State Legislative Process Episode 7 >>Welcome to State Legislative Process. I’m Rick Griffin and today’s episode is The State Capitol Our program begins by taking a look into the past, and ends with a look into the future. Our first stop will be in Fillmore, Utah, where Carl Camp will take us on a tour of the old Territorial State House. Built in 1855, it is the oldest existing Utah government building. As one visits the old state house, it doesn’t take much to imagine territorial governor Brigham Young and the territorial legislature meeting there and carrying out business for the territory. After Fillmore, we’ll head to Salt Lake City and meet up with President Sederburg, who will give us a tour of the state’s temporary Capitol. We'll also meet up with the Jacobson-Hunt construction company for a look inside the reconstruction and restoration of our modern Utah State Capitol. Thanks for coming along with us as we explore the old and new State Capitols of Utah, this week on State Legislative Process >>This is Utah’s first Capitol Building. Brigham Young decided that a good capitol belonged right in the center of their new territory so the population could spread out, and everyone would have an equal chance to get to the Capitol and have their say in government. This is the first wing of a proposed four-wing building, with all the wings connected by a large dome. They started construction in 1851. But by 1855 they had spent their $20,000 in federal finds and only completed the first wing. The stone masons, when they built their buildings, normally would put their initials somewhere hidden so the people could see who built that building. On ours, because the plan was to stucco the building, they left them right out in the open where you can see them. So as you look up at the building, you can see the initials there on the front of the building. Other evidence of the original plan on the building are the wooden strips along the building where the porch was going to attach to the building, There should have been a porch that surrounded the whole building. Other changes in the building were on the chimneys. So you look at the chimneys; they have a Welsh design on them. The Welshmen were used to a certain style of chimney, and so when they took that job on, they just altered the chimneys to meet what they were used to. Other changes on the building, or problems because it wasn’t finished, were the front stairs. Because the dome was never added, where all the internal stairs were, you had to come outside and through another door to get in-between levels on the building. So several changes were made to the building, and several things were never put on that should have been there originally. So we were kind of left with a short piece of the building, but a good enough start to make a capitol. The basement of the Territorial Statehouse was never complete. That is why you still see the open stone and open wood. We don’t know what most of the rooms were used for, but some of them we do know. One was used for a jail cell, and the other was used to print the Deseret News. At this point in time, most of them are just used for display space in the museum. During the legislative session ,we are not sure if they were used, but if they were, it was probably just storage space or extra space for the men to stay during the legislative session. This room we know was used during the Utah War. Brigham Young was afraid that the army would get hold of the newspaper press and destroy it. So rather than have it destroyed, they brought the Deseret News press to Fillmore, hid it in this room, and the Deseret News was published out of this room for about two months until they were sure they army was not going to destroy the press. Then they relocated back to Salt Lake City. This is one of the rooms that we know what it was used for in the basement. This, for a short time, was turned into a jail. It never did make a very good jail, and it wasn’t used very long, because they never did get a door put on it. So any prisoner who was sentenced to stay in this jail ended up shackled to the floor. And that is where they spent their time. I imagine it wasn’t a very comfortable jail. With the help of the federal government, the Territory received $20,000 to construct their Capitol Building. With the funding they hired Truman Angel as an architect. This is a copy of Truman Angel’s original plan. Truman Angel was official church architect, but he also did all of the territorial buildings. The portion we looked at outside was just this original first wing, where you can see the porch that was attached to the wood, and you can see that Truman Angel threw in several different styles as he designed this building. One of the things that he put in that was quite interesting is he put the little beehive on top of the building. That was for the State of Deseret. They wanted to make sure and keep that idea of Deseret alive as they built their Capitol Building. In an attempt to get the funding for the building, I think Brigham named the capital after the president. And I am sure that didn’t hurt in getting $20,000 to start the building. Unfortunately, $20,000 was only enough to finish the first wing of the building. But it was enough to get them started that far so they could use it as a capitol. By 1855, the first wing was ready and the legislators came down here and started making the laws for the Territory of Utah. As Brigham Young planned for development of the territory, especially the capital city, he chose certain people with certain skills to come and settle the area so they had all the needed skills to build the new community. The people hanging here in the halls are some of those that were called down to this area to create Utah’s first capitol here in Fillmore. That is it for the basement. Why don’t we go up and look at the first floor now. This is the Governor’s Office. Brigham Young as Governor often chose the southeast corner for his office, some say because of the morning light, and that was a good space to work in. As far as the layout of the room, we don’t have any records from 1855 how Brigham Young had set things up in his office, but we do have a picture of an 1870 office. So we have tried to copy that. And it appears that Brigham Young would section off a portion of the office so he had some private space, and then he would have a more public space in the front of the office. During the 1855 legislative session when Brigham Young was here, most of them had to bring their supplies with them because Fillmore was still such a small town, still kind of locked in a fort. So bringing their supplies with them in the middle of December, most of them took ten to fourteen days to travel from the Salt Lake area to Fillmore. They spent Christmas and New Years here during the legislative session, and then in the middle of January made the trip back to Salt Lake City. Now we are across the hall from the Governor’s office in the southwest corner of the building. This was council room. The council was equivalent to the Senate today. It was a thirteen-member body. They met in this room. One of the interesting stories is heating