 |
|
|
|
Bennett in the Senate
|
|
| Transportation |
Among the most readily visible of Bennett’s contributions
to the state
are his efforts to strengthen Utah’s transportation and mass-transit infrastructure.
Bennett was instrumental in obtaining federal full-funding grant agreements toward
the construction of the initial north/south light rail line and the Main Street
to Rice-Eccles Stadium and University Medical Center lines. The hundreds of millions
in federal funding secured by Bennett have helped to build a light-rail transit
system that is a model for other cities and provides an attractive and efficient
alternative to automobile transportation for many Salt Lake County residents.
|
| • |
Actively pursued federal financing for development of a Wasatch
Front commuter rail system. |
| • |
Successfully increased bus fleet in many communities in the state. |
| • |
Authored language in Transportation Equity Act for
the 21st Century (TEA-21) authorizing the use of discretionary funding
to assist Olympic venue cities,
expediting I-15 reconstruction in Salt Lake Valley.
(more) |
| |
| High-Tech / Y2K |
Senator Bennett has emerged as a well-respected
and prominent high-tech leader in Washington D.C.. He has served as chair
of the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force, and headed the Critical
Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Working Group. To facilitate the sharing
of private sector information on vulnerabilities in high-tech systems,
Bennett authored legislation that allows companies to share crucial information
with the government without fear that it will fall improperly into the
hands of competitors or terrorists, while preserving public access to information
through existing FOIA procedures. Industry groups have recognized his leadership
with awards such as ‘Legislator of the Year’ from the Information
Technology Industry Council and induction into the ‘High-Tech Legislator
Hall of Fame’ by the American Electronics Association.
As chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem,
Bennett held 34 public hearings and solicited testimony from more than 150 witnesses
in assessing the scope and impact of the Y2K problem and became known as the
leading congressional voice in alerting U.S. government and business to the looming
crisis. Bennett’s Y2K legislative efforts promoted disclosure by publicly
traded companies of their Year 2000 readiness and encouraged sharing of information
about Y2K related computer processing problems, solutions, test practices and
results.
(more) |
| |
| Olympics |
Senator Bennett
secured millions in federal funds and guided passage of numerous legislative
proposals in support of the 2002
Winter Olympic Games. He successfully accelerated federal payments for
important transportation projects to ensure their completion prior to the
games. He sponsored legislation to mint the 2002 Winter Olympic Games commemorative
coin and received federal funding for a drug doping control program for
the games. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Bennett successfully
augmented the millions already appropriated for security to ensure the
safety of the Olympic Games, its participating athletes, officials and
spectators.
(more) |
| |
| Agriculture |
Following years
of crop devastation in the state, Bennett, as chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Agriculture, secured
$7.6 million to fight Mormon cricket and grasshopper infestations in Utah.
The Utah Department of Agriculture had assessed drought and insect damage
in the state at over $200 million, and crickets had infested nearly 3.2
million acres.
(more) |
| |
| Tax Policy |
Long an advocate of tax simplification and reform,
Bennett has worked on bipartisan efforts to develop a new national tax
system based on a flat tax/consumption based tax. His most recent efforts
toward the goal of the "1040 form on
a postcard" include successfully sponsoring an amendment calling on the
Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Economic Committee to undertake a comprehensive
analysis of tax simplification proposals, including flat tax proposals, and to
conduct appropriate hearings and consider appropriate legislation.
(more) |
|
|
|
