A bill that gives Utah students more options for taking online courses cleared the Senate yesterday. But as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, some people are opposed to the price tag, and others say it’s a voucher program in disguise.
Homeless shelters, senior centers and Head Start preschools in Utah are at risk of losing critical funding as the debate over federal government spending rages on. Wednesday, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and other local officials gathered to let Washington know where Utah stands on the issue. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports.
A bill that imposes a one-year moratorium on new historic districts is only one vote away from being sent to the governor’s desk. SB 243 has jammed a wedge between residents of Salt Lake City’s Yalecrest neighborhood. Democratic Representative Larry Wiley told a House Committee this morning that there’s no leadership from the city on this issue, and a moratorium would be a step in the right direction.
The Utah House of Representatives rejected a bill that would make it a misdemeanor to leave a child in a car under dangerous conditions today.
A proposal to increase the tax incentives and rebates given to film and TV producers that shoot in Utah won broad support in the House of Representatives. But a new study by a local conservative think tank says when the state gives out such incentives, it’s pretty much throwing taxpayer money down the drain.
After heated testimony from the community, the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee voted 7-1 to move what’s being called a “comprehensive immigration reform bill” to the Senate floor last night. 78-year-old Alexandra Eframo, the child of immigrants herself, was one of many who told the committee the bill does not go far enough.
Three anti-abortion bills sponsored by Republican Representative Carl Wimmer passed a house committee this morning, including one that would require the state to inspect abortion clinics more vigorously. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports… many are calling the new inspections unnecessary.
A bill that would shift charter school funding to local school districts won the approval of the House Education Committee this morning. Republican Representative Merlynn Newbold’s bill requires school districts to gradually pay for more and more students attending charter schools over the next 13 years.
While Utah lawmakers aren’t eager to raise most taxes, a Senate committee approved a bill this morning to increase the gas tax by five cents, making it nearly 30 cents per gallon. Republican Senator Kevin Van Tassell said the state doesn’t have the funds it needs to adequately maintain its highways.
Getting fresh fruits and vegetables in a year-round downtown Salt Lake City market is one step closer to reality. Monday, members of the Downtown Alliance and Democratic Representative David Litvack helped get a resolution through the House Workforce Services and Community and Economic Development Committee. And as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, this could help put a year-round market in the Rio Grande Depot.
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