Howard A. Stephenson
Howard A. Stephenson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Utah Senate from the 11th district | |
| Assumed office 1992 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 7, 1950 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Julie |
| Residence | Draper, Utah |
| Occupation | Public Administrator |
Howard A. Stephenson 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
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
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Howard Stephenson | 13,195 | 63.1% | |
| Democratic | Michele Weeks | 7,713 | 36.9% | |
Legislation
2016 sponsored bills
| Bill Number | Bill Title | Bill Status |
|---|---|---|
| S.B. 38 | School Funding Amendments | Governor Signed 3/23/2016 |
| S.B. 87 | Administrative Rulemaking Act Modifications | Governor Signed 3/17/2016 |
| S.B. 88 | Administrative Rules Reauthorization | Governor Signed 3/29/2016 |
| S.B. 93 | Computer Science Initiative For Public Schools | Governor Signed 3/28/2016 |
| S.B. 112 | Property Tax Assessment Amount Amendments | Governor Signed 3/29/2016 |
| S.B. 120 | Property Tax Notice Amendments | Governor Signed 3/28/2016 |
| S.B. 139 | Board of Education Approval Amendments | Governor Signed 3/23/2016 |
| S.B. 143 | Competency Based Learning Amendments | Governor Signed 3/28/2016 |
| S.B. 152 | Accelerated Foreign Language Course Amendments | Governor Signed 3/18/2016 |
| S.B. 163 | Kindergarten Amendments | Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016 |
| S.B. 165 | Public Education Appointment and Hiring | Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016 |
| S.B. 176 | Office of the State Board of Education Amendments | Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016 |
| S.B. 204 | Free Market Protection and Privatization Board Act Amendments | Governor Signed 3/22/2016 |
| S.B. 211 | Private Use of Drones | Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016 |
| S.B. 224 | Student Assesments | Senate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016 |
| S.B. 228 | Multicounty Assessing and Collecting Levy Amendments | Governor 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 |
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
- ^ "Stephenson, Howard". Utah State Senate. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ a b "Meet Howard". Howard Stephenson. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ "Howard A. Stephenson's Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ "District 11 Senator - Utah State Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ "Howard Stephenson - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ "2016 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ Stewart, Kirsten (November 18, 2009). "Year-round schools pitch fails -- for now". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ Howard Stephenson campaign website, statement on education
- ^ "Lawmakers crafting numerous immigration bills," KSL news, August 9, 2010