Utah House rejects hate crime bill
The House voted Tuesday, March 4, to send the first hate crime legislation to reach the House in five years back to committee, effectively killing the bill.
Leavitt vetoes four bills
Governor Mike Leavitt finished his review of the legislation produced during the 2003 session of the Utah Legislature by vetoing four bills last week.
Utah revises liquor laws
Simplified Utah liquor laws have made getting a drink easier but have increased penalties for abuse.
Students protest concealed-weapon law
Students Against Violence will be sending over ten thousand signatures to Governor Mike Leavitt this week, in hopes that he will veto the bill and keep guns off school and college campuses.
Interns get view of legislative life
A group of over 20 students served as interns for the Utah Legislature this legislative session. Many admit the experience provided a opportunity to view local government up close.
Tuition tax credit bill will return
In the end, legislators killed the tuition tax credit proposals in the bills. It was the third defeat in as many years for tax tuition proposal.
Bill to limit vending in public schools
Elementary schools in Utah may ban some kinds of junk food from vending machines should the Senate approve House Bill 186.
House passes hate-crime bill
House Bill 85 is the most recent of several attempts to pass hate-crime legislation, which allows for harsher sentencing of perpetrators of crimes motivated by prejudice or racism.
House sends tax credit bill back for revision
The Utah House of Representatives killed the latest incarnation of Senate Bill 154, the combined tuition tax credit and educational reform bill.
Tax hike removed from education bill
State legislators removed language from an education reform bill that would have increased general income taxes to generate more than $90 million for public education reform.
Spam bill passed
The House Public Utilities and Technology Committee approved legislation on Wednesday Feb. 26 that would restrict litigation against mass e-mail senders, or "spammers."
911 fee could go up
H.B. 114 will create a 19 cent per month state fee on telephone services for unified statewide 911 emergency.
Senate rejects holding therapy bills
Parents, patients and doctors offered contradictory testimony regarding the effectiveness of holding therapies at a Senate Committee meeting Friday Feb. 21 to decide whether to allow these types of therapies in Utah.
Bill forces compliance from divorced parents
Substantial noncompliance occurs when one parent repeatedly and severely disobeys court instructions concerning parenting-time with the children.
Utah Senate proposes cuts for autism
Education budget woes are taking new form with a proposed cut that could wipe out funding for autistic preschools.
House rejects UN opposition bill
As the impending war with Iraq approaches, the Utah House of Representatives has abandoned its plan to speak out in opposition to the United Nations.
Proposed bill to protect child brides
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, was concerned for the safety of young girls and approached Rep. Susan Lawrence, R-Salt Lake, to sponsor legislation.
Health care prices rise despite House bill
The price of receiving health care in Utah hospitals could change over the next year regardless of whether the Legislature passes a bill that would fix hospital prices for certain medical services.
Bus bill to keep unwanted riders out
The bill would slap unauthorized persons who step on a school bus with the intent to intimidate or cause physical harm to the driver or students with a $1,000 fine and six-month jail sentence
House approves Highway Patrol bill
In a reversal of a decision made on Wednesday Feb. 19, the House of Representatives voted to approve Senate Bill 106 after reconsidering it on Thursday Feb. 20, passing it 47 to 23.
Liquor law one step closer
A bill that aims to decrease illegal consumption of alcohol in Utah without crippling the state's hospitality industry advanced Friday, Feb. 21, one step closer to passing the Senate.
Medicaid bill gives hope
Medicaid recipients say they're one step closer to survival after a bill that eliminates the Medicaid spend-down provision unanimously passed through committee.
House passes tipped-employee bill
House Bill 219 requires employers to pay additional wages if the tipped employee doesn't receive at least minimum wage in tips plus hourly wages.
Resolution calls for U.S. to leave U.N.
A resolution calling for the United States to leave the United Nations is expected to be discussed on the Utah House floor by the end of the week.
Harding impeached by House
In a historic move, the Utah House of Representatives voted Monday afternoon Feb. 17 to begin impeachment proceedings against 4th District Judge Ray Harding Jr., who faces drug charges.
Senate adds to education bill
Tuition tax credit became a part of education reform Wednesday Feb. 19 during a Senate Education Committee.
Covenant marriage bill passes committee
The House Judiciary Committee favorably passed an amended version of a bill Friday that aims to lower divorce rates in Utah by introducing a new type of marriage.
Governor to veto tax credit bill
Although Leavitt supports increased funding to education, he does not feel increasing income tax is the best way to fix the problem.
House passes credit union bill
After several hours of debate Monday, Utah House members approved a controversial bill that would tax Utah's largest credit unions by 5 percent and create a task force to define when a credit union loses its tax-exempt status.
Concealed gun bill passes Senate committee
A clash between senators Friday ended with the Senate Judiciary Committee passing an amended version of Senate Bill 108, which allows concealed carry permit holders to have concealed weapons on public school campuses.
Bill would make seniors pay for state park access
Citizens of the state who are 62 and older will now have to pay admission to get into state parks, according to a recent bill approved by a Utah legislative committee.
DNA collection bill passes committee
A bill amending laws for DNA collection from convicted felons passed through a legislative committee. The bill amends parts of a law passed last year that allows for the collection of DNA from all criminals convicted of a felony and some convicted of misdemeanors.
Proposed liquor law changes ruffle feathers of club owners
Bar and private club owners voiced concerns about proposed liquor law changes at a public hearing of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Monday morning, Feb. 10.
