Utah lawmakers may take drastic measures to prevent spread of H1N1
By ROBERT GEHRKE
Salt Lake Tribune
SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 21, 2009) — Could lawmakers end up bumping elbows with lobbyists instead of shaking hands to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu?
Or could the whole Legislature up and relocate to another part of the state?
What about the possibility of scrapping face-to-face interaction altogether and holding the entire session via video conference?
Those are some of the options that legislators could have if an epidemic of H1N1 flu forces drastic measures to keep the Legislature functioning.
“If things got really, really bad and the epidemic was really a sweeping event, one of the things obviously you don’t want to do is gather in large groups,” said Michael Christensen, director of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel in Salt Lake City.
In a worst-case scenario, Christensen said, the Utah Education Network, which connects public junior high and high schools, could be used to create a virtual session, with lawmakers wired in from several locations around the state and the potential for them to cast votes through their Blackberry phones.
“There would obviously have to be some work done to do that, but it is possible,” he said.
Other options include moving the session away from the Capitol if the epidemic is especially bad in Salt Lake County, and postponing the session until later in the year.
“I’m a little bit apprehensive to trying to take on the full leap to an electronic legislative session, but if worse comes to worst, it’s nice to know there’s a fail-safe,” said House Speaker David Clark.
Clark also suggested that lawmakers consider limiting the number of bills they introduce in the event that the flu incapacitates a certain percentage of the legislative staff that drafts bills and provides budget estimates.
“I wonder if we should consider an informal rule to discourage shaking hands,” said Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, “and I mean that seriously.”
David Sundwall, executive director of the Utah Department of Health, said Indiana state government has encouraged the elbow-bump in lieu of the handshake to stop the spread of germs.
Sundwall said it is valuable for the Legislature to plan for such contingencies so they aren’t caught unprepared.
“This may seem like an overreaction, but I’d rather have them overreact than under react,” he said.
The best advice to legislators, Sundwall said, is for lawmakers who feel ill to stay home and to focus on hand-washing and disinfecting doorknobs, workstations and countertops.
Reach Robert Gehrke at gehrke(at)sltrib.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com
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