the building with the wood stove, Heber C. Kimball, the President of the Council at the time, said the stove got so hot in this room that he started to sweat, got all wet, stepped outside, and got sick. And he ended up missing several days of the legislative session because of his sickness. One of the problems the rest of the country had with the government in Utah had to do with the separation of church and state. If you look at the name of the legislators during the 1855 session, you will find a lot of the prominent church leaders there. All of the Twelve and the First Presidency that were not out of the country at the time were members of the legislature in 1855-56. From here we can move upstairs to the legislative hall. The stairs we just came up were a 1957 addition. Originally to get to this room, you would have to go outside and come up the large stairs and in the door back here. This room was used for the Legislature to meet in. Brigham Young gave the State of the Territory Address here when he came here in 1855. Governor Huntsman recently gave his State of the State Address. They setup a stage up here and filled the room with the legislators. But back in 1855, the legislators didn’t quite fill this room. There weren’t quite as many back then. But they did use the room for their legislative session and also for entertainment during the legislative session. The legislators held several dances here during that legislative session in 1855. The room is still used occasionally for dances, and also for wedding receptions and various meetings. As they used this wing in 1855 for the first legislative session here in Fillmore, they found out that they weren’t going to have more money to finish it because they were arguing so badly with so many of the federal officials. So construction stopped at this point. But the time they were ready for the next session in 1856, enough problems has arisen that they decided Fillmore was not going to work as the Capitol, and voted to move the Capitol to Salt Lake City. >>Hello. My name is Bill Sederburg, President of Utah Valley State College. I and Professor Rick Griffin are here at the State Capitol Building. You will hear the construction that is going on behind us. You’ll see the building, the old State Capitol Building, that is presently being remodeled, completed in 1916. It is presently under $200 million plus reconstruction. In today’s session, we are going to be talking to people here in that Capitol, give you a quick tour of the temporary Capitol Building, and help you get a feel of what the Capitol means to Utah. The author of our book, Professor Alan Rosenthal, talks extensively about the culture of Capitols and capitol cities. And today we hope to give you a flavor of that political culture here at the Utah State Capitol Building. >>Our first stop here in that Capitol tour is in the state government cafeteria. It is adjacent to the temporary Capitol Building, and will be adjacent also to the restored Capitol Building. You will see here a basic cafeteria, but it is kind of the watering hole of lobbyists, of citizens, and community activists that gather that are here to get something done in the State Capitol Building. So there is a hubbub of activity going on. I am kind of struck at this table. There is a little note here that says “The Medicare Policy Partners.” It is reserved for a discussion group about Medicare. The paper is a little torn, so maybe the conversation got a little bit heated. I don’t know. But the political process is largely a social process as well as it is a factual process. So socializing, getting acquainted, selling your arguments is part of the process. And here in the cafeteria is where a lot of that happens. >>Here we are at the State Capitol cafeteria, or as more commonly known, the War Room, where all the big deals are made. Right here you will see Representatives and Senators meeting with different special interests, talking about their bills, and trying to decide what the best strategy is as they go back over to the west building, and they go to committee meetings and to the floor debate. Today we have Representative Steve Clark from Provo with us, and we just want to ask Steve what is going on here today. Anything exciting happen this morning on the floor? >>Well, a lot of war going on here in this war room. This is where we talk about what we should be doing before we go on the floor. And what we just finished with was the voucher bill. >>Quite a controversial issue here in the state. >>Probably the most controversial issue that we have faced, and we have faced it for four years. I think three years that I have been up here we voted on it, and it has gone down. It has not passed for those three years. But it has gone down by one or two votes every time. So this year, the first time in as long as I have been here, seven or eight years, it passed by one vote. One vote. And so it looks like we are going to have vouchers in the state of Utah for the first time ever in the state’s history. >>Now it passed the House today, but it still has to go over to the Senate, right? >>It has still got to go to the Senate. However, the Senate has always been very favorable to vouchers. So we think it will probably pass. >>The debate is not over, right? There will still be a debate on the floor and the Senate, don’t you think? >>Well, you know that there is a long ways to go. And there is a lot of maneuvering, a lot of things that can happen. It can be amended, it can be changed. We have seen bills go through the House amended so many times in the Senate that the House turns their back on it and says, “We don’t want it any more.” And so it becomes adversary of the House, and a good bill for the Senate. So, flip-flop. But we believe that because of the Senate’s favorability to vouchers, it will probably pass. >> Was there anything else exciting on the floor today that you voted upon? >>Not really. This day, it was a time certain bill. In other words, they said. “At 11 o’clock, we are going to debate the voucher bill.“ So everybody had to be there on the floor. So there was no missing of votes. It was thirty-seven to thirty-eight of seventy-five members. So that was the big one. We were all prepared for that one. The debate went on for an hour. We voted it up and down. There were no amendments raised, and so it passed. And it is a monumental time for the State of Utah. >>So most bills, really, aren’t that controversial up here, are they? I mean, there are only a handful that really come down to where people are concerned about the decorum on the floor? >>Yes. >> Most other bills are just usually large margins, sixty, seventy to two or three or four. Isn’t that true? >>Absolutely. Every year we have to do some perfunctory type stuff. And the first two weeks in the session are just doing bills that are non-controversial. And it is kind of interesting, because we will have people who come up, and they will say, “My gosh, how do they know? How can they understand these bills when they are just voting, boom, boom, boom?” But when we have done it so many times we understand the process. We are not jeopardizing the people’s work. We