Wayne Harper
Harper in February 2014
Member of the Utah Senate
Assumed office
January 1, 2013
Preceded byMichael G. Waddoups
Constituency6th district (2013–2023)
16th district (2023–present)
Member of the Utah House of Representatives
from the 43rd district
In office
January 1, 1997 – December 31, 2012
Succeeded byEarl Tanner
Personal details
Born (1956-02-27) February 27, 1956
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceTaylorsville, Utah
Alma materBrigham Young University

Wayne A. Harper[1] (born February 27, 1956) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Utah State Senate representing District 16 since 2023. Prior to redistricting he represented District 6 starting in 2013. Harper served in the Utah House of Representatives from January 1, 1997, until December 31, 2012, in the District 43 seat.

Early life, education, and career

Harper earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Science from Brigham Young University.[2] He is married to KaLee, and together they have eleven children.[3] Harper is a Certified Archivist, Certified Real Estate Consultant, and Certified Real Estate Developer.[3] He works as a Business and Economic Development Consultant, and for Taylorsville City.[2] In his professional career, Harper has been affiliated with the Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists, the International Economic Development Council, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.[2]

Political career

Harper started his political career as a West Jordan City Councilman.[2] He has also served as the President of the Streamline Sales Tax Governing Board and on the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board, Utah State Capitol Preservation Board, and Utah Alliance for Economic Development.[2] Harper served in the House of Representatives from 1997–2012, and was elected to the Utah Senate in 2012.[2] During the 2016 Legislative Session, Harper served on the following committees:[4]

  • Business, Economic Development, and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee
  • Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee (Senate Chair)
  • Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee
  • Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee[2]

Elections

In 2012 when Senate District 6 Republican Senator Michael G. Waddoups left the Legislature and left the seat open, Harper was selected from two candidates by the Republican convention for the November 6, 2012, General election, which he won with 28,073 votes (83%) against Democratic nominee John Rendell,[5] who had run for Legislative seats in 2008 and 2010. Senator Harper is currently up for reelection.

2012 Utah State Senate election District 6
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Harper 19,961 60.5%
Democratic John Rendell 13,049 39.5%

[6]

Legislation

2016 sponsored bills

Bill Number and TitleStatus of Bill
S.B. 6 Infrastructure and General Government Base BudgetGovernor Signed 2/16/2016
S.B. 11 Cancellation of Auto Insurance CoverageGovernor Signed 3/21/2016
S.B. 22 Foreclosure of Residential Rental PropertyGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 31 Tax Commission Levy ProcessGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 65 Sales and Use Tax Reporting RequirementsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 68 Property Tax AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 74 Aviation AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 82 Child Welfare ModificationsGovernor Signed 3/23/2016
S.B. 86 Sales and Use Tax Compliance AmendmentsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 135 Administrative Law Judge AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/23/2016
S.B. 151 Community Development and Renewal Agencies Act RevisionsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 158 Juvenile Court and Child Abuse AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/28/2016
S.B. 160 Federal Funds Budget Reserve AccountSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 182 Sales and Use Tax RevisionsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 193 Utah Communications Authority Act AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/22/2016
S.B 210 Unmanned Vehicle RevisionsSenate/Filed for bills not passed 3/10/2016
S.B. 220 Non Judicial Foreclosure AmendmentsGovernor Signed 3/25/2016
S.C.R. 2 Concurrent Resolution in Support of Sales and Use Tax Transactional EquityGovernor Signed 3/17/2016
S.J.R. 3 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution-Property Tax ExemptionsSenate/To Lieutenant Governor 3/16/2016

[7]

Notable legislation

In 2016 Senator Harper passed Senate Bill 210, which outlines and regulates the use of recreational drones in Utah. The law also gives local police the authority to shoot down drones if they are not in compliance with the law, and if being shot down does not pose a threat to people or animals. This bill does not apply to commercial drones.

[8]

Controversial legislation

In 2018 Harper sponsored SB136 which was signed into law. Among other provisions, SB136 includes an additional annual registration fee of up to $120 on clean air vehicles.[9] The additional fees were opposed by air quality advocates such as the nonprofits Breathe Utah, and Utah Clean Energy which has stated the fees are misguided.[10][11][12] Clean air advocates have voiced concerns that the additional fees will slow electric vehicle adoption and promote poorer air quality in Utah. There are an estimated 1,000–2,000 deaths in Utah annually due to poor air quality,[13] and emissions from gasoline and diesel powered vehicles, are the primary cause of pollution.[14]

In 2021 Harper sponsored HB209[15] to increase EV fees in Utah to $300 annually in addition to normal registration costs.[16] HB209 did not pass. In 2023 Harper sponsored HB301, which passed, and will levy a tax of 12.5% on electricity at EV charging stations.[17] This adds a third tax at charging stations in Utah on top of existing sales and franchise taxes, and some analyses estimate some EV owners will pay twice as much tax as gasoline fueled vehicle drivers.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Wayne Harper's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Harper, Wayne". Utah State Senate. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Wayne Harper's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ "District 6 Senator - Utah State Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  5. ↑ "2012 General Canvass Report". Salt Lake City, Utah: Lieutenant Governor of Utah. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Wayne Harper - Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  7. ↑ "2016 -- Legislation(Senate)". le.utah.gov. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  8. ↑ "New drone bill proposed in Utah –police could potentially shoot drones out of the sky | JD Supra". JD Supra. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  9. ↑ Harper, Wayne A. "S.B. 136 Transportation Governance Amendments".
  10. ↑ "SB 136 Transportation Governance Amendments". Breathe Utah. Retrieved Nov 30, 2019.
  11. ↑ O'Donoghue, Amy Joi (Mar 1, 2018). "Clean energy advocates decry proposed electric, hybrid vehicle fees". KSL. Retrieved Nov 30, 2019.
  12. ↑ Craft, Josh; Emerson, Kevin (Mar 17, 2018). "Commentary: The 2018 Utah legislative session brought us a win for clean energy and climate". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved Nov 30, 2019. When Utahns are taking personal steps to improve air quality by purchasing a clean vehicle, tacking on another fee is misguided.
  13. ↑ "Heart and Blood Vessels". uphe.org. Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. Sep 7, 2019. Retrieved Dec 7, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Pollution Sources". kued.org. KUED. Retrieved Nov 24, 2019.
  15. ↑ "H.B. 209 Vehicle Registration Fee Revisions". utah.gov. Utah State Legislature. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ Hutson, Sonja (February 1, 2021). "Utah Bill To Raise Electric Vehicle Fees By Up To 400% Sparks Debate On Air Quality And Road Usage". KUER. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ "H.B. 301 Transportation Tax Amendments". utah.gov. Utah State Legislature. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ Harden, Tracy (February 23, 2021). "Tracy Harden: Added tax on EV users won't improve Utah's air quality". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
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