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Congressman Chaffetz addresses Utah House on online gaming, federal funding and public lands
Summary
Congressman Chaffetz told the Utah House on Feb. 5 that states should have more control over online sales tax, warned against federal changes that he said effectively legalized online gaming via a DOJ memo, advocated shifting some authorities to states (including fuel tax), and described work on prison reform; he took two questions from representatives.
Congressman Chaffetz appeared before the Utah House in a committee of the whole on Feb. 5 and delivered remarks touching on federal-state relations, online gambling, public lands and criminal justice reform.
Chaffetz said he is working on ‘‘remote transaction parity’’ legislation to give states more control over tax treatment of internet sales, describing it as a matter of states’ rights and referencing prior resolutions passed by the Legislature that support that position. He warned members that a federal solution would need to ‘‘facilitate’’ states’ authority on such matters.
On online gambling, Chaffetz cited a Dec. 23, 2011 Office of Legal Counsel memo from the U.S. Department of Justice, saying that an OLC interpretation of the Wire Act effectively made online gaming lawful nationwide. ‘‘We should not have an administration . . . issue a 13 page memo and suddenly make online gaming legal,’’ he said, arguing his office has introduced legislation to address the issue and that it presents risks for children and app platforms.
Chaffetz also described work on public-lands initiatives with Representative Rob Bishop and others, said he welcomes a proposed increase in federal funding for the Moab tailings cleanup, and raised prison and sentencing reform as a bipartisan priority to reduce recidivism.
During a brief question-and-answer period, Representative Brian King asked whether Chaffetz viewed growing concentration of wealth as a societal problem. Chaffetz said he opposed taxing inheritance, stating, "For the government to come in and tax upon somebody's death is 1 of the most immoral things I can think of," and argued for policies that create broader economic opportunity rather than redistribution. Representative Schultz asked whether an expansion of federal funding (for Medicaid/Obamacare) would complicate future federal reforms; Chaffetz replied that it would make reforms more difficult and stressed the need for fiscal responsibility.
Chaffetz closed by encouraging continued bipartisan work and invited members to follow federal activity on the issues he outlined. The committee of the whole convened to hear him was later dissolved and the House resumed regular business.
