SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormons will account for nearly 90 percent of the state Legislature this session, giving members of the faith outsized influenced in a state that is becoming slightly more religiously diverse. When the new session begins Monday, Mormon legislators will account for 91 of the 104 […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon church says it won’t oppose strengthening hate-crimes legislation in Utah to include protections for LGBT people. The announcement Thursday could break a long-running legislative logjam on the issue. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ lobbyist Marty Stephens said that the church […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Utah have proposed two bills to restrict abortions, including a ban on the procedure after 15 weeks that would be among the strictest laws in the nation. The state should bar second-trimester procedures that “shock the conscience,” said Rep. Cheryl Acton, the […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah is rolling out a program to forgive college debt for tech workers who stay and work in the state. Lawmakers created the Talent Development Incentive Loan Program $2.5 million program last year to retain graduates and keep Utah’s tech sector growing, the Deseret News reported. It […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A state lawmaker plans to again propose legislation that would add oversight of amusement parks in Utah, one of only six states where an agency isn’t assigned to keep tabs on the parks. Republican state Rep. Val Potter sponsored a bill last year that would […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah lawmaker is proposing changes to a full Medicaid expansion passed by voters in November. Republican Sen. Allen Christensen of North Ogden tells The Salt Lake Tribune that the plan needs “guardrails” in place to avoid cost overruns. He says a sales tax increase […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is pitching his plan of adding new sales taxes while cutting the overall rate, an issue that could be contentious during the upcoming legislative session. Herbert told the Utah Taxpayers Association on Monday that economic changes have significantly narrowed the sales […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The incoming Utah Legislature will include a record number of women, though the state still lags behind the national average. The Salt Lake Tribune reports this week that 25 of the 104 members will be women. That accounts for 24 percent — the highest portion in state […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah state lawmaker is leading an effort to redesign a clunky Utah state flag that critics have called an “S.O.B.” — seal on a bedsheet. State Rep Steve Handy recently announced he will introduce a bill creating a flag review commission that could ultimately […]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday proposed adding new sales taxes on services while cutting the overall tax rate, part of a reform effort he said will be a “heavy lift” but is essential for the state’s economic future. Herbert outlined the idea as he […]
