New Town Hall Meetings for August 2024

 

Saturday, August 3, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, Hunter Library Meeting Room, 4740 W 4100 S, West Valley City, UT 84120

Saturday, August 17, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, West Valley Library Meeting Room, 2880 W 3650 S, West Valley City, UT 84119

Come to my town hall. I scheduled it so those with questions can ask them and also for those with ideas they want to share.

 

"I believe we must stand up and be heard or watch our constitutionally protected rights disappear. We can't continue to let government take over our lives".

 

This was the reason I ran for office originally, and it is still true today.

 

I had the opportunity to serve in the Utah House of Representatives in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016. During that time, I had a reputation of being willing to speak up and to fight for and vote for what I believed was right, no matter the opposition.

I also had the reputation of reading though all of the bills I would vote on, and after the 2016 session a comedy song joked that I might have known other legislators' bills better than they did. During my service, I had one of the best floor attendance records of anyone in the House. I wanted to be in the chamber during debates and voting so I could hear both sides of an issue and see if a bill was ready or needed to be amended or voted down. "Motion to Amend" was something I said more than once. I always voted for or against the bill no matter who the sponsor was or what party they belonged to.

At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, I was the original sponsor (1 of 5) for the Utah 2019 Tax referendum. Working with voters throughout the state, both liberal, conservative, and everything in between, and as volunteers, we were able to gather over 170,000 signatures in 29 counties, exceeding the 116,000 required signatures in 15 counties. Because of the success of our team, the Legislature and the Governor repealed 2019 SB 2001, instead of facing the backlash of the voters that fall.

 

You can reach me though social media:
https://www.fredcox4utah.com/contact.html

 

My website is at:
https://www.fredcox4utah.com/

 

I have a blog:
http://fredcox4utah.blogspot.com/

 

Donate at:
https://fred-cox-4-utah.square.site/

 

I ask for your vote.
Fred C. Cox for Utah House District 30

Term Limits for Congress

Having the government Limit the number of terms for Congress, such as we do with the President of the US, is often proposed by a constitutional amendment through a convention of the states. The information I was sent is below.

I didn't sign for a few reasons.

One, is term limits do not limit the terms of the Bureaucrats. They tend to gain power when there are term limits mandated, other than from voting.

Two is the last time we had a convention of the states, we got a new constitution. 

Convention of the States

Convention of the States, or in some cases referred to the Con Con is the 2nd way in the Constitution that allows our US Constitution to be modified.

Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

The first problem is we haven't done this since we created our constitution in Sep. 17, 1787.  The last time we had a convention of the states we got a new US Constitution.

The 2nd problem is that the State Legislatures Tell Congress to call a convention. Congress fully believes based on our Constitution that they get to set the mode of ratification, the rules, etc.

In 2015 and 2016, I actively fought these resolutions, because they are binding on the state, and I don't trust the people in Washington DC to improve our constitution, even if the states have to agree with the changes. We have had one or more of these Convention resolutions  pass, but I helped kill others of them in the House Judiciary and so they didn't even get sent to that committee.

Is the Federal Government out of control based on the US Constitution, yes. Is this the way to fix it, putting our whole US Constitution at stake to be re-written, No!

The info sent by the the group to me, that my opponent signed:

 U.S. Term Limits Pledge
I, __________________________, pledge that as a member of the state legislature I will cosponsor, vote for, and defend the resolution applying for an Article V convention for the sole purpose of enacting term limits on Congress.

Sample Application Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to Propose a Congressional
Term Limits Amendment

Section 1. The legislature of [INSERT STATE NAME] hereby makes an application to Congress, as provided by Article V of the Constitution of the United States of America, to call a convention limited to proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a Member of the United States House of Representatives and to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected as a Member of the United States Senate.

Section 2. The Secretary of State is hereby directed to transmit copies of this application to the President and Secretary of the Senate of the United States and to the Speaker, Clerk and Judiciary Committee Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States, and copies to the members of the said Senate and House of Representatives from this State; also to transmit copies hereof to the presiding officers of each of the legislative houses in the several States, requesting their cooperation.

