SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah House committee advanced bills regulating CBD oil and opioid prescriptions and despite opposition from local journalists, a House panel advanced a bill that would remove reporters from the House floor before a session starts.

Here's a round-up of what's happening on the Hill:

Utah lawmakers decry America's $21 trillion national debt

Lawmakers advanced a resolution Monday calling on Congress to end deficit spending, balance the federal budget and begin paying off the national debt, but not without some verbal jabs from Democrats about the Trump administration's contributions to that debt.

HCR17, sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, decries federal spending that has brought total national debt to nearly $21 trillion and urges Congress to "end its destructive policy of deficit spending through monetization."

The House Revenue and Taxation Committee ultimately passed the resolution out favorably, but King and one other Salt Lake City Democrat, Joel Briscoe, voted against it, taking issue with a provision advocating for a return to a fixed standard for U.S. currency.

House panel backs bill banning restrictions on reselling event tickets

A bill that would stop sellers of tickets for concerts, sporting contests or other events from restricting how those tickets could be resold passed a House committee Monday.

HB457, sponsored by House Majority Leader Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, would allow ticket buyers to resell the tickets on a website or any other method of their choice. Wilson said consumers are increasingly faced with restrictions on how they use event tickets and the bill ensures a competitive ticket market.

The House Business and Labor Committee unanimously approved the bill. No one spoke for or against it. It nows to goes to the House floor.

Bill requiring warning about mammograms' limitations for some patients moves forward

The Senate Business and Labor Committee on Monday advanced a bill requiring health care providers to warn women with dense breast tissue that it may be difficult for a mammogram to sufficiently screen them for the possibility of cancer.

HB258 would require a statement telling the patient that "dense breast tissue can make it more difficult to fully and accurately evaluate your mammogram and detect early signs of cancer in the breast."

"This information is being provided to inform and encourage you to discuss your dense breast tissue and other breast cancer risk factors with your health care provider," the required statement would say. "Together, you can decide what may be best for you."

The committee voted unanimously to favorably recommend the bill to the full Senate for consideration. HB258 was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this month by a 39-31 vote.

Federal designations bill clears Senate committee

Rep. Mike Noel blasted the now-defunct Mountain Accord, saying the group was supposed to be about finding transportation solutions to the Wasatch canyons traffic troubles, but instead sought to tie up public lands with a federal land designation.

That Wasatch Wilderness bill, which proposed 80,000 acres for wilderness designation along with land trades, prompted him to run HB136, which passed out of a Senate legislative committee 3-2 on Monday.

"That lack of local process and a premature congressional hearing should be of concern," Noel said, noting the millions of dollars allocated to Mountain Accord by the Legislature and a lawsuit over open meetings bolsters the need for what he described as a "transparency" bill. The Wasatch Wilderness bill, ran by then Rep. Jason Chaffetz, never made it past committee but may be carried by Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah.

Committee advances pair of bills requiring opioid warnings from prescribers, pharmacists

Lawmakers Monday moved forward a pair of bills requiring extra warnings to patients about the risk of addiction associated with opioids.

Under HB399, whenever a pharmacist provides a patient an opioid that is either federally designated at a Schedule II or Schedule III substance, they would be required to include a caution on the container stating "Caution: Opioid. Risk of overdose and addiction" or an alternative warning approved by the state Department of Health.

Under HB400, a prescriber is required "to discuss the risks of using an opiate with a patient or the patient's guardian before issuing an initial opiate prescription," according to a summary attached to the bill.

HB399 was approved unanimously Monday by the House Health and Human Services Committee. The committee voted 10-2 to approve HB400, with Kennedy and Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, being the dissenting votes.

Utah lawmakers advance bill legislating sale, distribution and doctor recommendation of CBD oil

A bill regulating the distribution and sale of CBD oil passed the House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday.

SB130 would require manufacturers and retailers to register CBD oil products with the state Department of Agriculture to ensure the product inside is in fact that, and not a placebo or an oil additionally laced with dangerous substance, according to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City.

The bill was recommended favorably by a unanimous committee vote and will next be heard in the full House of Representatives. It was approved unanimously by the Senate last week.

Panel OK's barring reporters from House floor 5 minutes before session starts

A House panel has advanced a measure that would give the majority of Utah lawmakers a five-minute break from reporters right before they debate and vote.

Over opposition from several journalists and some Democrats, the House Rules Committee on Monday advanced a resolution barring reporters from the House of Representatives floor in the five minutes before they are scheduled to meet.

The panel approved the measure in a 6-2 vote, sending it on to the full House.

Contributing: Katie McKellar, Dennis Romboy, Ben Lockhart, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Annie Knox

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