Governor Gary Herbert weighed in on several topics expected to be debated during the upcoming legislative session during his monthly news conference on KUED.
Governor Herbert once again says he’d like to see legislators focus on education when determining the state’s budget during the 2016 legislative session. He also answered questions about a few hot topics heading into the session, including his feelings on legalizing marijuana for medical use.
“I think the discussion is now at hand, the time is nigh, to see if we can find a pathway forward on this," he says. "But I’m not interested in having Dr. Feelgood out there say, ‘yeah, yeah, que pasa, you know, here’s your doobie for the day and you’ll feel better.’ That’s probably not where I want to go.”
Herbert also expressed frustration over the legislature’s inability to pass some kind of Medicaid expansion. He says, while he’s disappointed they didn’t accept his proposal, he expects something will be done this year.
“And we need to find a solution. It may be an imperfect solution," he says. "It may not be what I want, but as you’ve kind of alluded to, something is better than nothing. And I’ve heard leadership in the House and in the Senate say doing nothing is really not an option, but that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Overall, Herbert says he’s optimistic, and hopes lawmakers will remain focused on key issues. The 2016 legislative session begins Monday.