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SALT LAKE CITY —Lawmakers on Monday recognized those who built the only military code that was not broken in modern history, shut down discounts for senior campers, and approved a measure to strengthen protections for domestic and sexual violence victims.
Find details on those and other happenings from Utah's Capitol Hill below. Click on the headline to read the full article.
Utah Legislature recognizes Navajo Code Talkers
It was an emotional day in Utah's Senate chambers for Native Americans who came Monday to hear SCR2, a resolution recognizing and honoring Navajo Code Talkers.
"I feel like its been long overdue, I did get a little bit emotional when it passed on the Senate floor, and it's an honor to actually honor our Code Talkers. Again, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for them," said Charlaine Tso, council delegate for the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Code Talkers built the only military code that was not broken in modern history, saving many lives and allowing the United States to take Iwo Jima thanks to the messages they sent.
Utah panel puts brakes on discounts for senior campers at state parks
A bill allowing senior citizens to get a 50 percent discount on camping in state parks may not make it to the Senate floor after some lawmakers Monday questioned whether it was necessary and that others may have more of a need.
Senate Minority Whip Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, sponsored SB48 to help seniors because they are on a fixed income. Seniors can buy a yearlong day pass for $35, and under her bill, would be eligible to then save half on camping fees.
Escamilla said the money for the bill would be provided from the state's general fund.
Bill to better protect sexual violence survivors moves forward
A proposal to strengthen protections for domestic and sexual violence victims ahead of trial advanced Monday at the Utah Capitol.
The bill from Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, provides guidance for judges, police and attorneys on the court orders designed to keep victims and their families safe ahead of a trial, Romero said. Last year, the same measure ran out of time in the final moments of the legislative session.
Monday it moved forward in a unanimous vote from the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Standing Committee.
Committee OKs bill to remove 4-year cap on broadcast noncompete contracts
A House panel pushed forward a bill Monday that would remove a four-year cap on employment contracts within a law passed last year restricting noncompete contracts in Utah's broadcast media.
The bill does not affect the one-year time limit on how long noncompete contracts can last under Utah law. But it does remove a provision that caps employment contracts at four years.
The bill would replace the cap instead with language stating a contract can be of "reasonable duration, based on the industry standards, the position, the broadcasting employee's experience, geography, and the parties' unique circumstances," according to the bill, HB199.
Proposal to beef up Utah human trafficking law advances
A proposal to strengthen Utah law against human trafficking cleared another hurdle on Monday.
The legislative measure advanced in a unanimous vote from a Senate panel.
The proposed move would help prosecutors pursue heftier sentences for offenders who traffic vulnerable adults, meaning those over age 65, or those who have a substantial impairment, said Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City.
Under the measure, smuggling a vulnerable adult for forced labor or sexual exploitation would be a first-degree felony, punishable by up to life in prison. Child trafficking now carries the same penalty.
Utah House approves bill to enact statewide exit surveys for teachers who quit
A bill that would require the State School Board to develop a statewide survey to ask teachers why they're leaving the profession advanced out of the House on Monday.
Despite arguments from some Republicans to keep the state out of the school board's business, the Utah House of Representatives voted to approve HB130 to create a "model exit survey" to help the state gather data on why teachers quit.
"We need to know those things," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay. "Without good data, we cannot make good policy."
