and there has to be a better matching of people coming into our country with legitimate work opportunities, as we did before World War II.

Let us not forget that this has been an ongoing issue for the United States for the better part of a century. This isn't all together new. I think we probably should begin to look at how things were done years ago when we did a better job in terms of matching people who came across the border with employment opportunities. We knew who they were and where they were working and residing. I think both of those issues need to be covered in whatever the outcome is: the border and some sort of pathway for citizenship. You can't simply wish people away. I think that is unrealistic. I think it is costly. When you say let's simply send people back to their home, well, where is their home? In many cases you have people who have made the United States their home for generations now. It is a complex issue and I know it is a sensitive and highly charged issue emotionally. I think those are the two pillars that need to be concurred legislatively. From what I'm hearing, I think there is movement toward both those areas.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: But if they do that, what will be the positive impact in Utah? How do you see the state benefiting from these revisions in these two areas?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, it will mean that those coming across the border or coming into either coast will be more closely matched with real labor needs here in the United States. It means also as we called for in our resolution among governors that there will be some federal support for some of the costs that we are carrying at states which certainly needs to be the case. And it means that those who are today living in the shadows will have a legitimate pathway toward a green card. And if they don't meet the requirements, whether they be language proficiency or a fine that they pay for having broken the law or some sort of work residency requirement, then they would have to go back to their country. At least there is a legitimate plan for getting people out of the shadows. And I think that for a lot of people who are living not only here but in lots of other places around the country, be they from south of the border or across the pacific, I think is something that is needed in our public policy regime today and one that does not exist today.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: If I understand what you're saying, one of the big disagreements the house says they got to go back and then maybe we'll let them in again. The senate or a number of people are saying that is not practical. I take it you are on the that's not practical side.

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I'm saying that is not a practical resolution. I was encouraged that the speaker of the house, at least reported in one newspaper this morning, is coming around to, I think, that very point of view

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Utah is in the minority of states that grants driving privileges to immigrants and there are some people who say that is not practical in the long run. Do you believe we're doing our policy is correct to grant driving privileges to undocumented workers or do you think we need to re-examine that?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: It's the best policy for where we are today. That's not to say it won't change in the years to come, but given what the needs are today, which is keeping an economy going and providing basic mobility to the people who keep our economy going, it is a legitimate policy tool. I think it is being used judiciously and wisely. The concern about having a driver's license was that it is as a form of identification that was being abused and, therefore, the idea of going to a driver privilege card that carried with it the postscript not to be used for identification purposes.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Some people say it doesn't matter how much we fortify the border or how we do it, people are going to get across. If we are going to keep people out, we are going to have to crack down on employers so they can't get jobs once they are here. You didn't mention that. Would that be part of your plan?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I appreciate you bringing that up, Rod, because that was part of the resolution that we as governors created, and that is coming up with heavy penalties or sanctions for businesses that are not abiding by the law. And I do agree. We have some people who are breaking the law by way of hiring people illegally. They need to be dealt with as well as part of this overall policy change.

REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: You're part of a party to unveil the state's new slogan, "Life Elevated." At the same time there's this new HBO program "Big Love," which seems to be sort of, well a lot of critics have said it either undermines the state's efforts to change its image of a refuge for polygamists. Have you seen the program and how do you counter the images of Utah in that program?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, I have seen the program once. I saw the first program. Maybe it was a pilot. I can't remember. I thought it was relatively contentless. I was not impressed and I have not seen it again. I think the first lady may have seen the second part. I doubt she'll see anymore. It is what it is. You can make of it what you will. Hollywood tends to rely on extremes when they make shows, and that's what sells. And that's, I think, clearly what they're doing here. I like to think that our state is doing a pretty good job selling itself right now. I was just up north in Ogden yesterday unveiling 270 new biotechnology jobs at around 750 for that company; 2,000 as part of Intel Micron, 600 up in Logan with Qwest. We're on a very strong roll here, and I think that would suggest that there's real confidence here in the marketplace. And

REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: Do you think businesses are paying attention to "Big Love"?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: They might be, but I'm not sure too many people are swayed by whatever message it's trying to impart, but I haven't figured that out for myself. I haven't watched it enough to know.

