Lawmakers approve bills on STEM education, 'revenge porn' during final hours


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers approved several bills during their final hours of the 2014 legislative session, including on to give $20 million to STEM education and another bill making "revenge porn" a crime in Utah.

The bill to make cockfighting a felony stalled during the final hours as lawmakers could not make a compromise on the specifics of the bill. The House also approved a bill to restrict drone use by law enforcement officials.

The Legislature also approved a bill defining a "person of trust" to include any school faculty. Any school employee will be subject to felony charges if there is sexual contact with a student.

Senate approves bill to allocate $20M for STEM education

Lawmakers approved a major push for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the state Thursday with the appropriation of $20 million to the STEM Action Center.

HB150, sponsored by Rep. Val Peterson, R-Orem, and co-sponsored by more than 40 representatives, directs funding toward the professional development and endorsement of educators in STEM education under the direction of the STEM Action Center, which coordinates STEM education in the state.

Calling it "a giant step," Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, expressed his appreciation to the bill's sponsor and urged the support of his Senate colleagues.

Lawmakers vote to extend Education Task Force for another year

A proposal to extend the Education Task Force for another year was unanimously approved by both chambers of the Utah Legislature on Thursday.

The task force was created last year with the intent of developing goals and objectives for legislation related to Utah's public schools. It is comprised of House and Senate leadership and met regularly throughout the interim of the Legislature.

Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, sponsored the original bill that created the task force and the current reauthorization bill. The bill calls for lawmakers to consider long-term plans for addressing enrollment growth and funding for education.

On Thursday, the bill was amended to include consideration on increasing the number of personal learning devices in Utah schools, following the failure of a so-called one-to-one device initiative that stalled during the session due to a lack of funding.

Bill passes to criminalize 'revenge porn', heads to governor's desk

Non-consensual pornography, also called "revenge porn," will soon be illegal in Utah if the governor decides to sign HB71.

The Senate unanimously passed the bill Thursday, and the House later voted to concur with the Senate's amendments, sending the bill to Gov. Gary Herbert's desk for consideration.

HB71, sponsored by Rep. Marie Poulson, D-Cottonwood Heights, criminalizes what Poulson has often referred to as the "insidious" practice of a person intentionally distributing intimate images without the consent of the subject, often a previous romantic partner.

Legislature approves bill making sexual contact with students criminal

A bill defining any adult school employee or volunteer as a person in a "position of special trust" and subject to felony charges for sexual contact with a student cleared its final hurdle in the Senate on Thursday.

HB213, sponsored by Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, was approved by a 24-0 vote of the Senate, following a 73-0 vote in the House last week. It will now go before the governor for his signature.

House advances bill to restrict drone use by police

Amidst concerns of privacy, the House passed on to the governor a bill that would require police to obtain a warrant to use unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones.

The House voted 67-5 Thursday to approve SB167, which would regulate surveillance of Utahns by applying current warrant requirements to drones.

Salt Lake Co. can move forward on convention hotel not unincorporated areas

Salt Lake County can move forward with plans for a convention hotel but must take time to study the future of the unincorporated county under two bills passed by the Utah Legislature.

Last year, lawmakers defeated a bill to facilitate development of a convention hotel adjacent to the Salt Palace Convention Center. This year's proposal, HB356, is tied to a statewide tourism initiative to encourage convention-goers to extend their stays or return to Utah as tourists.

Meanwhile, another bill approved by lawmakers presses the pause button on annexations and incorporations in unincorporated Salt Lake County until November 2015.

SB216 freezes boundaries of the unincorporated county, with the exception of a proposed annexation of a Millcreek neighborhood to Holladay.

Bill passes making exposure to porn a child custody factor

After a 67-0 vote in the House on Thursday, the governor will consider a bill that would give judges another factor to consider when determining child custody.

If a parent intentionally exposes his or her child to pornography, it could be used against them in district or juvenile court custody cases, should SB227 be signed into law.

Legislature approves bill to make changes to school grading system

Despite several lawmakers voicing objections to the act of grading school performance, a bill that revises Utah's school grading system gained majority support in the House and Senate on Thursday.

Representatives voted 62-12 in favor of SB209, which excludes alternative high schools and new schools from school grading, and replaces the automatic F grade several schools received for low participation with a single letter grade penalty.

"Some of these changes, we believe, make school grading stronger and particularly more fair," said Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, the bill's House sponsor.

Bill passes restricting local laws from banning specific dog breeds

Cities and counties would no longer be able to ban specific dog breeds under a bill the Utah Legislature passed Thursday.

Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, the sponsor of HB97, said 10 municipalities in the state have breed-banning ordinances aimed at pit bulls. Debate in the House, where it passed 41-30, centered on balance between local control and individual rights.

Legislature gives more than $240M to public, higher education

Education took top billing as the 2014 legislative session drew to a close Thursday evening.

In SB2, lawmakers appropriated an additional $168 million in one-time and ongoing funding to the state's public schools, including $62 million for enrollment growth and a 2.5 percent increase in per-pupil spending.

Utah's colleges and universities received more than $75 million in SB3, including a $50 million boon in equity funding to the state's open-enrollment schools, where a surging student population has stretched state dollars thin.

House passes bill restricting cellphone use while driving

The House voted 41-28 late Thursday night to pass a bill restricting cellphone use while driving.

SB253, sponsored by Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, was passed by the Senate 17-8 earlier this week and will now go to the governor for his consideration.

Bill to make cockfighting a felony stalls after debate

Cockfighting still won't be a felony in Utah after the House and Senate failed to come up with a compromise in the final hour of the legislative session Thursday.

After some debate, the House voted 43-28 to amend SB12, originally intended to make cockfighting a class A misdemeanor on the first offense and a third-degree felony on subsequent offenses.

Bill passes requiring parent review committee to field complaints on curriculum

By a single vote in the final minutes of the 2014 legislative session, Utah lawmakers approved a bill requiring a committee of parents to review complaints related to school curriculum and instructional materials and publish a report of those complaints online.

Rep. Brad Dee, R-Ogden, cast the deciding vote in favor of SB257, after the bill's House sponsor, Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, issued a call of the House to break a tie.

Lawmakers direct more than $3M to curb air pollution

State lawmakers threw a significant chunk of change at Utah's nagging air pollution problem this session and also took deliberative steps to institute additional efforts aimed at cleaning the air.

While the 45-day session did not accomplish everything Gov. Gary Herbert called for or meet all the concerns of clean air advocates, observers say the session marked a notable turning point for public policymakers on air pollution.

"I think we made some strides in air quality," said Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, adding that lawmakers ponied up cash to put scientists to work on the problem.

Contributors: Madeleine Brown, Marjorie Cortez, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Dennis Romboy, Benjamin Wood

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MICHELLE L. PRICE

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