Section 3. This application shall be considered as covering the same subject matter as the applications from other States to Congress to call a convention to set a limit on the number of terms that a person may be elected to the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States and the Senate of the United States; and this application shall be aggregated with same for the purpose of attaining the two-thirds of states necessary to require Congress to call a limited convention on this subject, but shall not be aggregated with any other applications on any other subject.

Section 4. This application constitutes a continuing application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of the United States of America until the legislatures of at least two-thirds of the several states have made applications on the same subject.

Vote for someone that already is an advocate

 Vote for someone that already is an advocate

The entire response to the SL Trib questions.

 Since the SLTribune refused, and yes I asked, to print all my answers, here is my response to the questions:

From: "Fred Cox" <fred@fredcox4utah.com>
To: "Jordan Miller" <jordanm@sltrib.com>
Cc: "Fred Cox" <fred@fredcox4utah.com>
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2024 2:59:37 PM
Subject: Re: SL Tribune Inquiry

See below:

Fred C Cox for Utah House District 30

Answers are too long, but you asked.

:)

---

From: "Jordan Miller" <jordanm@sltrib.com>
To: "Fred Cox" <fred@fredcox4utah.com>
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2024 4:24:14 PM
Subject: SL Tribune Inquiry

Hello,

I'm Jordan Miller and I'm a reporter with The Salt Lake Tribune. Hope you're doing well! 

I just wanted to reach out as myself and our staff are working on a voter guide for the upcoming elections. We're working to send out questions to candidates to share candidates' answers in an easy-to-digest Q&A format. The questions are attached below, and if needed, answers will be edited for grammar, clarity and length. The deadline for these Q&A answers will be noon on Thursday, May 23. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! 

Q&A:

Utah’s largest electricity provider has canceled plans to replace its coal-fired power plants with nuclear power and has walked back comments about investing in clean energy.

1. Should Utah, while it actively supports housing and business development, also be looking for more sustainable and less fossil fuel and carbon-dependent energy sources? (150 word max)

We need clean energy, clean air, clean water, clean land and energy independence. We also need to encourage energy efficiency and technologies such as ground source heat pumps. We may not agree with each other re: CO2 cap/trade, taxes, or our effects on climate. We do need more renewable energy. We have developed better and cleaner ways of using fossil and carbon-based energy sources. At this stage, we need all of them, but we need long term solutions.

2. Yes or no: Is climate change negatively impacting Utah?

Blame who you want, but Utah has had and continues to have issues with weather. We should be good stewards of the land. Again, we need clean air, water, and land. 

Water
Water scarcity continues to be a challenge for the state. Recent legislation has attempted to conserve water and get more to the Great Salt Lake and Colorado River.

3. Should Utah do more to subsidize homeowners to conserve water? Should laws require large users to pay more for water? What other steps should state government take to deal with water scarcity? (150 words max)

No, Utah should Not do more to subsidize homeowners to conserve water. We have already passed laws that allow water districts to charge more for water at different rates.  Utah should encourage water saving and continue to stop regulations that require wasting water and allowing waterwise landscaping.

The other item is removing a regulation of the state to Retain a certain amount of rainwater during site plan storm water design for projects over an acre. This would cost almost nothing and may reduce the costs of construction. 

The state for at least many areas and for many years has required a certain amount of Detention, to act as a shock absorber to reduce flooding, but it has been recent, the last couple of years, that Retention has been required, even when the infrastructure is available to handle the storm water with reduced speed. This should change. 

4. Yes or no: Do you support building the Lake Powell Pipeline?

If we do have water rights that we as Utah are not getting, yes, but only to a point. We should not be just tossing money at this. The concern is the cost of the project and if the water is really there. The water for Lake Powell seems to be over committed. The proposed designs are expensive. Are we really trying to get the water to Cedar City? 

Abortion
Triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Utah’s current law bans nearly all abortions — except in instances of sexual crimes, when there is a fatal fetal abnormality or when the mother’s life is at risk. For now, that law is currently on hold in the courts and an 18-week ban is active in Utah.