LISA RILEY ROCHE, DESERET MORNING NEWS: Governor, do you think maybe we're a little too sensitive here in the state about how we're portrayed by the media by Hollywood? "The Sopranos" comes to mind as an interesting portrayal of New Jersey and yet I don't think we saw the sensitivity there toward that program, that we are seeing here towards "Big Love."

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: That's because we live here and that's because we're closer to the issue. If we were living in New Jersey, I think we would have probably the same response to "the Sopranos." And I say that because having lived in a few places during my lifetime, having lived in Singapore, the Singaporeans are very sensitive about some uniquely Singaporean issues. The Taiwanese, where I've lived twice, are very sensitive to uniquely Taiwanese issues and how they are perceived. I don't think I've lived anywhere where the local population hasn't somehow felt some level of sensitivity about the way that either the country or the world sees them. I don't think that is altogether unusual or atypical.

LISA RILEY ROCHE, DESERET MORNING NEWS: Some places though make that a plus for them. I'm thinking of Las Vegas, which is now selling what some people might say is a negative image, "What happens here stays here." They're marketing that, yet here in Utah we seem to recoil whenever someone points out...

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: What happens here you can share with the rest of the world, and that probably is the implicit unspoken slogan that we have that either means skiing, recreation, travel, tourism, the most lovely vistas and venues anywhere in the country. And I think they're are selling themselves -- last I saw our travel tourism numbers were up over 10%, and that to me is -- people generally vote with their pocketbook and their feet -- and that to me is a pretty encouraging sign.

RICH PIATT, KSL-TV: Governor, are you satisfied with the "Life Elevated" slogan as Utah's new tourism magnet?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I think it's awesome, I really do. And when I think about it, I roll through U2's song "Elevation," if ever you've heard that song "Elevation," it's a great tune, and there is something that is visceral about it. "Life Elevated" it puts you kind of in a different zone altogether, whether you're skiing or whether you're in red rock country or whether you're enjoying the arts in downtown Salt Lake, I think there is something very powerful about "Life Elevated," but I'll tell you this: I don't know of any slogan that has been unfurled that has met with universal approval. I think just kind of the nature of having to choose something at the end of the day, in a democracy you're going to have people who don't like it and some who do. I remember when the Olympic symbol was unfurled and there was much hemming and hawing about that. I remember a "Pretty, Great State" when that one was unfurled under governor Bangerter's years, and same thing. You do what you think is right based on the best creative minds being put to the task, and I think that people will be very comfortable and pleased with the overall environment that this slogan creates over time.

TOM JORDAN, METRO NEWORKS: Governor, let me ask a follow up to your Iraq trip. You came back with a very sort of clear plan for something to do. Was there an opportunity out of your group actually to brief the White House specifically and were they paying attention, and do you think there is going to be some positive outcome of this?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: There was. Yesterday the delegation met with the White House. I wasn't part of it obviously. I wanted to get home to my family. Let's see today -- I'm sorry. It would have been Tuesday that the White House was briefed. It was the day after we returned. I have not yet had a chance to hear about the debriefing, but I will give my download to my friend at the state department, Bob Zoellicke, the deputy secretary who has called and asked for it. So there are ways that we will make some of our opinions known, which I think is only fair. Any civic administration would want a download from a delegation of senators or governors that have been in a war zone.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: In the -- I'm sorry -- in the news conference you held Monday you said, as near as I can remember, the commanders would love 150,000 more troops, but that is not politically feasible. Did a commander tell you he would like more troops? And if so, what we've been hearing at least for a long time, what we have heard from the administration was the commanders aren't asking for anymore troops. Did they, in fact, tell you that they could use more troops?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: There was a general feeling, never a specific request given, but a general feeling that in order to make continued progress, that a 100,000 to a 150,000 additional troops would be helpful.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Would you conclude -- just listening to you I might conclude that the commanders are saying that, "yes, we could use more troops." And the civilian bosses are saying, "shut up."

