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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers got a look at some clean-technology products, and a committee passed a bill allowing schools to install bolt locks.
For these and other happenings on Capitol Hill Thursday, click on the headlines of the stories below.
Businesses showcase clean-technology products at Utah Capitol
Rep. Edward Redd walked outside of the Capitol, mounted the electric bike by his side, and without breaking a sweat, he took off, doing circles around the Capitol building with effortless ease.
"It's awesome," the Logan Republican said. "You have to pedal, and … it kind of takes off while you pedal. It gives you assistance."
Batteries on the so-called "e-bikes" last for about 150 miles, Redd was told.
Bill allowing schools to install bolt locks to barricade classroom doors passes
The day after a school shooting that killed 17 students and adults at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the Utah Senate gave final passage Thursday to legislation that allows school districts to install bolt locks on classroom doors for use during lockdowns.
Building and fire codes had prohibited their use in schools, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, sponsor of SB87, said in committee debate.
Committee OKs bill giving $1M for counties to fight intergenerational poverty
The House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee on Thursday recommended a bill appropriating $1 million that counties can use for initiatives combatting intergenerational poverty.
HB326, sponsored by Rep. Edward Redd, would make the one-time money available through a newly created Poverty Plan Implementation Pilot Program. The committee vote was unanimous.
Under the bill, a county could apply for grants from the program, so long as its proposal details "outcomes that would be used to measure progress toward specified outcomes; indicators that would be used to measure progress toward (those); and the total amount of money needed to achieve (those)."
Utah film industry heads to Capitol Hill
From Butch and Sundance to Star Wars' "The Last Jedi," Utah's rich history in the realm of film production was on full display as scores of people celebrated Film Day on the Hill Wednesday in the rotunda of the state Capitol.
Over the years, the Beehive State has been the backdrop for some of the most iconic movies of all time, including the aforementioned films along with others like "Thelma and Louise" and "127 Hours," as well as television shows such as "Touched by an Angel," "Andi Mack" and "Westworld." Many of those projects have been funded through the state's incentive program that provides tax breaks for productions that meet specified criteria, explained Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission.
Utah Legislature passes resolution honoring late LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson
The Utah Legislature unanimously passed a resolution Thursday honoring the late LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson.
"He is one of the most prominent public figures in the state of Utah over the past 50 years," said Rep. Merrill Nelson, R-Grantsville, sponsor of HCR5.
Nelson related a story about President Monson, who served as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for nearly 10 years, giving a blessing to man who he had made one of the first patriarchs in American Samoa years earlier and later moved to Grantsville.
Utah House snuffs out tobacco-free Capitol bill
A bill that would have banned smoking and tobacco use on the Utah Capitol grounds was snuffed out Thursday by the House.
HB155, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Cutler, R-Murray, sought to make the outdoor grounds of the Capitol off-limits for smoking, joining the indoor ban put in place in 1994 by the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act.
Legislature has spoken: Farnsworth needs to make way for Cannon
The Utah Legislature has spoken: Philo T. Farnsworth needs to make way for Martha Hughes Cannon in the U.S. Capitol.
Changes made in the House to SCR1, the resolution calling for the switch, were approved 21-7 by the Senate on Thursday without debate. The resolution now goes to Gov. Gary Herbert for his action.
The sponsor of SCR1, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, told the Senate he is "really excited about celebrating" the 100th anniversary in 2020 of the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
Online jobs initiative aims to stop export of young adults from rural Utah
A proposed pilot project overseen by the Utah State University's county extension offices aims to boost rural online job opportunities in struggling areas of the state, where county leaders bemoan their biggest export is young adults who can't find jobs.
The measure by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, HB327, is in support of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's rural jobs initiative that seeks to grow 25,000 new jobs in rural Utah in five years.
Victor Iverson, a Washington County commissioner and a public lands official with the Utah Association of Counties, told members of the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Standing Committee that online opportunities can keep young adults in their home communities, if the state gets creative.