are doing the right thing. But that is what we have to do. We have to move those through quickly. They are non-controversial. I would say probably between seventy and eighty percent of the bills that come through are those types of bills. >>Do you also sit on House Rules? >>I did last year. >>Oh, you did. Tell us a little bit about the House Rules Committee and what role it plays in a bill working its way through the system. >>A good question. Rules is a very, very interesting committee. Rules is the ultimate turnstile for bills. Rules sends the bills out to the committees. And there are so many ways you can manipulate in Rules to kill a bill that a person who sits on Rules has a lot of authority and power. So for instance, if somebody wants to send a bill to a wrong committee, say send a business bill to an Agriculture Committee, they could kill it right there, because agriculture will look at it and say, “This is not one of our bills. We are not going to deal with it.” And so it dies there. Or they can send a bill to a committee and then the committee refers it back, and they send it to another committee, and it may also be the wrong committee, and it comes back. Or they may just hold it in Rules. Many times Rules will just hold bills that they don’t want to send out. It is a very, very powerful committee, and you have to work closely with those committee members to get your bill through the rule process. >>So in other words, members of the body would actually lobby members of the House Rules Committee to get their bills out onto the floor, or onto the calendar, wouldn’t they? >>You want to get to know your Rule Committee person very, very closely and very well, because he or she is the one that makes the decisions for your bills as they move thought the process. >>Well, thank you Representative Clark. This has been just wonderful learning more about the process, and what has happened today up here upon the Hill. We have learned all about the fact that we have had vouchers today, gambling, just a variety and myriad of issues that we see happening in the Capitol each and every day that the session is moving forward. And we thank you for your time. >>Thank you. >> Here we are outside of the Governor’s office and the office of the Lieutenant Governor. It is on the second floor of the State Executive Office Building immediately adjacent to the State Capitol Building. It is in these offices where the final step of the legislative process occurs, and that is when Governor signs or vetoes the legislation. However, the first step is also equally important, and that is that if you are an aspiring legislator wanting to get your idea implemented into law, or perhaps some money in the Governor’s budget, you need to come through these doors to meet with the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor to talk about your ideas and get their support. So this is a very important part of the entire legislative process. We are going to go inside now and see the Lieutenant Governor’s office and Governor’s office, and see where they do their work. >>We are now in the Lieutenant Governor’s office here at the Executive Office Building. It is here that the Lieutenant Governor does his work, and one of his tasks as Lieutenant Governor is to keep an eye on what the Legislature is up to and to make sure that the Governor is well represented in the legislative debate. I have noticed on the desk of the Lieutenant Governor is a chart of all the members of the House of Representatives, along with their pictures, I am sure partly so that the Lieutenant Governor can keep track of who the new members are and can refer to them by name when he meets them in the hallway. The Lieutenant Governor will be joining us very shortly and he will give us a little discussion of what this historic desk is all about, the official State Seal, and a little bit about what he is working on today at the State Capitol. >>We are now in the Lieutenant Governor’s office here at the Executive Office Building. It is here that the Lieutenant Governor does his work, and one of his tasks as Lieutenant Governor is to keep an eye on what the Legislature is up to and to make sure that the Governor is well represented in the legislative debate. I have noticed on the desk of the Lieutenant Governor is a chart of all the members of the House of Representatives, along with their pictures, I am sure partly so that the Lieutenant Governor can keep track of who the new members are and can refer to them by name when he meets them in the hallway. The Lieutenant Governor will be joining us very shortly and he will give us a little discussion of what this historic desk is all about, the official State Seal, and a little bit about what he is working on today at the State Capitol. >>We are back in the Lieutenant Governor’s office with the Lieutenant Governor, and Gary Herbert, we are delighted you have you join us. We have been here, and we have snuck a little quick peek at the legislative roster. We haven’t looked at the rest of the material on your desk. But tell us a little bit about what you do here, what is on your desk— the desk itself is kind of a historic document—and then you are also the keeper of the State Seal, so we would like to her about that. >>Well, as the viewers can see, we didn’t know you were coming, or we would have cleaned up a little bit. >>This is a working man’s desk. >>There is no ceremonial office for the Lieutenant Governor. This is really a working room, and I have got my different piles. It is kind of organized chaos here. But we are in the middle of the legislative session, and we are tracking bills. >>You even have a roll call vote on an issue that you need to keep track of. >>That’s right. Just to see where they voted, and why they didn’t vote the way we hoped they would vote. And so we do track legislation over here. And the Governor has his agenda. He is trying to get through with tax reform, and the budgets, and all those kinds of things. So there is a lot going on every day. Sometimes it is hard to follow it all. It is kind of confusing. >>Over here we have an invitation to the Lincoln Day Dinner, and it features Gary Herbert, right here. You are going to be the featured speaker at the Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Salt Lake City. That is part of your responsibility? >>Well, it is. They couldn’t get anybody else, so they said, “Well, let’s get Gary. He would do anything.” >>Oh, no. So you are going to rally the troops. >>We are going to try to do that and raise a little money for the Republican Party. >>Ok. Tell us about the desk. >>Well, the desk, it actually has some historical significance. It used to be Governor Leavitt’s, and previous Governors. We had a storm that came through. This predates you coming to the state. Things have been quiet since you have come here. But we had a storm come through, knock down some trees, and one of the trees was knocked down here on the east part of the plaza. They built the Governor a new desk, and the old desk was then given to the Lieutenant Governor, then Olene Walker. And it has been in the possession of the Lieutenant Governor ever since. And