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Richard Piatt ReportingThe Utah Legislature is giving it another try, a Hate Crimes bill is getting a hearing for the eighth year in a row. The bill will be heard on Friday.
The Hate Crimes bill has failed year after year, but there's been a lot of work in this new version, enough to give it a better chance this year.
Citizen lobbyists are at the capitol filling out a request for a face-to-face with a Legislator. The small group from the Coalition of Religious Communities is pushing for the newest version of the hate crimes bill, House bill 90. Representative David Litvack is taking on the bill's cause for the fifth year in a row.
Rep. David Litvack, (D) Salt Lake City: "It's a completely different approach. Drafted as an aggravated factor rather than an enhancement, I think this gives us the ability to reach across the aisle and find that consensus."
This year's version does address Hate Crimes as a more serious offense because a single crime can terrorize larger groups of people. But the list of those victims, for example by age, race, religion, sexual orientation have been taken out. It was a compromise to make the bill more attractive to more conservative lawmakers.
Linda Hilton, Coalition of Religious Communities: "We're disappointed that the list is not included, but we feel it's important for prosecutors to have the ability to enhance sentences, which they have not been able to do before."
In other news from the Hill is a bill to study how to fund more school nurses. One family took on this cause after 10-year old Mikayla Tuck overdosed on medication at school with no school nurse to help.
Paula Tuck, Parent: "It took a parent to wave flags and get everyone's attention that this is a situation that needs to be corrected."
Late in the day, the Senate changed, then gave initial approval to a bill that allows the Legislature to override the Governor's veto of a hazardous waste landfill permit.
Sen. John Valentine, Senate President: "Is it good policy? Does the legislature have the right to override the governor's veto? That's what the bill is all about with the amendment in it."
