Several bills in the Utah legislature this year aim to deal with illegal immigration on the state level. And lawmakers in one senate committee passed a resolution last week urging the federal government to make that effort easier.
A Republican state lawmaker has sparked a lot of debate by suggesting Utah’s colleges and universities are handing out “degrees to nowhere.” As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports… he knows firsthand what it’s like to feel hopeless fresh out of college, graduating with a degree that he says got him nowhere.
Proposed cuts to the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would close four state liquor and wine stores, six independently-operated package agencies, and cause store hours to be cut back.
State lawmakers debated how to fund books and other resources in public school libraries Thursday. Librarians said they’d like to see the state allocate money specifically for school libraries, rather than allow each district to divvy up the funds from a $31 million pool of money.
Advocates for the LGBT community in Utah are outraged, calling a bill proposed by Republican Representative Lavar Chrisentsen to create a “family policy” for Utah “backwards.” They say it and other bills he’s sponsoring this year have potentially devastating consequences. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on what both sides are saying.
A fight between gun rights and property rights took place in the Utah House of Representatives this morning. And in a rare occurrence for the conservative Utah Legislature, a pro-gun bill was rejected by lawmakers. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson reports.
The FBI is investigating nearly $1.5 billion dollars lost in Utah fraud cases over the past year. That is why Democratic Senator Ben McAdams is sponsoring two bills that would command harsher punishments for fraudsters and make it easier to discover. As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, one of his proposals got a good reception from other lawmakers this morning:
LGBT advocates are enraged by a bill sponsored by Republican Representative Lavar Christensen that would create a “family policy” for Utah.
Helping people with disabilities find work is the focus of a bill that moved forward in a House committee. Assistant Majority Whip Ronda Menlove’s bill requires state agencies that provide services to disabled people to give priority to helping them find and keep a meaningful job through the Supported Employment program.
The Utah House of Representatives passed a bill today that creates a pilot program requiring less than 100 people to perform community service as a condition of receiving Medicaid benefits.
Additional Programming Provided by