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, I think this goes back to what general Shinseki recommended early on against what the Pentagon wanted to do. This is a debate now that's three years old. That debate has been had and the decisions were made. I think now what will be relied upon is the raising up and training of indigenous forces, which are about at the 120,000 level, and they want it to be 350,000. That is where they hope they'll get the strength to secure their environment going forward.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Do you believe we need more troops? When you download, as you say, to the administration, will you say that more troops will help the effort?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: No. I think we need a unity government that instills some confidence in the overall direction of the three major factions that make up Iraq, which then would make it a lot easier to train local forces and deploy them through the challenging parts of the country. That's where I think as just a Governor, I'm not a pentagon planner, where I think this needs to go. And that's why we made representations loud and clear about a unity government as soon as possible. Because once that is done successfully it's going to then make it much easier through a competent ministry of defense to train, equip and deploy indigenous forces, which they've had a very difficult time doing up to date.

DAN BAMMES, KUER: Along those lines, governor, with the Utah National Guard involved in extended and repeated deployments now in Iraq and Afghanistan, does that change the role of the National Guard in Utah? Is it more now a military career than a service obligation for people living in the community?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: The Guard is being called upon like never before, and they're being trained as if they were regulars. They're being used as if they were regulars, and I think that through it all we in America, and certainly we here in Utah, are seeing that the Guard are anything but weekend warriors. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the best and the most effectively trained forces we have here in the United States. They are not sitting in hangars in Kuwait city, they are right on the firing line of Ramadi and in Falluja. That to me would suggest that our Guard and Reserves are the among the very best that we have in the United States, and they're being deployed as such.

DAM BAMMES, KUER: How does that change the way they're managed here in Utah and the ways that they can be employed in roles where they have traditionally served back home?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I think given our new national security needs which are much different than they were during the cold war, where you have got to have a more rapidly deployable force based upon a war against actors who are nation states, but rather groups of thugs and people who want to undo America's interests. I think we have to be a lot more flexible in terms of how we prepare troops and how we deploy troops, I think what you are seeing now is representative of what our national security and defense posture will likely require as we move through the 21st century

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, we're going to take advantage of this opportunity to turn our attention to Logan and a question from Lee Austin of Utah Public Radio. Lee?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Hi Lee.

LEE AUSTIN, UTAH PUBLIC RADIO: Hi. Thank you. Governor, when are you going to announce the date for the upcoming special session of the legislature on tax reform? What is being done to lobby those who fear that they're among the losers in the tax reform plan? Finally, are you going to resist the lobbying to add anything else, any other business to the call of the special session?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well thank you, Lee. We are going to choose a date the middle of may, right about the 16th or 17th of may for the special session. We're going to keep the agenda simple. It will include issues of a tax reform, specifically the income tax, and probably some technical corrections to the budget if they're not dealt with before that. I want to keep the agenda simple. I want to keep it focused on this one issue. And what I'm attempting to do in the run up to may is to rally many of the same forces that were part of the very successful USTAR undertaking. We had members of the business community. We had chambers of commerce. We had those in higher ed. We had businesses big and small who kind of rallied behind USTAR. It was a very, very effective undertaking, and I'm reaching out to many of those same participants, and I'm going to use the month before the may special session basically to alert all legislators to the fact that we will have this on the agenda. We'll make the experts available. We'll have all the numbers ready for them to take a look at, and also to take their input. If there are parts of this tax reform change that they have difficulty with, that will be the time to speak up to see if we can't make any last minute corrections. We have tried to take into account everyone's concerns, including some dealing with retirees, which I think we have been able to correct. But it will be that month leading up to May that I think we'll be able to do a lot of this heavy lifting in preparation for a final vote.

REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: Governor, are you doing any of it on your own? Are you doing any of the lobbying, are you making any promises about campaigning for particular legislators if they'll offer your bill?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: We'll get around to that.

REBECCA WALSH, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: You will do some of it personally?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: We'll do some of that personally, I'll be making calls personally. To some who are not with us to see if we can't convince them otherwise. Again, it isn't through political threats or coercion. It's through putting the numbers forward. I'm convinced that there are numbers are so compelling and the long term need in terms of securing our base for public education funding and for competitiveness are so important that once members of the legislature look with some sense of focus at our proposal, that they too will be convinced, but I will personally be involved in that undertaking

ROD DECKER, KUTV: You say technical budget corrections, the legislature failed to fund dental care for poor people. It had been something Utah did and they cut it off. It cost a couple million bucks. Democrats say there is $17 million dollars in one time money still on the table that they haven't spent. Will you ask them to provide dental care for poor people who can't otherwise afford it?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Let us just say there will be some other issues we might want to deal with, if not May then perhaps June. It has to got to happen before July 1st obviously, but I am interested in that issue as I was last year, dental and vision. I fought for funding that was only good for a year last year. Similarly I'm interested this year, along with a couple more issues, and I hope we get around to them at some point.