there was anticipation that as we move to the new restoration, the Capitol, that this will be refinished. >>Does the State keep track of all the historic paraphernalia and items of history? >>Oh, yes. You bet. Again, history is an important aspect of the State, and our legacy, and our heritage, and so there are a lot of historical artifacts that were kept—you know, paintings, furniture, doodads here and there that are kept. >>Is that part of your responsibility? >>Not really, but it is something that we are involved with. I am the Chairman of the Capitol Restoration Board on behalf of the Governor. So I am involved in that restoration and some of the things that will happen in the new facilities. >>What is your impression of how the restoration is going? >>I think it is going well. It is an engineering feat. It has cost a lot of money. It is the center for government for the State of Utah, so I think the people will be very pleased when this is all completed, and how it is going to look, and how it is going to function. But they have actually taken that whole building and raised it up and made seismic differences so that we can withstand a big earthquake. >>While we are here, we are going to take a quick look at the renovation process. >>Well, that is going to be fascinating. >>So it is going to be a phenomenal thing. Well, let’s talk about the seal. You are the official keeper of the State Seal. >>That is part of the Lieutenant Governor’s job, to keep the Seal, and documents that are sealed. There have been a couple of seals. The first Seal predates this one, which was the Governor’s Territorial Seal. And Brigham Young used to stamp all the documents that were necessary for certification. And then a year after we became a state, in 1897, this Seal came into being. Everything is electronic anymore, so this is really obsolete from the standpoint of using it. >>Would all the legislation be stamped with the Seal in the early days of the Capitol? >>Yes, and the Governor signs the bill if he is going to agree with it, and then I would then authenticate his signature as the Lieutenant Governor. And we have a seal on this. >>It is kind of hard to see on paper. >>It is kind of hard to see, but they would put gold bond, or something, when they would put this on the paper, and when they would stamp it, and it would show up like this. >>Well, the low budget operation that we are, we don’t have the gold bond for this. >>Well, hey. We didn’t know you were coming, or we would have brought some gold bond in here. >>I am sure that is true. Hey, Lieutenant Governor, thank you for sharing some time with us, and sharing your office with us. This is very nice. >>Well, thank you. That’s right. I appreciate your interest, and stopping by. And of course as you know, I have an open-door policy, or you wouldn’t be here. >>I guess you do. That’s right. So thank you very much for this little bit of history. >>Thank you. >>We appreciate it. >>Thank you, President. Thank you. It is good to see you. >>Hi. I am Bob Dewitt. I am a professor of art history here at Utah Valley State College. I have long been interested in how art has been used by various cultures throughout history to visually communicate messages about themselves. Architecture, in particular, has been used from time immemorial to project a sense of national and cultural identity. >>In Utah, the State Capitol Building was intended to stand as a standard of the values that defined the state. The building is a symbol of democratic government and strong republican values expressed through a tradition based upon the classical ideals of the nineteenth century. It is prominently located high above the city at the head of State Street and overlooking the entire Salt Lake Valley. Its Neo-Classical dome is a familiar symbol of American democracy. The entire design of the building is an adaptation of ancient Roman and Greek temples, surrounded on three sides by a classical Corinthian colonnade of monolithic columns, framing a Greek-inspired pedimented portico at its center, and topped by a Renaissance balustrade beneath a soaring, Utah-copper-clad, ribbed dome. >>Early in the 18th century classical elements such as these had become the basic architectural vocabulary of democratic government and were repeated in a myriad of communities throughout Europe and, later, America. Meanwhile, the imposing dome of the capitol has its roots in the Italian Renaissance, with the papal architect, Bramante, whose domed Tempietto and St. Peter’s Basilica, both located in Rome, became the epitome of elegant proportions and harmony of design. Their colonnaded bases and ribbed domes topped by distinctive lanterns, or cupolas, inspired countless architects over the ages and came to be reminiscent of the freedom and excellence of classical Greek ideals, as well as the power and strength of imperial Rome. >>When Utah became a state in 1896, there was no official Capitol building in Salt Lake City. The original Capitol of the state was in Fillmore. However, as Utah's population grew and settled in Salt Lake City rather than in the middle of the state, the state capitol was officially changed to Salt Lake City and the capitol building that had been started in Fillmore was abandoned, unfinished. >>A Capitol Commission appointed by Governor William Spry opened the competition for design proposals for a new capitol building in Salt Lake City in early 1912. The project was eventually awarded to Richard Kletting, recognized as Utah's “Dean of Architecture” and the most prominent late-19th century Utah architect. His design was chosen because it was "simple, dramatic and straightforward." His intent was to create a structure that was “strong and massive in line.” Construction on the building began in December, 1912 and was completed in October, 1916. >>Kletting had been born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1858, the son of a railroad builder. He studied design in Paris before coming to America in 1883. Classically-trained, he was perfectly comfortable with the traditional styles of the time, but modern enough to introduce advanced structural technologies into his buildings. For instance, the Capitol was built with steel-reinforced concrete, a new technology for the time. >>At the time the Capitol was designed, the architectural style known was Historical Revivalism, which had become very popular in the 19th century, and was still the design of choice for civic and government buildings in the United States. Historical Revivalism grew from a cultural nostalgia for the architecture of the past and its perceived associations with civic pride, grandeur, and heroic individualism. For government buildings in particular the style known as “Neo-Classical” was particularly popular because it resonated with the power and prestige of ancient Rome and the democratic freedom of classical Greece. >>The design of the capitol was based on other state capitol buildings, which Kletting had personally visited, in particular that of Kentucky. In Kletting’s hands, the design was far more restrained than Kentucky’s but, ironically, much grander in execution. As is the case with many