5. More or fewer: Should Utah’s trigger law have more or fewer restrictions?

Abortion should be a legal option when pregnancy results from rape or incest, or a competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or a competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. Doctors should not be worried that the state will go after them when dealing with a couple that wants to conceive through invitro or helping a mother going though miscarriage.  

Education funding
6. For or against: Are you voting for or against the constitutional amendment that removes the requirement that income taxes be used for education and social services?

I am against this change. The Legislature just wants to spend more money with fewer restrictions. Doing this change will have a tendency to cause school districts to raise property taxes to cover the demands. The legislature has on more than one occasion raised property taxes for education and we don't need more of this.

Thank you!

--

Jordan Miller News Reporter

Vote for Fred C Cox, for House District 30

Vote for Fred Cox

As you get your ballot, remember to vote for Fred C. Cox for Utah House District 30.

Fred reads though and votes on bills based on what the bill says and would do.

This independence concerns a few “powerful” groups who are afraid of that and are already spending tens of thousands of dollars in this race.

Why would these groups be concerned re: Fred C. Cox getting back in the legislature?

1. The 2019 Tax Referendum.

https://www.abc4.com/news/former-state-representative-leads-referendum-against-tax-reform-bill-passed-in-thursday-special-session/

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/1/21/21075525/tax-reform-referendum-enough-signatures-november-ballot/

We blocked the increase in the food tax, taxes on services and an increase for the fuel tax and other issues.

Rep. Judy Weeks Rohner was a key leader in this fight.

To learn about other candidates on your ballot:

https://utgop.org/2024-candidates/

https://votesearch.utah.gov/voter-search/search/search-by-address/candidates-and-issues

Why vote for Fred C. Cox?

I am proud to have led the effort to end a proposed increase in taxes on food and other services. The Utah Legislature passed a massive 177% tax hike on groceries

 

We were able to gather more than 170,000 signatures for the Utah 2019 Tax Referendum, enough to persuade the governor and legislature to repeal the tax.

 

Here are some of the key issues I will fight for to protect you and your family if I am elected again to House District 30:

 

·       Put more money in classrooms by reducing the cost of school buildings and reducing money leaving the education fund.

·       Defend the U.S. Constitution by protecting the rights of Utah and the people from overreaching federal interference.

·       Grow the economy by reducing burdensome regulations on businesses

 

We can't continue to let the government take over our lives. I am the Utah Republican Convention winner and I am backed by the party.

The other candidate in the primary is on the ballot though signature gathering.

I have scheduled the following town hall meetings to learn what issues are important to you.

Saturday, June 8, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, West Valley Library Meeting Room, 2880 W 3650 S, West Valley City, UT 84119
(near the mall)

Saturday, June 22, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, Hunter Library Meeting Room, 4740 W 4100 S, West Valley City, UT 84120

"I believe we must stand up and be heard or watch our constitutionally protected rights disappear. We can't continue to let government take over our lives".

This was the reason I ran for office originally, and it is still true today.

I had the opportunity to serve in the Utah House of Representatives in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016. During that time, I had a reputation of being willing to speak up and to fight for and vote for what I believed was right, no matter the opposition.

I also had the reputation of reading though all of the bills I would vote on, and after the 2016 session a comedy song joked that I might have known other legislators' bills better than they did. During my service, I had one of the best floor attendance records of anyone in the House. I wanted to be in the chamber during debates and voting so I could hear both sides of an issue and see if a bill was ready or needed to be amended or voted down. "Motion to Amend" was something I said more than once. I always voted for or against the bill no matter who the sponsor was or what party they belonged to.

You can reach me though social media:

https://www.fredcox4utah.com/contact.html

My website is at:

https://www.fredcox4utah.com/

I have a blog:

http://fredcox4utah.blogspot.com/

Ballots will be mailed out in This week, with many arriving today.

I ask for your vote.