Lawmaker hopes to open caucus meetings to public
The Utah State Rules Committee assigned House Bill 52 to a standing committee last week, opening the new legislation up for legislative and public critique. The bill that would change the way party caucus meetings are conducted in Utah is facing stark opposition in the House.
Money taken from state victims fund
Crime Victims' advocacy groups throughout the state are up in arms over a legislative decision to bolster the state Department of Corrections with millions of dollars from the Utah Crime Victims Reparations Fund.
Bill would allow closed child welfare meetings
House Bill 34 would legalize closed meetings for the Child Welfare Oversight Panel. This would keep sensitive information about Utah's families, which is discussed before the oversight panel, from the public.
This year's session harder than usual
State House and Senate leaders say this legislative session is one of the roughest they've seen in years, due to the volume of complex issues they must address.
Death row bill delayed
A bill to determine whether a judge or jury should decide if a person accused of a crime is mentally retarded, was delayed by the Utah Senate Thursday morning Feb. 6.
Utah House passed pledge bill
The Utah House of Representatives passed the Utah Pledge of Allegiance Bill Wednesday with a vote of 63-4, requiring Utah public school children to recite the pledge if Gov. Leavitt signs the bill.
Bill aims to tax credit unions
Utah HB 162 proposes to make state-chartered credit unions with more than $100 million in assets and that operate in more than one county subject to the state corporate income tax.
Holding therapy activists encourage bill
House Bill 5, sponsored by Rep. Michael Thompson, R-Orem, restricts a licensed mental therapist from applying, directing, practicing or supervising coercive restraint to a patient.
Senate approves tax credit bill
Senate Bill 34 would allow parents to receive a tax credit up to $2,132 per child if they chose to enroll their students in a private school.
Law may suspend teen driving privileges
Teenagers skipping school may not get to drive if the Utah Legislature passes a bill allowing juvenile courts to suspend a truant teen's driver license.
Resolution would remove grey wolf from endangered list
The proponent of the resolution Rep. Micheal Styler feels the recent population increase of western grey wolves, Canis Lupus, no longer warrants the title of endangered.
Seat belt bill to encourage wearing in a different way
The bill before the state House proposes a different kind of incentive to wear a seat belt, suggesting the state should hold people financially responsible for injuries sustained in a crash where a seat belt was not worn.
State universities may raise admission standards
Utah State University and the University of Utah are raising their admission standards to compensate for a lack of state funding, as well as to increase the educational quality of their students.
Legislature revisits Initiative 1, nuclear waste
Utah voters defeated Initiative 1, at the ballot box in November, but the state Legislature plans to resurrect the issue to regulate and tax radioactive waste into Utah.
Legislators fight over belt law
Legislators are battling over Utahns belting-up. Soon it may be illegal for adults to not buckle up in Utah.
Concealed gun bill looks to limit weapons on school grounds
A proposed gun law amendment in the Utah Senate may resolve conflicts between public school administrators and the state by clarifying laws that allow individuals with permits to carry concealed weapons on school grounds.
Gov. Leavitt appoints new top court judges
Governor Mike Leavitt appointed two candidates to the Utah Supreme Court Saturday Jan. 25. The Utah Senate will confirm Leavitt's decision within 60 days.
Leavitt education proposal picking up supporters
During his State of the State address Jan. 21, Gov. Leavitt stressed new changes in the way Utah schools are run. Since the speech, lawmakers and organizations are coming up with education reform ideas of their own.
Tuition tax credit bill spurring debate
The controversial Tuition Tax Credit bill, to be voted on in the Utah state senate Wed, Jan. 29, will give a $2,100 tax credit to parents of children enrolled in a private school.
Bill would reduce required student hours for residency status
In last year's legislative session, House Bill 331 increased the number of credit hours out-of-state students must take to gain residency status to 60 hours. A bill before the legislature would reduce the number of hours required to gain resident status.
State Medicaid recipients may face decreased coverage
As health officials across the nation rant and rave about recent developments in healthcare reform, the state of Utah has its own healthcare troubles looming overhead.
Proposed change in sales tax stirs debate
The proposed bill called the streamline sales tax initiative is part of a national effort to rewrite how sales tax is collected on products that are shipped.
Blacks seek to voice opinion in legislature
The Utah Republican Black Assembly was formed earlier this month to voice the opinion of the nearly 20,000 black citizens in Utah. The Assembly hopes to create its own place in the political arena.
House sets aside funds for classroom audio equipment
In his first House Education Committee Meeting, Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, introduced House Concurrent Resolution 002 for audio enhancement equipment to be installed in Utah classrooms.
'Under God': Two words cause rift in nation
Atheists in Utah feel the Pledge of Allegiance Bill ignores their rights by pressuring public school children to pledge allegiance to a God they do not believe exists.
Legislators decide on partial-birth abortion
Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Orem, commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by announcing his plan to introduce partial-birth abortion legislation during the 2003 session.
Teacher pay bill to increase educational quality
With an 8-7 vote, the House Education Committee narrowly passed HB 184 that will allow school boards and superintendents the flexibility to independently contract individuals.
Leavitt: Education requires competency standard
In his 2003 State of the State address Tuesday Jan. 21, Gov. Mike Leavitt emphasized a plan to reconstruct Utah's educational system. With the new value on performance, Utah's schools will improve dramatically, he said.
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