classically-derived civic structures of the period, Kletting's Capitol is similar to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., symmetrical in its exterior elevations, stately and formal, and reliant on diverse classical decorative elements taken from ancient Greek, Roman and later Renaissance sources: classical porticos, pediments, monumental columns, with a noble dome surmounting the whole. Despite the prominent vertical presence of the dome, the building is overwhelmingly horizontal in its massing, sweeping along the ground from east to west. Formality, order, harmony of proportion, and rationality are here embodied in stone and concrete. The Capitol rests on a raised, rusticated base with a monumental staircase on the south that leads to bronze doors that are recessed within the central, projecting colonnaded and pedimented portico. Fifty-two freestanding Corinthian-style columns–especially favored by Roman architects–thirty-two feet in height and three-and-a-half feet in diameter encompass three sides of the building, framed at the corners by strong pilaster groupings. This classical theme is continued across the north façade of the building as well in a series of monolithic Corinthian pilasters. >>The columns, along with the rest of the exterior, are constructed of granite taken from Little Cottonwood Canyon. Whenever possible, in fact, Utah materials were used for the construction of the Capitol, including the copper cladding for the dome. Utah granite is the principal exterior material, as well as travertine, limestone, and marble taken from Utah quarries, although marble from Georgia is used extensively on the interior. As for the interior, the classical motif is consistently carried throughout there as well. The main nave is designed as a large tunnel vault extending east and west from the centrally-located dome and terminating at each end with a monumental marble staircase, built on two levels. Classical detailing is found in the grand, lofty rotunda and atrium which feature two levels of mezzanines supported by 24 monolithic, polished columns of Georgia marble which are based on a modified Ionic order. Interior arches, corbels, balustrades, cornices, pilasters, and coffers continue the classical theme throughout the interior. Rich materials and classical design motifs combine to create a cohesive expression of elegance, civic dignity, and sobriety, a theme that can be said to invest the entire building due to its classical Greek and Roman heritage. >>We are standing now in the Gold Room, also known as the State Reception Room, at the Capitol Building. It is presently under reconstruction. It is a massive project that is going to turn the Utah Capitol really into a showcase for the entire country. We have been joined today by Brooks McIntyre who is with Jacobson Hunt Construction. Brooks is in charge of the restoration project, and everything on the inside of the building. So Brooks, tell us about the project in general, and a little bit about this room in specifics. >>What the project encompasses is base isolation as well as historic restoration. And base isolation, obviously, is putting the Capitol Building, the entire structure, up in base isolators. >>”Base isolators” sounds very exciting. What does that mean? >>It actually is. There is a new foundation system that was poured in place on top of piers with base isolators put inside. If an earthquake hits… >>Now a base isolator is like something out of your automobile. >>It is a stabilizer. >>A stabilizer. >>In layman’s terms, it would be something similar to a shock absorber. >>Shock absorber. >>So if an earthquake were ever to hit, base isolators are allowed to move in any direction 360 degrees, two feet from center point. >>So what kind of earthquake can the building sustain? >>7.4 is what it was designed for. >>Ok. >>So they sized everything from that. >>So what are you working currently, as the person in charge of the interior restoration? >>On the interiors right now at this point in the project is everything from decorative painting to plaster, repair, restoration, new plaster work, new moldings, crowns. We are taking terraza out of the second floor, which I will take you to and show you shortly. We are doing base painting. We are doing a lot of protection. >>Let’s talk as little bit about it. It is not just a matter of running to Sherwin Williams and getting some paint. >>No. >>You are attempting to restore the Capitol to what it was in 1917? >>Correct. >>How do you go about doing that? >>There was an initial paint study that was done, and we are then peeling back the layers to determine if it was previous, earlier canned paint campaigns, or was it actually historic ninety-year old finishes. So it takes a lot of time, a lot of approvals from the design team and the decorating painting subcontractor to determine really it that is the actual color that it was. >>And this is going to be a mirror when you peel this off? >>This is a mirror. This is the new painting. We have got gold paint and then a lot of gold leafing going on, twenty-two carat gold leaf. >>And this was all the original color. >>It was from the study, yes. There have been some deviations a little bit, but for the most part, all of the colors are what you saw ninety years ago. >>And what is this room going to be used for in the future? >>Like I said earlier, it will be presentations. It will be announcements. It will be functions, of course, that the Governor has. For certain functions that they have up here, they would use the Gold Room, the Reception Room. >>I know the first year that I was here, the State of the State was held in this room, which hits me as a very small room for the State of the State message. But this is the most dramatic room in the Capitol, I understand. >>Well, in terms of the historic nature of this room, it is. This is what they call level one, which goes back to its original restorative state, or what the original picture was. So you could be looking at, or you are, you are looking at plaster that is ninety years old. And we are touching up the cracks, making sure it is sound and solid. >>From my past, I was familiar with the term adaptive restoration, as opposed to pure restoration. I presume we are doing adaptive restoration, so the room here is wired for computers; it has got all the electricity into it. >>We are. We are putting an awfully lot of things in a small space. We are using the latest technology. In fact, it is funny you brought that up, because the State Capitol will have two 103 inch plasma TVs going up into the House of Representatives. >>Those weren’t original in 1917. >>They didn’t have those made. But there are only fourteen of them in the country right now. So the State Capitol will have two of those. >>Are these going to be raised floors with all of the wiring underneath the floor? >>In some locations that has occurred. Right here, underneath this flooring protection is the original wood flooring that was here. And we will actually then sand, finish and put a new varnish on it, and restore the existing floor. >>Well let’s go into another room. >>Let’s do it. >>Ok. >>We are now standing the