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.
Eliminating the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs. Closing liquor stores. Releasing hundreds of inmates. These would be some of the consequences of several budget bills that were approved by the Utah House of Representatives this morning. They’re a blueprint for how lawmakers plan to trim spending by 7 percent across the board for next year.
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.
A bill that would eliminate a fee that unincorporated Salt Lake County residents pay for Unified Police Department services was approved by a legislative committee yesterday. And as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, it could soon leave the county scrambling to figure out how to keep the UPD afloat.
A legislative proposal to make it easier to carry a concealed weapon in Utah is attracting both friends and foes. Republican Representative Carl Wimmer’s bill would allow anyone who can legally purchase a gun to carry a concealed weapon, without getting a concealed firearm permit first. Supporter Clark Aposhian, who is a concealed carry instructor, says it wouldn’t have much of an impact.
Governor Gary Herbert is indicating he doesn’t like two proposed constitutional amendments to change how Utah’s public schools are managed.
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.
Utah is in the national spotlight for a proposal to make the Browning M1911 handgun the official state firearm. But that’s not the only gun proposal coming out of the Utah legislature. Which direction should Utah go on guns?
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 lawmakers on the Public Education Appropriations Committee have sent a message to the State Board of Education: tell us where your budget can be cut by seven percent, or else we’ll decide. KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports.
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