SALT LAKE CITY — A committee approved a dental bill that would be footed by the the University of Utah School of Dentistry, a specialty license plate's cost would go to fund childhood cancer research and lawmakers are considering another tax increase to fund education. Here's what's happening during Utah's legislative session.

Dental benefits bill moves forward

A proposal that would restore dental benefits to up to 34,500 Medicaid patients — with the University of Utah School of Dentistry footing the bill — is moving forward at the Utah Legislature.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, and Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, passed the Senate and is now on its way to the House floor with the recommendation of the House Business and Labor Committee.

Under SB39, dental students would provide the services and the U.'s dental school would foot the state's portion of the bill.

Only Medicaid clients who are adults and disabled or blind would be eligible. That's about 40 to 45 percent of the Medicaid population, according to Dr. Glen Hanson, the dean of the dental school at the U.

New specialty license plate would fund research, awareness for childhood cancer

A Utah mother went before the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday to encourage support for a specialty group license plate that would support childhood cancer awareness and research.

Krystal Hansen lost the oldest of her eight children to leukemia in 2005 and, for the second year in a row, is trying to gain legislative approval for the license plate.

An online petition for the plates received more than 1,000 signatures, Hansen said.

"This license plate is wanted and needed in the state of Utah," she said. "This plate will bring more awareness and research funding to this horrible disease."

The funding from the $25 annual fee from the plates would go to Primary Children's Hospital.

Democrat wants Utahns to cast nonbinding vote on Medicaid expansion in November

A House Democratic leader wants voters to be able to answer a nonbinding "opinion question" on the November ballot about whether the state should accept Medicaid expansion to provide health care to low-income Utahns.

"Because the Legislature has not passed any form of Medicaid expansion or may just pass a very frail version, I think the public should weigh in on this particular issue," said House Minority Caucus Manager Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek.

Yesterday's roundup:

House GOP hears medical marijuana bills; alcohol permit bill advances

Utah House Republicans heard two medical marijuana bills but have not taken a position, an alcohol permit bill cleared a Senate committee and a lawmaker proposed making an 'In God We Trust' license plate a standard option. Here's the latest on what's happening on the hill.

Arent's bill to establish a procedure for submitting nonbinding questions to voters, HB275, was introduced Wednesday, but a second piece of legislation detailing exactly what she wants them to answer is still being drafted.

Polls have shown that Utahns favor Medicaid expansion, but majority House Republicans have stopped two attempts by Gov. Gary Herbert to use the hundreds of millions of dollars available under President Barack Obama's health care law.

Bill to eliminate requirement for prospective wards' legal counsel in guardianship cases put on hold

A legislative committee voted to hold a bill Wednesday that would eliminate the requirement that young adults with intellectual disabilities be represented by legal counsel when courts consider their parents' guardianship petitions.

The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to hold HB101 to give its sponsor, Rep. Fred Cox, R-West Valley City, more time to refine the proposal.

As drafted, the legislation would be limited to young adults who have intellectual disabilities, minimal assets and are able appear in court with the petitioner. Judges must be satisfied that counsel is unnecessary, the bill states.

Cox said he sponsored the legislation to assist families who have adopted or raised a child with disabilities from birth and have the young adult's best interests in mind by petitioning courts to become their guardians.

Will lawmakers consider another tax increase for education?

Education advocates in Utah's business community have added another rung to their proposed ladder for raising student achievement and improving long-term outcomes in public schools.

This time, it's in the form of a tax increase.

Education First, a coalition of Utah business executives, is asking lawmakers to consider an increase to the state income tax rate that would bring in an estimated $518.5 million in new money for education.

But the proposal would first go before voters, who would indicate during the November election whether they would support raising the income tax from 5 percent to 5.875 percent, an increase of seven-eighths of 1 percent. Then the Legislature would decide next year whether to pass an increase.

"We're not asking for an out-and-out appropriation. We're asking the Legislature to allow the public to voice their opinion as to whether to increase the income tax by this amount," said Education First co-chairman Richard Kendell, a former commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education.

Kendell said it's still unclear just how big an increase individual families could expect, but estimates will be included as the legislation is drafted.

Contributing: Daphne Chen, Emily Larson, Lisa Riley Roche, Marjorie Cortez, Morgan Jacobsen

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