Lawmakers require vote for prison; proposition for bigger school budget

Lawmakers require vote for prison; proposition for bigger school budget

(Ravell Call/Deseret News/File)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Friday's Legislature saw a new direction in the bill for the prison moving in the near future. Also there is a look back at a few of the bills that were in the works this week.

Here are some of the highlights from the week in this week's Legislature:

Bill requiring full Legislature to vote on new prison site passes committee

A bill requiring the full Legislature to vote on the site of a new state prison and creating a new commission to oversee the move that includes the executive branch was approved Friday by a House committee.

HB454, sponsored by House Majority Assistant Whip Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, spells out that the Legislature's Prison Relocation Commission does not have the final say on where the Utah State Prison, now in Draper, will be relocated.

Wilson, the co-chairman of the commission, told the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee he had received "feedback" on a proposal pitched earlier in the session to let the commission choose the site.

[Lawmakers propose big increase for education in new budget ==========================================================](<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=33716247&nid=757&title=lawmakers-propose-big-increase-for-education-in-new-budget target=>)

State lawmakers got closer Thursday to finalizing a new budget after House and Senate Republicans settled on a big increase for public education and other spending.

They plan to give $435 million in new money to schools, including $48.6 million for enrollment growth and a 4 percent increase to the state's funding formula for public education, the weighted pupil unit.

The budget falls short of the governor's budget proposal, which called for $500 million in new money for education and a 6.25 percent increase to the weighted pupil unit.

But unlike the governor's plan for the budget year that begins July 1, the new spending does not require diverting nearly $100 million earmarked for transportation.

Utah House passes bill to revamp criminal justice system

A bill that would transform Utah’s criminal justice system cleared the Utah House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The House passed HB348 with a 72-3 vote. The bill includes a new assessment process for the causes of a person’s criminal behavior and would increase funding for treatment programs for those who are mentally ill or are battling addiction, said bill sponsor Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns.

HB348 would also lower some criminal penalties, including making drug possession a misdemeanor.

Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, was among those who voted against the bill, expressing concerns about the message that lowering drug crimes would send to youths.

Utah Senate rejects bill to prohibit anonymous campaign donations =================================================================

A bill that would restrict anonymous campaign donations failed in the Utah Senate on Wednesday.

HB91, sponsored by Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, would forbid political candidates from accepting gifts of more than $50 from nameless donors and mandate that candidates who do receive such a donation give it to a nonprofit or nonpolitical government entity.

Powell has said anonymous donations threaten campaign finance reporting transparency and provide individuals with a “dangerous loophole” to circumvent the Legislature’s efforts to be transparent to voters.

State lawmakers trying to hammer out deal raising Utah's gas tax

Drivers would pay 5 cents more per gallon in gas tax and counties would be able to ask voters to raise sales tax for transportation projects under a proposal state lawmakers are considering.

The Republican-controlled House and Senate agree the state needs more money to meet Utah's road and transit demands over the next 25 years. But they disagree how to do it.

Utah has an $11.3 billion shortfall in transportation funding through 2040.

Utah Senate passes bill increasing penalty for cockfighting ===========================================================

The Utah Senate passed a bill Monday that increases the criminal penalty for game fowl fighting.

SB134 would make it a class A misdemeanor on the first offense and a third-degree felony on subsequent offenses.

Bill sponsor Sen. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City, said game fowl fighting is growing in Utah and trade magazines say the state's current law is a "joke." He said it's the only Western state in which it isn't a felony.

Bill establishing water fund advances from committee ====================================================

Proponents of establishing a state water infrastructure fund say it is the first step on a comprehensive path to plan for statewide municipal water needs for 50 years into the future.

Critics see the legislative proposal as a way to push controversial and costly river diversions like the Lake Powell Pipeline and the Bear River Development projects.

The measure, SB281, survived a legislative committee's scrutiny and a 4-2 vote on Wednesday, even as members conceded they had concerns over a fund with no revenue stream.

"This is like setting the table for supper when there is no food," said Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden. "It makes me wonder where this money is going to come from. Why are we setting up the fund when there is no money at the moment?"

House endorses bill to tighten e-cigarette regulations ======================================================

Lawmakers are moving forward with legislation to regulate e-cigarette products, including measures to make sure the contents of the cigarettes do not stray from what is printed on their labels.

A House committee gave preliminary approval to HB415 on Friday, a bill that would regulate e-cigarette products, require a person to obtain a license in order to sell those products, and outline criminal penalties for vendors who violate license requirements.

Bill sponsor Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said Utah law currently requires a license for selling tobacco or cigarette products; it does not specify a license requirement for selling e-cigarette products. He said as a result, only clerks, not shops, are penalized for violating the law and selling to minors.

Bill to boost countable ballots passes Utah Senate, awaits governor's signature ===============================================================================

A bill to help maximize countable Utah voter ballots passed through the full Utah Senate on Wednesday.

HB220, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City, clarifies Utah laws for mailed ballots that are eligible for counting to ensure no ballots are turned away for technicalities within the state’s voting system.

As long as a ballot is clearly postmarked as having been received by a post office before Election Day, it would be eligible to be counted, under the bill.

House GOP caucus reiterates public lands fight ==============================================

The Utah House GOP caucus met Thursday to hear the latest details on the political fight to gain control of certain federal public lands, with leaders in the battle stressing they are not solitary soldiers on the field.

Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, and the legislative sponsor of the 2012 Transfer of Public Lands Act, said there are 37 measures pending in other states across the country, with states including Alaska, Tennessee and Georgia exploring the effort.

"So we are not alone by any means," Ivory said. "It is just a matter of us continuing to put the pressure on from the ground up. … The nation looks to this House and this body and this state to lead on this issue."

Utah has 14 different public lands legislative proposals, including HB323, which requires counties to develop their own resource management plans, and SB48, ordering an examination of potential revenues should certain lands come under state control.

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