rotunda of the currently being restored Capital Building here in Utah, taking with Brooks McIntyre. A little bit about the rotunda first. The Capitol Buildings in the United States that were built after the Civil War were pretty much modeled after the Congress and the United States Congress Building and the Capitol Building there, which featured a large rotunda. So state after state, including Utah, built their Capitol Buildings modeled after Congress, including the rotunda. And so Brooks, tell us a little bit about this rotunda, and some of the reconstruction going on here at the present time. >>Currently you can see that we have dropped the scaffold, both the atrium scaffolds. We still have the scaffolding off to the west side, underneath the west atrium of the rotunda. And the east atrium scaffold has just recently been removed. In fact, it gives you a clear vision of the dome that has been restored and the mural that is in the dome, the upper drum lights, the new windows that have been resorted. You can see the cyclorama that has been touched up, highlighted, and then again sealed. Same with the pendentas that are directional. All the marble inside the rotunda has been steam-cleaned and washed, as well. >>And high tall is the rotunda? >>Roughly 165 feet to the top of the dome. >>Is this one of the larger rotundas in the west? >>I believe it is. I couldn’t say specifically, but I think it is. >>One of the things we talked about before that I found fascinating was that they are restoring the original floor to the rotunda by putting glass back. At one time they put tile in instead of the glass, and the glass is being put in there to give it the illusion of a dome as you look from the top down. So it will be very interesting to see how this is done. >>Adding light to the first floor, it will be. In fact, you can see this is the old terraza that was currently there in 1917. That terraza is coming out and the three layer laminated glass will go back in. >>And what are in these little alcoves on the side of the rotunda? >>The marble niches were there, again, when the opened the Capitol in 1915, 1917. They put statues in here. And those statues are currently being housed in the State Warehouse. They are getting restored. There will be new statues also added to the rotunda floor of this area, as well as adding new ones to the niches. >>Now this might sound like a strange question. Is this real marble? >>Yes. In fact, let me add a little tip of information. From what I was told, these are the tallest turned, one-piece marble columns in the country. >>I find that interesting because in many capitols, the state didn’t want to finance marble, and so they got into painting marble and having fake marble, and including fake wood. So for example, the Michigan Capitol has wood graining throughout the building instead of actual hard wood. >>We will be faux-painting all of the doors. The doors are actually metal doors, and so those will be faux-painted wood. >>And so they will give the illusion of being wood, but they will be metal doors. Now it that something that had to be done for fire protection? >>Noise, fire protection, longevity, yes. >>For those of us in the audience that are from Utah, it might be interesting—the same group that did that faux-painting on the wood in Michigan came out here and did the same thing for the oak benches in the Mormon Tabernacle. It was very common in the late 1870s, 1880s. And so it will be kind of nice back here in the Capitol Building as well. >>They are all at the State Warehouse, and they will get restored, and then brought out here. >>We are going to have some statues in these niches. Are they also going to be restored? >>Some of the statues that were in here previously are getting restored. There are some artists that have been chosen by the State that are casting, and they will be brought here just in another six or eight months. >>Being in charge of the inside construction, are you going to get a statue of yourself in here? Maybe a surprise? >>No, I hope not. >>It won’t be a surprise. >>It would be a surprise. >>We are going to leave the rotunda here. But this rotunda is a grand part of the Capitol, and really speaks to the grandeur of the symbol of the State of Utah. So we are going to go now to another chamber. We will take a look at the Senate and House Chambers. So Brooks, thank you for these comments. >>You bet. >>[graphic] >>Well, I have been working on a bill that moves Utah Valley State College from state college to university status. >>We are just kind of observing what is going on in the Hill, and making sure that the legislative process is on its way. >>Well, we are with Equality Utah, and we are hosting a Citizen Lobby Day today. >>As a citizen advocate for Higher Ed, in conjunction to everything that the Commissioner said on the State Board of Regents. >>I read bills, I watch them move through the process, and I amend them when necessary. >>Well, as a Higher Ed Co-Chair for Appropriations, the appropriations process is one of the most important things we do up here. >>We spend our lunch hours trying to prepare information that was requested. I am going down now and preparing three packets of information that have been requested. >>To me it seems like the public, and any groups that want to have an effect on the process, can do that. And when they come up here and lobby or legislate, and talk to their legislators, that the legislators actually listen. And I think that is a good thing. It is a very open process here. >>We have made these little talking point sheets just to give everybody sort of an idea of a few certain things to say on certain bills. There are other bills even besides. We have listed four bills, just to sort of give people an idea. >>I do political affairs for the President of Zions Bank. And he is very involved in the community, especially in United Way. And we are trying to work in conjunction with United Way to do more bills for working families. >>Over here we have the closed circuit TVs so we just watch the debates that are going on over there. We can still be over here and be productive but pay attention to those things. Also, the Internet and being able to listen to the committee hearings on the Internet is just extremely helpful, especially to those at home or at work who can’t make it up to the Hill. But listening to those debates on the Internet has been extremely helpful, I think. >>[graphic] >> Hello. We are here at the Capitol with representatives of a very important group that many of our viewers may not be that familiar with. We are talking today with legislative interns. Welcome, gentlemen. >>Thank you. >>Thank you. >>I want to start by asking the question that I think a lot of folks at home are wondering. How did you get to become legislative interns? Tell us a little bit about the process, and then we will get to know you a little bit more, as well. >>For me, it was almost by chance. I was in the political science class, and my professor just happened to mention, just sort of at the end if class, “Oh, by the way, if you haven’t heard about the internship, the date is such and such.” So I didn’t even know