Fred C. Cox for Utah House District 30

801-966-2636 (home)

Fred Cox for Utah House District 30 Endorsements and Campaign Spending

I recently had someone ask about Endorsements to my campaign and campaign spending.

I am sorry this post is long. To be short, Vote for Fred C. Cox for Utah House District 30.

Back to the question:  I said I specifically received a number of endorsements from local residents and a few from the outside. My most important endorsement is you.

A few endorsements listed are at:

Fred C. Cox - Utah Endorsements (fredcox4utah.com)

I have received campaign contributions from a few current or former legislators, and also some contributions from people living in West Valley. 

Some of the contributions are from me. 

You can see them for Fred C. Cox here:

Lieutenant Governor's Office - Public Search (utah.gov)

You can look at the filing for the Convention and you can see what I have raised since then by clicking on the Received Contributions Report link.

I have tried to be frugal in my expenses. I won the convention vote with 66.7% of the votes and with your help we will win. 

Dave Parke, who is on the ballot for the primary through signatures, has his disclosures here:

Lieutenant Governor's Office - Public Search (utah.gov)

You can look at the filing for the Convention and you can see what he has raised since then by clicking on the Received Contributions Report link.

Add them both together and contributions total over $35,000. Pretty impressive. 

Much of that money is from the Governor's campaign or the Governor himself, so far $14,803.

Education First, represented by Gail Miller with the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies and Scott Anderson, recently from Zions Bank $5,000

Governing Group, Becky Edward's PAC fund, $1000

about 18 groups with lobbyists, from a fundraiser the Governor had for Dave, totals over $10,000. 

We don't know where most of the money has been spent yet, but we should know in a couple of weeks, prior to the close of the primary election. 

The two largest expenses for convention were the $3200 for signatures to get on the ballot and $4000 to hire the campaign consultant the Governor uses. 

If you take into account Dave's daughter married the Governor's son, you might give Dave a break for getting so much support and now an endorsement from the Govenor.

Why wouldn't he want his son's father-in-law to win, especially since he asked Dave to run.

Why vote for Fred?

I have experience. In addition to being in the legislature for 4 years, I have been very involved in many efforts such as keeping the prison in Draper, the 2019 Tax Referendum, keeping our state flag, both for a referendum and as an initiative. 

I have also learned a lot from you at the 8 town hall meetings we have had so far this year want again to invite you to the next two town hall meetings:

I have scheduled the following town hall meetings to learn what issues are important to you.

Saturday, June 8, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, West Valley Library Meeting Room, 2880 W 3650 S, West Valley City, UT 84119
(near the mall)

Saturday, June 22, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, Hunter Library Meeting Room, 4740 W 4100 S, West Valley City, UT 84120

"I believe we must stand up and be heard or watch our constitutionally protected rights disappear. We can't continue to let government take over our lives".

This was the reason I ran for office originally, and it is still true today.

I had the opportunity to serve in the Utah House of Representatives in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016. During that time, I had a reputation of being willing to speak up and to fight for and vote for what I believed was right, no matter the opposition.

I also had the reputation of reading though all of the bills I would vote on, and after the 2016 session a comedy song joked that I might have known other legislators' bills better than they did. This year they created a "Fred Cox" award for legislators finding errors no one else did. During my service, I had one of the best floor attendance records of anyone in the House. I wanted to be in the chamber during debates and voting so I could hear both sides of an issue and see if a bill was ready or needed to be amended or voted down. "Motion to Amend" was something I said more than once. I always voted for or against the bill no matter who the sponsor was or what party they belonged to.

As a private citizen, at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, I was the original sponsor (1 of 5) for the Utah 2019 Tax referendum. Working with voters throughout the state, both liberal, conservative, and everything in between, and as volunteers, we were able to gather over 170,000 signatures in 29 counties, exceeding the 116,000 required signatures in 15 counties. Because of the success of our team, the Legislature and the Governor repealed 2019 SB 2001, instead of facing the backlash of the voters that fall.

