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SALT LAKE CITY — An attempt to save the state costly legal fees in the future backfired for one Utah lawmaker Thursday and lawmakers are considering a bill that would charge unwanted houseguests with trespassing.
A once-controversial telehealth bill finally passed the Senate after a provision to not allow doctors to prescribe abortion drugs to telehealth patients was removed.
Here is a roundup of what's happening during the current legislative session:
Gail Miller says Our Schools Now 'won't let up' on getting more money for schools
Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller said Thursday that she and other backers of the Our Schools Now ballot initiative to raise the state income tax rate to fund education are going to keep the pressure on lawmakers.
"I do think we have gotten their attention," Miller told KSL in an interview at the state Capitol, promising that the group "won't let up. We'll keep going. And we need to get something now. That's why it's Our Schools Now."
Miller said lawmakers "seem to have taken hold of the importance of education," and if they "do something for education this year that's significant and not just a stopgap, then we're willing to go along with that."
Still, she said, "we don't want to look at it as, if you don't do that, then we'll do this. We just want to look at it as getting the job done. We have to get something done to make our schools better."
With just two weeks left in the 45-day legislative session, GOP leaders are still working on a tax reform proposal that would make changes to the income and sales taxes that aren't expected to bring in additional revenues for at least a year.
Utah committee blocks change in abortion rule
An attempt to save the state costly legal fees in the future backfired for one Utah lawmaker Thursday.
Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, brought HB384 before the House Health and Human Services Committee, intending to remove a provision in Utah law that requires physicians who provide abortions to have hospital admitting privileges in case something were to go awry during the procedure.
King said similar provisions have been taken down by legal action in other states, following a notable Supreme Court decision on abortion last year.
The committee ran out of time Thursday, opting to adjourn instead of taking a vote on King's bill. Committees have until end of day Friday to pass bills to the floor for further discussion.
Bill bans perpetrators of domestic violence from having guns
A bill banning individuals facing domestic violence convictions or protective orders from having guns was supported by the full Utah House of Representatives on Thursday.
HB206 passed on a unanimous vote without debate. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, said the bill would align Utah with federal law, providing more resources to prosecute offenders at a state level.
King, the bill's sponsor, said if HB206 becomes law, it would help to better ensure individuals who shouldn't own guns aren't able to and as a result would better protect victims in abusive relationships.
Bill would exempt children's clothing resale stores from pawn shop rules
Under current Utah law, children's clothing resale stores like Kid to Kid technically must abide by the same laws as pawn shops, but lawmakers Thursday advanced a bill to fix that quirk.
The House Business and Labor Committee unanimously endorsed HB378, which would exempt children's clothing resale stores from rules currently placed on owners of such shops, including requirements to track, hold and report purchased items to law enforcement in case they are stolen.
Once-controversial telehealth bill passes Senate
A once-controversial bill calling for expansion of telehealth access for medical care providers in rural parts of the state — but not for abortion reversal — passed unanimously in the Senate.
HB154, sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, would require transparency from insurance companies in telehealth reimbursement, and it would generally promote health care providers using the technology to care for patients in remote areas.
The bill originally included a provision to not allow doctors to prescribe abortion drugs to telehealth patients. That mandate was removed from the bill in a Senate committee last week.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 26-0 in favor of the bill. The House previously voted 56-15 to pass HB154, but now must consider the amended version of the bill.
Unwanted houseguests could be charged with trespassing under proposal
Houseguests who overstay their welcome and refuse to leave could be charged with trespassing under a bill being considered by the Utah Legislature.
HB202, sponsored by Rep. Brian Greene, R-Pleasant Grove, received a favorable recommendation Thursday from the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 2-1 vote.
Greene's bill would apply the class B misdemeanor offense of criminal trespass to long-term guests who refuse earlier requests from the homeowner to leave.
"This is a gray area," he said, "and I think more instruction to our law enforcement on how to handle these situations is better than to say, 'This doesn't quite cover it perfectly, so let's not do it.'"
Lawmakers douse bill to restrict property tax subsidy for water
A proposal to drastically reduce the amount of property tax collected by the state's largest water districts failed to survive a legislative committee vote Thursday, despite the support of the Utah Taxpayers Association and other organizations.
The measure, SB151 by Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, took aim at the state's largest water districts — Jordan Valley, Weber Basin and Washington County — and sought to restrict their annual revenue from property tax to 15 percent or less. It also would have prevented the districts from issuing bonds backed by that tax revenue.
"If ever there was an area where we would upset the entrenched apple cart, this is it," Dabakis said, stressing that water should be priced at the tap, not artificially priced through tax collections.
Dabakis presented his bill Thursday to members of the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee, which ended up tabling it on a 4-2 vote.
Utah bill aims to prevent suicide at point of gun sale
Utah ranks fourth in the nation for its high number of suicide deaths, and 86 percent of all gun-related deaths in the past year were deemed to be suicides.
"There's no reason we shouldn't do everything in our power to stop this," said Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, who is sponsoring a bill that would develop an education program for firearm retailers to help them identify one-time gun buyers intending to use the guns for suicide.
HB390 is patterned after the now nationally successful New Hampshire Gun Shop Project that began in 2009. Various states have been able to cut down on suicides, saving lives at the point of sale.
Eliason said firearms retailers and shooting range owners aren't required to comply with the proposed program, but information will be disseminated to help them know and teach others about the potentially risky behaviors and attitudes to look for when working with the public.
Utah smoke shops may need health department approval
Vaping and specialty smoke shops may soon need to get approval from local health departments in addition to business licenses from the tax commission and local jurisdictions.
Local health departments are having trouble enforcing health issues found in various shops throughout the state, including shops selling to minors, said Rep. Brad Last, R-Hurricane.
Last is sponsoring HB370, which would change the regulatory responsibility from the tax commission to the health department.
The bill requires businesses applying for a license starting in January 2018 to abide by city zoning laws, which restricts vaping and smoke shops from being within 1,000 feet of a public facility.
Some existing facilities are in violation of the zoning laws but would be grandfathered into the new law if it is approved by the Legislature.
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche, Wendy Leonard, Katie McKellar, Ryan Morgan, Amy Joi O'Donoghue
Yesterday's legislative roundup:
