In the final days of the legislative session, lawmakers are making decisions about the largest part of the state’s budget: education. And as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, there is more funding this year than there has been in awhile.
While public education gets more funding in the legislature’s latest budget plan, state parks and higher education are taking bigger hits than expected. Senate Budget Chairman Lyle Hillyard says the rationale for cuts to higher ed is that colleges and universities can raise tuition.
Any Yalecrest residents hoping their neighborhood becomes a historic district will probably have to wait at least a year. This morning, the Utah House of Representatives approved SB 243, which puts a one-year moratorium on new historic districts in Salt Lake City. But Democratic Representative Brian King, who lives in Yalecrest, opposed it.
When the Utah House and Senate quickly passed a bill to restrict Utah’s open records or GRAMA law late last week, they seemed positive it was the right thing to do. Now, it’s a different story. Jeremy Votaw, a Salt Lake County Republican, is the creator of Veto477.com, an online petition that has picked up a lot of steam in the last 24 hours.
The Utah Legislature has backed off its plans to immediately implement an overhaul of Utah’s public records law. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the bill was recalled at the request of the governor, who was concerned how quickly it sailed through the legislature.
State school board candidates could soon be running as Republicans or Democrats. Senate Bill 224, sponsored by Republican Senator Howard Stephenson, was approved by the Senate yesterday. It creates direct, partisan elections for the State Board of Education. Currently, a 12-person committee nominates three candidates for school board seats, and the governor chooses two names that go on the ballot.
After a lot of compromise between the Utah House and Senate, and a late-night debate Friday, three Utah immigration bills are now ready for Governor Gary Herbert’s approval. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson talks with host Eric Ray about what the bills would do, if they get his signature.
A Republican lawmaker is fuming over a guest-worker bill that cleared the Utah Legislature late Friday night, attracting national attention for allowing undocumented immigrants to get a permit to work in Utah. Now, as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, Representative Chris Herrod says he’ll help anyone looking to sue the state over illegal immigration.
The Utah legislature may recall a controversial bill that restricts Utah’s open records law.
It’s now up to Governor Gary Herbert to decide whether the public and media will be barred from accessing text messages, voice mails, and some e-mails sent by Legislators for official business. A bill approved by the legislature late last week sparked an uproar as it raced through both chambers despite opposition from the public as well as some lawmakers who barely had time to read the bill. KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports.
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