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Show Watching consumer law trends in Utah tells story I jfit Jconsumer Information X M by Dennis Hinkamp ing behind this is that it will cut down on the cost of using doctors for some simple procedures. There are fairly minor tax adjustment ad-justment pieces of legislation. Senate BUI 49 would require Utahns to pay sales tax on cable television service. House Bill 29 would allow a state sales tax exemption ex-emption for home medical equipment equip-ment such as wheelchairs and oxygen. ox-ygen. House Bill 219 requires the state to notify elderly homeowners of the "circuit breaker" law. This law is designed to give tax relief to eld erly, fixed income people who might otherwise be forced out of their homes by increasing property taxes. You may have to be more selective selec-tive with your use of ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) if HB 166 passes. This would allow third party banks to impose transaction charges for using their ATMs. For instance, if you have an account at bank "A" and want to use a bank "B" ATM, bank "B" can charge you for the service as long as they disclose it on the ATM screen. There are a dozen pieces of legislation addressing recycling and waste disposal. It is, however, unlikely that statewide curbside recyclable waste pickup is going to be available for several years. This will be left up to individual communities. com-munities. Senate Bill 43 does recommend rec-ommend that the Utah Recycling Task Force be funded for another year. Whether a piece of legislation passes or not the first time through often isn't as important as watching the trends in consumer laws. For instance, depending on your perspective, Utah is either a leader in personal freedom or a laggard in safety legislation. Utah was one of the last states to enact a child automobile restraint law and it looks like we're going to be among the last to enact a motorcycle helmet law. Uninsured drivers will be assessed assess-ed a larger penalty if HB 3 passes. The bill also provides for insurance companies to notify you that you can add uninsured drivers coverage to your policy usually at only a small additional cost. The escalating cost of health care is on everybody's mind this session. Universal Health Care (HB 64) proposes a state-funded health care plan similar to the national health care plan used in Canada. Although the huge cost to the state budget will keep it from passing, this shows that the nation might be ready for some form of socialized medical care. Related pieces of health care cost legislation are SB 103, which calls for 100 percent tax deductible, and SB 69, which allows 25 percent tax deductibility of health insurance premiums. Another health-related bill is SB61, which expands the scope of procedures nurses are allowed to perform. At least part of the think- |
