House looks at bills to increase taxes to fund schools, limit access to voter lists

House looks at bills to increase taxes to fund schools, limit access to voter lists

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SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the bills Utah lawmakers are currently looking at, including limiting access to voter information lists, increasing taxes to fund schools and the restriction of local dog breed laws.

House passes bill for annual Vietnam Vets recognition day

The House approved a bill setting aside March 29 annually as Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day.

HB275, sponsored by Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield, would require the state Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to promote the day "to heighten public awareness and involvement" in recognizing military service in Vietnam.

Senate to look at bill to limit access to voter lists

After some debate, the Senate voted Monday to place on the third reading calendar a bill that would limit access to the Utah voter registry.

The goal of Senate Minority Whip Karen Mayne, D-West Valley City, is to keep the information from being abused for commercial use or harassment, she said.

Senate approves bill to extend Education Task Force

Members of the Senate Education Committee gave the first nod of approval to a bill that would extend the Education Task Force for another year.

The task force, which is comprised of House and Senate leadership, was created last year to work through issues facing public and higher education, as well as provide a unified vision for legislative priorities.

Committee advances bill to fund schools by increasing taxes

A pair of bills that would increase funding for schools by charging Utah families more in taxes are heading to the Senate after clearing a committee hearing Monday.

SB118 and SB111 are sponsored by Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, and Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, respectively.

Jones' bill would generate more than $250 million annually by allowing only two personal or dependent income tax deductions per family.

Osmond's bill could raise as much as $100 million over several years while addressing funding inequities between schools and districts by freezing the basic property tax rate.

Committee barely passes on bill to restrict local dog breed laws

A bill that seeks to restrict local laws targeting specific dog breeds made it through a House committee Monday by the skin of its teeth.

In a crowded committee room of interested community members, including two pit bull service dogs, the House Political Subdivisions Committee voted 6-5 to recommend HB97 to the full house.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, received more than an hour of debate centered on local control, property rights, public safety and breed stigmatization.

Bill aims to give extra tutoring to kids from intergenerational poverty

On Monday, the Senate Education Committee unanimously endorsed SB43, sponsored by Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden.

Reid said he believes helping Utah children compete with their academic peers will "rescue" them from intergenerational poverty and dependence on public assistance.

State data on users of public assistance dating back to 1989 show some families are in their fourth generation of poverty and welfare dependence, he said.

Contributing:: Madeleine Brown, Lisa Riley Roche, Benjamin Wood

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