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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah legislators had approved nearly 500 bills as they entered their final hours of the 2017 session Thursday night.
Before legislators adjourn at midnight, they'll wade through dozens more, including proposals that would lower the minimum age to obtain a concealed-carry permit to 18, down from 21, and one that would require doctors to inform women that a medication-induced abortion could be halted after taking just one of two pills.
Here's a look at where key issues stand as Utah lawmakers wrap up their final day of the session:
ALCOHOL
A bill aimed at tightening the rules for alcohol and another that would loosen them are both heading to the governor's desk for final consideration. One proposal would allow Utah restaurants to prepare alcoholic drinks in full view of adult customers, easing a longtime, quirky rule in the Mormon-majority state that requires restaurant workers to mix and pour drinks behind a barrier. The other bill could give Utah the strictest DUI threshold in the nation, by lowering the limit for a driver's blood-alcohol content to 0.05 percent, down from 0.08 percent.
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ABORTION
Lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to a bill requiring doctors to tell women that a medication-induced abortion could be halted after taking just one of two pills, though doctors' groups say there is no conclusive data to back up that claim. Another bill that initially looked to ban doctors using telemedicine to remotely prescribe abortion-inducing drugs has made it through the Legislature after its sponsor removed the abortion-related language from the bill.
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SEX ED
Lawmakers in the Senate gave one of the final approvals needed for a proposal that would get rid of a state law that bans the "advocacy of homosexuality" in schools, a move driven by a court challenge from gay rights groups. A bill by Democrat Brian King that would have allowed parents to enroll their children in more comprehensive sex education than Utah's current abstinence-based instruction was voted down last month.
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PORNOGRAPHY
Two proposals by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, that seek to crack down on pornography have easily made it through the Legislature. One proposal would allow pornography distributors to be sued if a minor exposed to the material says they were hurt by it, while the other would require public libraries to install blockers on their wireless networks to prevent people from viewing obscene content in libraries.
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GUNS
Legislators considered two bills this year addressing concealed-carry permits for guns. One allowing those 21 and over to carry concealed weapons without a permit appears dead after its sponsor stepped away from it. Another proposal that would lower the minimum age to obtain a concealed-carry permit to 18, down from 21, received final approval Thursday from the Senate.
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HATE CRIMES
Without a single public hearing, a bill that would have helped to beef up the state's hate crimes law and add protections for gay and transgender people appears dead for the year. Proposal sponsor Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher says he plans to try again next year.
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POLYGAMY
A proposal that would leave those convicted under Utah's bigamy law facing harsher penalties if they're also convicted of other crimes such as domestic abuse appeared dead heading into Thursday, having stalled in the Senate. Utah's current polygamy law bars married people from living with an extra spouse or claiming to have a second purported "spiritual spouse." Rep. Michael Noel's bill would make it a crime only if someone lives with and claims they have another spouse.
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PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
The next presidential primaries may be a lot smoother than they were last year. The Legislature approved a bill meant to ensure that the state will pay for and run presidential primaries after Utah opted not to run one last year and Democrats running their own caucuses were overwhelmed with hours-long lines and ballot shortages.
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PUBLIC LANDS
A key theme in the Utah Legislature this session has been the effort to gain control of public lands from the U.S. government. Lawmakers have approved a resolution urging President Donald Trump to repeal the newly designated Bears Ears National Monument and one urging the state to be prepared to take action if the land isn't handed over.
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