A quiet end to the 2013 Utah Legislature


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SALT LAKE CITY — The final day of the 2013 Utah Legislature ended early Friday morning just as quietly a previous 45 days of the session had been.

By constitutional rule, the Legislature must end its session on the 45th day, which means it was all over at the stroke of midnight.

Long before then, the $13 billion budget was done, and public and higher education had been funded, but lawmakers still fought for a few last-minute votes to try and push legislation through to to Gov. Gary Herbert's desk.

Here are the highlights of the last 48 hours:

Downtown convention hotel bill fails

A bill that would have provided tax credits for the development of a hotel near the Salt Palace Convention Center was narrowly defeated in the House on Thursday night.

SB267, sponsored Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, passed the Senate on Monday but failed in the House with a 35-39 vote.

"We are losing millions and millions of dollars a year and thousands of jobs because we do not have a convention space adequate enough," Wilson said. "The expectation is that this hotel should generate $600 million over the next couple of decades."

Deseret News:

The bill would have implemented a 20-year, post-performance property tax for the developers of the hotel, similar to the rebate given to companies such as Adobe that have relocated and invested in the state.

But many representatives expressed their concerns about the bill, particularly about the impact on existing downtown hotels.

Bill passes to require ACT, SAT for high school students

Both chambers of the Utah Legislature passed a bill Wednesday that funds and requires the administration of a college readiness assessment, such as the ACT or SAT, for high school students.

SB175 provides $850,000 for both the administration of an assessment and to provide access to students for a pre-test preparation program. State Superintendent Martell Menlove said the funding in the bill is sufficient to provide the test when combined with other funds in the education budget that remain since the retirement of the Utah Basic Schools Competency Test, or UBSCT.

"It should be enough not only to have each junior take an end-of-level test such as the SAT or the ACT, but also, hopefully, to fund most students taking those pre-tests," Menlove said. "The intent is to implement a battery of tests that will lead students to being more college and career ready."

The bill has been one of the State School Board's highest priorities since the 2012 Legislative session, when a similar bill failed to clear both chambers prior to the close of the session.

Bill passed to require federal background checks for Utah child care workers

Individuals who apply for child care licenses in Utah will be subject to an additional background check, thanks to a bill that passed through the Senate on Wednesday.

HB165 amends protocol to include not only a statewide criminal background check, but also an FBI fingerprint check to determine whether crimes have occurred in other states.

More than 6 percent of more than 68,000 nationwide applicants annually have a criminal record that includes serious sexual offenses, assault, drug crimes and other "serious" crimes. Forty-one percent have committed crimes in a state other than where they applied for a license.

Bill banning teen drivers from talking on cellphones passes SenateA bill that would prohibit minors from talking on a cellphone while driving was reconsidered Wednesday and passed by the Senate, 17-12. The bill already passed the House and will now go to the governor for his consideration.

HB103, sponsored by Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, would still allow teens to call in medical emergencies, road hazards or criminal acts — or to speak with parents or legal guardians. Violating the proposed law would be an infraction and teens could be fined a maximum of $25. No points, however, could be assessed against a teen's driving record for such violations.

The bill was defeated 11-13 in the Senate on Tuesday, but a motion to reconsider the bill was successful since five senators didn't vote previously.

Violation of this proposed law would be an infraction, which is a lower penalty than the distracted driving misdemeanor.

Trigger dates for two immigration laws pushed back to 2015

Two immigration-related laws passed by the Utah Legislature in 2011 were effectively shelved until 2015 under a bill that achieved final passage in the Utah House of Representatives Thursday morning.

SB225 impacts laws related to guest workers and a pilot program to allow Utahns to sponsor foreign nationals. The laws were passed as HB116 and HB469 and both were slated to go into effect this summer. The passage of SB225 pushes back their enactment dates to July 1, 2015.

Another immigration enforcement measure passed in 2011 remains under review in U.S. District Court. The law, passed as HB497, has been temporarily enjoined until U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups rules on a motion for preliminary injunction.

In November 2011, civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Utah law. A few months later, the Department of Justice intervened in the lawsuit. The parties have argued that Utah's law violates the Fourth Amendment and usurps federal authority, among other objections.

Video contribution: Richard Piatt

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