that UVSC had the availability to be part of this. So I talked to him, and asked what you wanted to get together for a packet of materials and interviews, and things. And he told me what I needed to know. I think as far as preparation to be an intern, I always wanted to be ready in case an opportunity came up to do this kind of thing. So in a lot of my classes I took extra care in building relationships with my professors. So in my packet of materials that I turned into the Internship Coordinator, I had a reference from a professor who could give backing for my abilities, and writing, and critical thinking. So I think that helps a lot, because that is a critical part of being an intern. So I had that, and then a resume from employer, and things. >>Sure. Great. You basically built a strong resume and packet for applying for this program. And you applied through your school. Yes. Thank you so much. And you? >>I was sitting in a political science class. It was a really big gathering at BYU. There was a professor who came and talked about interning in Washington DC, which I had heard, and immediately felt, “I can’t do that. I don’t have the time. I don’t have the money.” And then he talked about an internship up at the Legislature, where not only do you get to live in your state, Utah, and intern there, but you also get paid. And I thought, “That sounds a little more realistic.” And so I went to the meeting and found out about it. And it wasn’t the pay that attracted me. It wasn’t the school credit. It was the experience. I listened to the presenter, and I thought, “This is something that I want to do. Not only observe the process, but be involved, and do errands for my representative, and be in meetings with them.” And so I turned in my packet as soon as possible, my application. And I took it really seriously. I spent a lot of time on the letter of intent. Ii found some professors that would endorse me, and I turned it in, and had an interview, and really hoped, and hoped, and hoped, and eventually the letter came and said I was accepted. And I probably haven’t been that excited in a while. I have just been excited since then, waiting for this. >>Great. And? >>Much the same as Daniel. I was also on a large political science class. A gentleman came in and talked about political internships. And I thought Washington was a little farther away, and Utah is a lot closer, and you get paid. And I have always been interested in doing something like this, working with the Legislature. I do plan on going into politics, and so I jumped at the chance. I have always tried to tailor my readings to a political nature. So I had a lot to draw on from that. And so I had some good connections with teachers, is the other entrance I have had. And I had great interviews from them, and submitted my materials, and was accepted as well. >>Thank you. Why don’t we talk a little bit about you guys. Tell us who you are, where you are from, what you are studying, and where you are studying. >>My name Is John Gottfredson. I am a student at Utah Valley State College. I am a political science major. I have a semester left to graduate. I plan on going to law school in a year or two. I am interning for Representatives Neuenschwander, and Froerer. Both of them are freshmen legislators this time around. >>Thank you. >>My name is Daniel Woodruff. I am interning with Representatives Aagard and Fowlke. And my goal is to become a news anchor, so I am studying broadcast journalism at BYU with a minor in political science, which is why I chose to come up here. >>Why did you pick to come up here with the internship? Are you planning on, just to build on your comment of political science, are you planning on specializing on political media, or what? >>I would love to stay in Utah, and I would love to be the reporter who covers the events at the Capitol. I think that would be a great job to have. Ultimately, my goal is to be a news anchor, but any thing that is involved with politics is something that gets me excited. >>So a future political beat. >>That would be wonderful. >>Yes. >>Watch for me in a few years. >>Very good. And you? >>I am Matt Maddox. I am currently studying at BYU. I am from American Fork originally. I am currently in the international relations program, so eventually I would like to go to law school with that. I am working currently with Representative Barrus from Centerville. >>Super. What are some of the lessons that you have learned so far with your experience here at the Capitol? >>Well for me, you know about legislators before you come here. From my perspective, it was you see these blurbs in the newspaper or on TV, and you think that these guys or women that are up there are from a higher tier of society that are in a better position to look down over the great scheme of things and be our leaders. And you get up here are realize that they are just a lot of, for the most part, concerned citizens that are talented, but they have their faults like everyone else. So they are not up at the level that I maybe thought that all legislators have to be in order to elective office. But on the other hand they are not the “vote the bums out of office” group as well that a lot of people like to categorize them as. >>So you have noticed that they are one of us, and not perhaps as great an aristocracy that you couldn’t relate to. But also not perfect. Thank you, John. Yes. >>I think that before I came up here, I didn’t really know what goes on to pass a law. I have great respect, just in the last week, for the legislative process. I think that the people who come up here are serve in the Legislature are not only concerned citizens, like he said, but they are actually sacrificing a great deal as far as time, family time, income, time at their job, to be here. Because I don’t think they are getting paid that much, and I know the amount of work now that goes into just presenting a bill. I used to think that it was just, “Oh, let’s bring a bill forward. Let’s put it forth to everyone and let’s get it passed.” I now have a lot of respect for the amount of time and effort it takes to get something done up here. >>Tell us a little bit more about that. Take us through the process. Last week we went over the law-making process. But as someone who has been serving a member of the Legislature, what are some extra insights that you have been able to pick up? >>As far as extra insights, I would say the attention to detail. I also studied the law-making process in my legislative intern prep class, and honestly, I had the general idea, but detail in every single bill is so important. I have seen Representatives argue, or rather debate, over a single word in a bill. And debating over thing that to us might seem miniscule, but to me now, I look at it and think that you really care about getting it right, it isn’t step one, step two, step three. Each step requires so much attention to detail. >>You know, l am so glad you brought that up. Because as professor back in a college, I am telling our students that you have to be critical thinkers. Someday you are going to be in law and government, and you need to make sure your arguments are