SALT LAKE CITY — Opponents of Rep. Rob Bishop's public lands bill harshly criticized it in a citizens hearing, a resolution passed to ask the federal government to reclassify marijuana for medical research and a lawmaker is trying to establish a new state park in the Hole in the Rock area.

Here's what's happened during the 2016 legislative session:

Bishop's public lands bill skewered in citizens hearing

Opponents of Rep. Rob Bishop's Public Lands Initiative eviscerated the bill in a "citizens hearing" Wednesday organized by the Utah Wilderness Coalition and attended by hundreds.

"It is truly a disaster," said Mark Maryboy of Utah Dine Bikeyah, renewing Native American tribes' call for the creation of the Bear Ears National Monument.

The hearing at the University of Utah's Orson Spencer Hall was recorded and videotaped and will be submitted to Washington, D.C., to be included in the official congressional record on the initiative, said organizer Tim Wagner from the group Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

Other groups at the podium included the Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the National Parks Conservation Association and Grand Old Broads For Wilderness.

"It butchers the definition of wilderness after years and years of painful collaboration and compromise," said Di Allison, chairwoman of the Grand Old Broads for Wilderness.

Although Bishop said there would be opportunity for comment on his draft bill, Terri Martin with the Utah Wilderness Coalition said there's been no meaningful outreach.

An inter-tribal coalition has called for the designation of a new national monument to protect cultural resources in a 1.9 million acre area in San Juan County.

Asbestos victims testify against bill they say would deny them compensation

William Dale Peterson, 70, told a Utah House committee that he is dying. So did 71-year-old Thomas Florence. And Larry Boynton testified that his wife of 46 years, Barbara, died Saturday.

All three suffer or suffered from mesothelioma brought on by years of exposure to asbestos.

The three men implored the House Business and Labor Committee to reject a bill that they say would delay or deny their ability to collect compensation through the legal system.

HB403, titled Asbestos Litigation Transparency Act, would require plaintiffs to fully disclose their asbestos exposure as they pursue claims through the courts and a federal asbestos trust fund. The bill prohibits a case from going to trial for at least six months after plaintiffs have made those disclosures.

The committee voted 7-3 to advance the legislation, but with some reservations. Wilson agreed to work with the various parties to resolve their differences before the bill hits the House floor.

Supporters hope for new Hole in the Rock state park

A Utah lawmaker, backed by local county commissioners and the state parks division, wants to celebrate and protect a piece of Utah's cultural heritage with a designation for a new state park — for the Hole in the Rock area.

The area under consideration in Rep. Keven Stratton's HB430 is 6,000 acres and includes what is now known as the Hole in the Rock Trail, traveled by an expedition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1880. The land is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, although there is a parcel that is owned by the church.

The Orem Republican's bill calls for the establishment of a new park on the western rim of the Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area in cooperation with the federal agency through either a trade or some other land acquisition method. He said it would be a multiyear process and the parks division would conduct a feasibility study to determine how much upgrades would cost to boost the visitor experience.

Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock said such a designation and its accompanying improvements would be a great benefit for both visitors and the county.

"I am really excited about this project," he said. "I see no issues that should come up about it."

Bill to study suicides, gun death passes committee

A bill that would allow for the collection of data related to suicides and gun deaths passed the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee unanimously Wednesday.

Bill sponsor and House Minority Leader Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, said the study is greatly needed because 85 to 90 percent of gun deaths in Utah are suicides.

Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, expressed support for the bill but said he will work with King to make some minor changes to the bill to ensure that the data will gathered by a nonpartisan group and will not be unfairly skewed.

HB440 received support from the Catholic Diocese, the Utah Shooting Sports Council, the Gun Violence Prevention Center and the Utah Department of Health.

The bill will go to the full House.

Lawmakers consider extending date for immigration reform package

A controversial immigration reform package the Utah Legislature passed five years ago can't take effect next year without federal permission.

Because the state hasn't received that waiver, Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said lawmakers must either repeal the laws or extend the effective date. HB237 proposed to take them off the books, but the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee amended the bill Wednesday to extend the effective date to 2027.

"We as a state had good reason for putting this in place and I think we still do," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.

The package includes a state guest worker program and other immigration provisions, some of which a federal court shot down. Lawmakers in 2011 delayed the implementation date three years and extended it again to 2017. None of the plans were put into practice.

SB237 now moves to the Senate floor.

Legislature passes resolution asking feds to reclassify marijuana

Utah lawmakers are sending a clear message to the federal government — they want marijuana reclassified to a less regulated class in order to allow for additional medical research.

The House passed the resolution unanimously Wednesday.

"The federal government is way, way behind in realizing that there are some medical possibilities with cannabis," said floor sponsor Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem.

Schedule I drugs are difficult to research, Daw said. In order to find the benefits of medical marijuana, cannabis needs to be classified as a Schedule II drug.

The resolution, SCR11, did not receive a single opposing vote in either body.

The resolution will now go to the governor for his action.

Yesterday's roundup:

State takes step toward abolishing death penalty; Breastfeeding discrimination bill rejected

The Utah Senate voted to preliminarily approve a bill that would abolish the death penalty, an attempt to end Utah's vehicle safety inspection failed and a Senate panel rejected a bill that would ban discrimination against public breastfeeding.

Beekeeping bill creates buzz among supporters, opponents

To be or not to be separated by 2-mile buffer zones?

That's the question creating a buzz among a bevy of commercial beekeepers who testified both for and against the proposed regulation Tuesday in the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee.

Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield, said large out-of-state commercial beekeepers are able to swarm into Utah, set up shop next to an existing apiary and drive the native operation out of business.

Multiple local, commercial beekeepers said having those zones will protect them, and protect the quality of Utah's beekeeping industry — and that means protecting an industry that injects millions into the state's economy.

Alex Grover, who has only one hive, said his territory was invaded by a competitor but it made him a better beekeeper.

"This bill will stifle innovation in Utah," he said. "This bill just shouldn't happen."

The committee voted to hold the bill.

Business leaders oppose non-compete bill

A bill proposed in the Utah Legislature is drawing sharp criticism from a group of prominent local business leaders who claim that it could have a dramatic impact on economic growth in the state and negatively impact the state's burgeoning business sector.

At issue is the use of non-compete language in employment contracts.

Critics worry that House Bill 251 Post-Employment Restrictions Amendments would stifle expansion in several of the state's fastest growing industries, including technology, biotech, healthcare, transportation and media, among others. Additionally, they question whether the bill has received sufficient vetting within the legislative process by members of the business community that would be most impacted.

"We all need to understand the problem were trying to solve first," said Dan Thomson, senior vice president and general counsel for Salt Lake City-based CHG Healthcare, urging a go-it-slow process. "Then we can work together to get a solution that is good for the people of Utah, for the companies in Utah, for our future growth and job development."

House Bill 251 passed in the House and was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday. The measure now awaits a committee assignment for further legislative review.

Contributing: Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Dennis Romboy, Emily Larson,

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