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.
Utah’s Medicaid system is getting a much needed $3.5 million boost from two pharmaceutical companies who inflated their costs so heavily, Utah sued.
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.
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:
If you don’t want the public to know how to reach you, one state lawmaker says don’t bother running for public office. Now, Republican Senator Howard Stephenson is sponsoring a bill about contact information for public officials, including school community council members.
One plan to help the state meet a proposed seven percent budget cut would hit college students in the pocket book. A potential bill discussed in the legislature Monday would trim Medicaid costs by requiring them to get health insurance. As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, some lawmakers believe pregnant college students shouldn’t be using the program.
It would be a crime to leave a child under nine years old unattended in a hot car, under a bill that cleared a Utah Senate committee yesterday. Democratic Senator Ben McAdams drafted the bill to strengthen existing laws, which currently only allow police officers to cite a person whose child has already been harmed after being left in a vehicle.
While higher education funding in Utah may get cut during the legislative session, the Utah House of Representatives voted this morning to spend nearly $2 million dollars on a new veterinary program at Utah State University. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, some lawmakers questioned whether the money should be spent on doctors learning to treat people, instead of animals.
The Jordan School District is hiring a new superintendent, and some school board members, along with some Utah lawmakers, want anyonewho is qualified, despite their education experience, to apply. As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, that sparked an interesting debate in the legislature yesterday: who should be deciding who is really best suited to watch over Utah’s schools?
Utah has an official state vegetable, state rock and state cooking pot. And now, it’s one step closer to having a state gun. House Bill 219 passed on a 51-to-19 vote this morning on the House floor and now goes to the Senate. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on the heated debate leading up to the vote.
Additional Programming Provided by
