Howard A. Stephenson

Howard A. Stephenson
Member of the Utah Senate
from the 11th district
Assumed office
1992
Personal details
Born (1950-11-07) November 7, 1950
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Julie
Residence Draper, Utah
Occupation Public Administrator

Howard A. Stephenson (born November 7, 1950) is a Utah politician representing the State's 11th senate district in Salt Lake County including Draper. He was elected to the state senate in 1992.

Personal life, education, and career

Stephenson received a B.S. degree in psychology and aerospace studies from Brigham Young University, and a Master of Public Administration, also from Brigham Young University.[1] Since then, he has worked as a taxpayer advocate, and in 2014 he served as president of the Utah Taxpayers Association.[2] Stephenson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).[3]

Political career

As a Utah state senator, Stephenson is well-positioned to influence Utah legislation relating to education and to state revenues. As a state senator, Stephenson has won the following awards:

  • Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly Recognition
  • Utah Council for Exceptional Children Legislator of the Year
  • Utah Association for Gifted Children Community Service Award
  • Coalition for People with Disabilities 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002 "Hero on the Hill" Award
  • Alpine School District Children's Behavioral Therapy Unit Autism Preschool Recognition
  • Education Leadership Coalition Recognition
  • Utah Valley Autism Preschool Recognition
  • Utah Food Industry Association 2001, 2004 Outstanding Legislative Service Award
  • Utah Farm Bureau Federation Friend of Agriculture Award
  • Utah Information Technology Association Recognition
  • National Federation of Independent Business Guardian of Small Business Award
  • Utah Taxpayers Association Friend of the Taxpayer Award
  • Utah Restaurant Association Legislator of the Year, 2003, 2004
  • Utah Health Insurance Association Legislator of the Year
  • Utah Correctional Industries Award
  • Sandy City Outstanding Elected Official
  • Grassroots Distinguished Service Award
  • Utah Association of Realtors Distinguished Service Award

[2]

In 2016, Stephenson served on the following committees:[4]

  • Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee
  • Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee (Senate Chair)
  • Senate Education Committee
  • Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee

Election

2014

2014 Utah State Senate election District 11
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Howard Stephenson 13,195 63.1%
Democratic Michele Weeks 7,713 36.9%

[5]

Legislation

2016 sponsored bills

Bill NumberBill TitleBill Status
S.B. 38School Funding AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/23/2016
S.B. 87Administrative Rulemaking Act ModificationsGovernor Signed 3/17/2016
S.B. 88Administrative Rules ReauthorizationGovernor Signed 3/29/2016
S.B. 93Computer Science Initiative For Public SchoolsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 112Property Tax Assessment Amount AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/29/2016
S.B. 120Property Tax Notice AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 139Board of Education Approval AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/23/2016
S.B. 143Competency Based Learning AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 152Accelerated Foreign Language Course AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/18/2016
S.B. 163Kindergarten AmendmentsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 165Public Education Appointment and HiringSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 176Office of the State Board of Education AmendmentsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 204Free Market Protection and Privatization Board Act AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/22/2016
S.B. 211Private Use of DronesSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 224Student AssessmentsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 228Multicounty Assessing and Collecting Levy AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/25/2016
S.B. 237 Immigration and Alien Related Amendments Governor Signed 3/18/2016
S.B. 239 School Governance Amendments Governor Signed 3/28/2016

[6]

Notable legislation

Stephenson is a proponent of year-round schools. He believes that moving public schools to a trimester schedule will save money.[7] On his campaign website, he states that he supports "tuition tax credits or vouchers."[8]

He has proposed a bill which would require surety bonds for guest workers, to "ensure that . . . the people who are here have no criminal background, are disease free, and are paying their own cost of policing."[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Stephenson, Howard". Utah State Senate. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Meet Howard". Howard Stephenson. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Howard A. Stephenson's Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ "District 11 Senator - Utah State Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  5. ↑ "Howard Stephenson - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  6. ↑ "2016 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  7. ↑ Stewart, Kirsten (November 18, 2009). "Year-round schools pitch fails -- for now". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  8. ↑ Howard Stephenson campaign website, statement on education
  9. ↑ "Lawmakers crafting numerous immigration bills," KSL news, August 9, 2010
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.