Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill requiring carbon monoxide detectors in schools cleared a House committee hearing Monday on its way to final passage.
SB58, sponsored by Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, has passed two committee hearings and floor debate in the Senate — with commanding majorities in each instance — and will now go before the House for consideration.
The bill is partly in response to an incident in November at Montezuma Creek Elementary School in which 43 children and adults were sickened by a carbon monoxide leak. SB58 requires that buildings or structures used for the education of students through grade 12 be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors.
"It’s a very simple fix, and I think it gives local school districts a little more teeth to get in and get things done," said Rep. Larry Wiley, D-West Valley City, the bill's House sponsor.
The bill does not provide funding for the installation of carbon monoxide detectors, which Dabakis estimated Monday to be roughly $825 per school.
