SALT LAKE CITY — Utah could become the first state in the nation to raise the legal smoking age to 21 if state lawmakers pass a bill that failed last year.

The bill is one of many discussed early this week on Utah's Capitol Hill. Other important discussions centered around changing Utah's forcible entry laws, the age-old question of how to fund public education, and everything in between.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Utah lawmaker proposes raising legal smoking age to 21

Rep. Kraig Powell, R-Heber City, is proposing to raise the legal age to buy tobacco products and e-cigarettes from 19 to 21. Statistics show most adult smokers try cigarettes before age 21, he said.

"If we can delay that onset, we're probably going to see huge health benefits and financial benefits," Powell said. "I think it's a really simple, clear, impactful change."

The Utah Retail Merchants Association and the Utah Food Industry Association has opposed the bill in the past, arguing that if people are old enough to vote or enter the military, they're old enough to decide whether to smoke.

Association President Dave Davis said Tuesday the groups have not yet taken a position this year but intend to discuss the issue this week. He said convenience stores would be the most impacted by the proposed law.

Senate committee seeks further debate on modifying forcible entry laws

Senate committee members took no action on a controversial bill Monday that would change laws concerning the use of forcible entry when serving search warrants or making arrests.

Members of the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee raised and heard concerns about SB82 from residents and law enforcement officials, including the specifics of whether all or some officers would be required to wear body cameras during forcible entry raids, as well as what nature of evidence would justify a raid that would not require a knock-and-announce action prior to forcible entry.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, acknowledged the need for continued discussion about the bill's specifics, so he refrained from requesting the bill to pass through the committee, urging further discussion and amendments.

Lawmakers, governor still far apart on Medicaid expansion

Republican lawmakers are already trying to sell the Obama administration on their limited plans for Medicaid expansion, even as Gov. Gary Herbert continues to push his Healthy Utah alternative.

House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said Monday he participated in a conference call late last week between lawmakers and representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While the speaker said “nothing concrete” came of presenting several proposals to the federal department, “we didn’t hear any cursing on the other end of the line, so we felt pretty good.”

The discussion between House and Senate members and Washington came as a surprise to Utah Health Department Executive Director David Patton, who has played a key role in the governor’s attempt to win federal approval for Healthy Utah.

Patton said he still hopes lawmakers will come around to Healthy Utah.

Legislative committee rejects tax hike for education

Utah families will not see an increase in personal income taxes next year as lawmakers voted down a bill proposing to use the tax to obtain new money for education.

The House Education Committee on Monday rejected HB54 in a 2-11 vote after nearly two hours of debate and questions among lawmakers, educators and policy advocates on both sides of the issue.

"I am disappointed, but I probably anticipated this," said bill sponsor Jack Draxler, R-North Logan. "I think this is a discussion that needs to go on."

Draxler said salary raises for teachers are long overdue in Utah, where the average starting wage for a teacher is $33,000 per year. Because of this, many education students in the state take teaching jobs in places elsewhere such as Wyoming, where a teacher's starting wage could be between $10,000 and $20,000 more.

Other lawmakers said that while they weren't in favor raising the income tax, they agreed with Draxler's emphasis on the need for more competitive wages for educators.

Legislative proposals seek changes to Goblin Valley, Little Sahara parks

A pair of bills introduced Tuesday in the Utah Legislature seek expansion of Goblin Valley State Park and to include the Bureau of Land Management's Little Sahara Recreation Area in the state park system.

A legislative proposal, HB225, sponsored by Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, would help set in motion a cooperative agreement that would expand the state park division's oversight at Goblin Valley by a land acquisition of about 10,000 acres. Another 120,000 acres would be managed in a multiparty arrangement that includes Emery County, the BLM and the state.

Eliason is also running HB223, which seeks to include the BLM's Little Sahara Recreation Area as part of the state parks system.

The measure calls for BLM and the state parks division to enter into an arrangement so the Little Sahara Recreation Area is either counted as part of the stable of state-managed parks, or some lease arrangement or land transfer takes place.

Technology bill for English teachers gets thumbs up from House

A bill that would provide computer programs to English and writing teachers to help them give more timely feedback on their students' work was approved by the House on Tuesday.

HB69 passed with a 39-33 vote and now goes to the Senate.

The bill asks for $1 million to provide schools with supplemental computer programs capable of giving students immediate feedback on technical components of language arts and writing, such as vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar. Those programs would be available to schools and teachers through a competitive grant process and not a mandatory statewide implementation.

Teachers who choose to use the program could apply the funds in whatever capacity is most needed — helping students who are falling behind, or to giving excelling students more challenging coursework.

Effort to crack down on 'smoking' vehicles chokes in committee hearing

A fledgling clean air proposal has choked for now until its legislative sponsor addresses language in the bill that stoked concerns among her colleagues.

HB110, sponsored by Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, would have given the Motor Vehicle Division of the Utah State Tax Commission the ability to revoke a vehicle's registration for noncompliance with vehicle emissions standards.

The bill was supported by the Weber, Salt Lake and Davis county health departments, as well as Utah Moms for Clean Air and the Wasatch Clean Air Coalition and heard Tuesday in the House Transportation Committee.

Brian Cowan from the Weber-Morgan Health Department said the bill would help the agency target the worst offenders. When the program was in place earlier, but without legal authority, Cowan said the health department gave vehicle owners 60 days to make the fixes before any referral was made for registration revocation to the state.

Some lawmakers, however, questioned language in the bill that would allow the division to do more than simply revoke a registration, but to take action on a person's legal title to the vehicle.

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