You can reach me though social media:

https://www.fredcox4utah.com/contact.html

My website is at:

https://www.fredcox4utah.com/

I have a blog:

http://fredcox4utah.blogspot.com/

Ballots will be mailed out in This week, with many arriving yesterday. 

I ask for your vote.

Fred C. Cox for Utah House District 30

801-966-2636 (home)

Fred Cox, champion for lowering taxes, needs your support

Fred Cox, champion for lowering taxes, needs your support

I am proud to have led the effort to end a proposed increase in taxes on food and other services. The Utah Legislature passed a massive 177% tax hike on groceries, forcing a typical family of four to pay about $387 more each year for food.

We were able to gather more than 170,000 signatures for the Utah 2019 Tax Referendum, enough to persuade the governor and legislature to repeal the tax.

I am a professional architect and I have also been honored to serve as a state representative for four years, working on behalf of 1/3 of West Valley City citizens. Here are some of the key issues I will fight for to protect you and your family if I am elected again to House District 30: 

•  Put more money in classrooms by reducing the cost of school buildings.
  
• Defend the U.S. Constitution by protecting the rights of Utah and the people from overreaching federal interference.
• Grow the economy by reducing burdensome regulations on businesses

 We can't continue to let the government take over our lives. I am the Utah Republican Convention winner and I am backed by the party. The other candidate in the primary is on the ballot though signature gathering. Please come to one of my Town Hall meetings and help me understand the issues that are important to you.

 Here’s where and you can join me:

 Saturday, May 11, 2024, 1pm to 2:30pm, Hunter Library Meeting Room, 4740 W 4100 S, West Valley City, UT 84120

 Saturday, May 25, 2024, 1pm to 2:30pm, West Valley Library Meeting Room, 2880 W 3650 S, West Valley City, UT 84119

 

Saturday, June 1, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, Hunter Library Meeting Room, 4740 W 4100 S, West Valley City, UT 84120

 

 Saturday, June 8, 2024, 11am to 12:30pm, West Valley Library Meeting Room, 2880 W 3650 S, West Valley City, UT 84119

 

 

Fred C Cox for House District 30 - Fighting Tax Increases

 

 

At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, I was the original sponsor (1 of 5) for the Utah 2019 Tax referendum. Working with voters throughout the state, both liberal, conservative, and everything in between, and as volunteers, we were able to gather over 170,000 signatures in 29 counties, exceeding the 116,000 required signatures in 15 counties. Because of the success of our team, the Legislature and the Governor repealed 2019 SB 2001, instead of facing the backlash of the voters that fall.

 

Remember we had identified 5 major items in the bill that had people ticked.

Major Problems with 2019 SB 2001:

First, if you raise the cost of vehicle fuel, by increasing the state fuel tax by 35%, a family driving around town has less money to go to the store to buy food. These added fuel costs will drive up the cost of goods at the register as well.

Second, raising the cost of food by raising the sales tax on food by a 177% Utah tax increase, means the family has less money to buy food. The State paying this family back later, doesn’t help. Why should a family making it without the government be pushed into requiring help?

Third, by reducing the amount of money going to public and secondary education by $680 Million, while promising public education will not be hurt, means they are either going to change the Utah Constitution or the legislature is going to make sure our property taxes go up, either directly such as 2015 SB 97 and 2018 HB 293 or indirectly by making the local school boards raise our property tax and those boards getting the blame.

Fourth, the bill sets up changing the funding of roads by removing the constitutional required funding from transportation related taxes, including transportation related sales tax, and replacing it with highway user fees and a road usage charge program.

Fifth, Adding to the increase of services with sales tax, which can drive service type businesses out of the state or at least out of business.

Also Remember we invited the left and right and everyone in between to unite to stop the bill, 2019 SB 2001. There was one initial rule, respect. We need this group to keep pressure on the legislature and governor so they don't create 2019 SB 2001 again, as a whole or in pieces. That is what United us and still does.

If any of these items come back in any form, they will be repealed by the voters. Food Tax, Fuel Tax, Education funding, Transportation funding, Services. No New Taxes. If they think this was just the food tax, they are wrong