tight and well thought of, and I am gong to use this clip, I think to show my future students. So thank you for bringing up that point. Yes. And what are some of the lessons that you have learned? >>Some of the lessons that I have learned, or one, at least that sticks out particularly to me, is the care and concern that the legislators have for their constituents. They are always trying to get constituent surveys, trying to get as many responses as they can from the community as they can, because they want to represent them well. I have also seen a Representative work hand in hand with some of the individual members that want some legislation passed. >>Sure. Let’s back up for a second about the surveys. What are some of things that you have done for your Representative? >>More along the lower levels, I have actually gone and taken the survey from a page format and pout it onto the web for him so that the constituents can have easier access and we can also e more responsive because our compiling time and editing time is taken up by having a survey, and having to compile the data. >>Thank you very much, gentlemen. >>Thank you. >>Here we are on the floor of the House of Representatives in Utah. The day has ended for legislators for the time being. We are about half way through the legislative session, so there are going to be many issues yet to be considered. Today the hot issue was school vouchers. It passed in a thirty-eight to thirty-seven vote earlier this morning in a very hotly debated contest among various points of view. I apologize for my hair. We just came out of the tour of the restoration of the Capitol Building. What a phenomenal facility that will be when it opens the door in about a year from now. So, the end of the day here in the House of Representatives, but our seventy-five legislators will be back tomorrow or on Monday to further debate the issues. >>Our final stop on our tour of the Capitol is here in front of the Utah State Senate. The State Senate doors are closed right now. It is the end of the week. But next week, they will be back in session. The doors will open. They will be guarded by the Sergeants of the Senate who keep the unauthorized people from the floor of the State Senate. The Senate will be debating a number of hotly contended issues. Earlier today, the House of Representatives voted thirty-eight to thirty-seven on a school voucher bill that is going to be hotly debated. It will be brought to the Senate. Senate President Valentine will refer the bill to a committee. That committee will hold testimony on the bill. Perhaps they will vote for it, perhaps not. They will send it to the floor of the Senate; maybe they won’t. And the Senators will then get a chance to vote on it. It will then go across the hallway and across the rotunda area over to the Governor’s office. And the Governor will have a chance to sight the bill or not sign the bill. So a lot of exciting things going on the Utah Capitol Building. We appreciate you joining us for this little quick, whirlwind tour. And we welcome you back next week as we continue our study of the Utah State Legislative Process. Now you are also a Committee Chair, correct? >>I am. >>Which committee are you chair of? >>My committee is Business and Labor. >>So you had standing committee this morning? >>Standing committee. We looked at five different bills, and we had three that were fairly controversial. One dealt with gambling. Representative Sandstrom has a bill that kind of tightens the grip on gambling in the State of Utah. >>Tell us a little bit about some of your responsibilities as Chair of the Business and Labor Committee. >>Well, the Chair has a lot of abilities to move bills quickly or hold bills. The Chair sets the agenda. And we are kind of the turnstile for the bill. They come in, and I decide where they are going to be on the agenda, or if they are even going to be put on the agenda. If there are some bills there that I don’t think are appropriate for our committee, we may be send it back, we may just hold it. Those bills that we think are appropriate and we want move, we put them on the agenda and we move them. So we have some latitude to kind of, I don’t like the word, manipulate the system, so we can kind of push through bills that we like, and hold on to bills we don’t like, as well. >>So you can determine whether or not you take a bill that is important to the majority or the majority, and decide whether or not you are going to push it through the system. >>Absolutely. And we only have a certain amount of time to deal with all these bills, so we have got to determine which are the best bills for the State of Utah and for business and labor. And then we make those decisions, put them on the agenda, and move them forward. >>The fact is, I think one of the most effective techniques I have seen here in the Legislature for keeping a bill from passing is just delaying it through the process, since it is only a forty-five day session. Is that a technique that you have seen used a lot here? >>Absolutely. Thank goodness we only have forty-five days, or we would be moving bills constantly, and a lot bills really are just duplicates in their value to the state. There are a lot of bills that really have no effect on the state. They just tend to just continue to reiterate some of the issues and moral values we have. Those are not always effective bills, and we look at them very closely. And if there are already laws on the books that address these problems, we don’t push these bills forward. >>Now as Committee Chair, you also determine who gets to speak to bills and who gets to make motions, as well right? So if you want, you can use parliamentary procedures kind of determine some of the outcomes of the committee, can’t you? >>We can. I try to leave it open and allow everybody an opportunity to speak to the bills or make motions to the bills. We can go on and on and on in committee hearings and hear the same testimony over and over again. I don’t allow that. We try to keep our meetings crisp and to the point, and we bring them to a vote and vote them in or out. Of course we have a lot of maneuvering in amendments and so forth, but that is all part of the process. But the process works. It works very well. But the Chairman has a great deal of discretion as to how these bills are going to go. >>How important is the committee vote? I mean, is a unanimous vote that much different, or does it just matter if it passes when you bring it to the floor? Or do people look at it and say, “Well, that one was eight to zero. So this has got to be a good, bill, so I am going to vote for it.” >>That is a very good question. We look at the committee votes when it comes to the floor, and if there is a split vote or a close vote, then we know that it is a bill that carries some controversy, and needs to be looked at very closely. If it is a unanimous vote, then of course you often think, “Well, if those committee members have looked at it and they feel all right about it…”, then maybe you don’t take it too seriously. You read it, you understand it the best you can, but you rely on those committee members in their decision making.