LISA RILEY ROCHE, DESERET MORNING NEWS: So a second special session then?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: No, I'm not saying there will be a second special session. I'm saying that maybe in one you can do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but first and foremost we've got tax reform and that will be front and center on the agenda. Listen you know when there is the interim meeting, as they have every month, sometimes you can get a little bit of business done on that day. I wouldn't technically call it a special session, but there're some issues that I think we might want to look at before July 1st.

RICH PIATT, KSL-TV: This may be a little bit early, but you indicated you wanted A complete removal of the sales tax off food. Do you plan to continue to persue that to get that remaining two percent change off completely perhaps next year or the year after?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I'm delighted that we had a partial victory since it was such an uphill battle, and the priority right now is income tax reform, and I'm confident we will be successful there, and then in turn we will take a look at the remaining portion of the sales tax on food.

TOM JORDAN, METRO NETWORKS: You've got a new Interior Secretary coming in from Idaho. What is your take on that? Is that going to make any changes for Utah given our prominent role on public land issues?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: I don't know. Dirk Kempthorne is a very capable individual. He's been in the senate. He's been a mayor. He's been governor. He's been head of the National Governor's Association. I think some with that orientation taking over the Interior Department, which has been a tradition in the past -- you go back to Cecil Andrus for example from Idaho -- is probably a helpful orientation for one to have in that position. But listen, we've got some very very important issues as it relates to our lands. We look at what Senator Bennett is doing in Washington county and what Congressman Matheson is supporting him on. I would love to see that succeed because we are effectively creating a template for 28 other counties, during which we identify legitimately with wilderness is, in this case in Washington County we have 221,000 acres that have been so designated. We're able to look over the next 20 to 40 year horizon to see how we want our communities built so that there is liveability and quality of life, and you need all the stakeholders at the table. I'm heartened to see that senator Bennett and Congressman Matheson are together, along with the Nature Conservancy, for example. I think they're playing a very helpful role. So, to the extent that the Interior Department helps to weigh in and support this kind of thing, because we're just beginning a process that I think over many years to come will, if we do it right, will serve our state very well.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Back to income tax. You originally proposed a rather neutral tax reform. Then you went with 15 million or thereabout. Now you're at 70 odd million. Is the 70 odd million proposal the one that is going to be before the special session? Secondly, with 70 odd million out of it, how does that secure the education fund base and look to the future of the income tax?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: Well, 70 million allows us to get a flatter fairer income tax, and basically what you're doing is you're taking out all of the deductions that have crept into the system that have corrupted basically our tax code. You're leaving in a little bit for home mortgage. You're leaving in a little bit for charitable contributions, but by in large, you're sweeping out all of the rest. It's going to cost something to get that done, but once it is done, you have a more stable base because you've got more people paying in. And that, from what the economists will tell you, does stabilize our base because all of it does go to public education over the longer term, and that is what we're seeking to accomplish.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, we're nearing our final minute in our time together today. I'll return you to the ongoing theme of the plan and its fortunes to store high level radioactive waste on the Skull Valley Native American reservation lands in Tooele county. It seems to be down. It seems to be up. It is declared dead and then it seems to revive itself. Where do you stand now? And more specifically, you've indicated an interest in working with Skull Valley band to help reinvision their future. Have you made any progress on that count?

GOVERNOR HUNTSMAN: We're reaching out to the appropriate stakeholders. Economic development will be important, but first and foremost we need to make sure we secured the environment by which there will be no possibility of people dumping in our backyard, and the Cedar Mountain wilderness legislation I think was a critically important step to that end. The PFS coalition seems to be weakening over time, although there have been some last minute gasps, I don't think too much of them. But once the environment is secure and we can then rest somewhat assured we're not going to see any of this garbage in our backyard, then I think we can begin working on legitimate economic development tools.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, thank you very much for your time today, and thank you for joining us for the Governor's Monthly News Conference on KUED. Good evening.

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