A bill aimed at making sure parents are notified when their children are struggling with reading passed a Senate Committee Monday afternoon at the state legislature, and is now on its way to the Senate floor.
The Utah legislature made history when it convened this morning as Republican Representative Rebecca Lockhart became the first female Speaker of the House in Utah’s history, now holding one of the most powerful jobs in state government. KCPW’s Jessica Gail has a wrap up of the opening ceremonies on Capitol Hill.
The budget is at the top of the Utah Senate’s priorities. That’s what Senate Majority Leader said today in a leadership briefing following opening ceremonies on the Senate floor. He specifically highlighted public education.
Cedar Hills residents who elected former State Representative Craig Frank before he discovered he lived in the wrong legislative district gathered at the capitol today, urging lawmakers to re-draw the legislative boundaries. Karen Herd said the right to vote is guaranteed by the state and U.S. constitutions.
Former State Representative Craig Frank won’t attempt to force the state legislature to give him his job back, after learning he lives outside the boundaries of his own district. But speaking outside the Utah House Chambers this afternoon, Frank said he still hopes the legislature will re-draw those boundaries right when the session begins next week.
A state lawmaker is sponsoring legislation that would make it legal for anyone to kill a feral animal. Currently, shooting them without a license is a misdemeanor. Republican Representative Curt Oda says his bill specifically targets rural areas, where people tend to abandon pets.
A new study released by the Williams Institute at UCLA quantifies the impact of discrimination on LGBT Utah residents. Using data from an Equality Utah survey, it reports that more than 40 percent of gay Utahns say they’ve been denied a job, not promoted, or fired for their sexual orientation, while two-thirds of transgender Utahns say the same because of their gender identity.
Former State Representative Craig Frank made his case to fellow lawmakers this afternoon that he is still a Utah legislator. He was recently disqualified from office when he discovered he doesn’t live inside his own district in Utah County.
A bill likely to be debated during this year’s legislative session could change the way condos and housing co-ops do business in the Beehive State. If passed, it would provide more oversight over homeowners associations and offer government help to resolve disputes. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports.
Some Utahns say they are being denied the right to live independently. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Utah’s Division of Services for People with Disabilities after a complaint that disabled Utahns are being forced to move into a nursing home in order to receive state services.
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