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Show Thursday, February 8, 2007 DAILY HERALD A3 "You can mess with my Shakespeare, but you can't mess with my nuts." OeMar "lud- - Sowman. R Cedar City, during a drusyon about Jep. gifts from lobbyists EGISLATURE He received tickets to the Shakespeare Festival m Cedar City and pistachios horn lobbyists. School voucher bill Obesity bill may be back in 2008 Nathan Johnson moves on to Senate Jeff DeMoss e partpromotes nership in education," said t. Rep. Stephen Urquhart, George, who is sponsoring public-privat- After surviving a heated debate and winning a narrow victory in the House, a bill that would offer some public education funding to help families pay to send their children to private school came under fire in its Senate debut the bill. He said the program would relieve overcrowded classrooms by encouraging more private schools. Those against the bill argue that public funding shouldn't be going to private operaWednesday. House Bill 148, known tions, which are not held to more commonly as the school the same accountability voucher bill, would give incen- standards that public schools tives to parents who switch must meet to qualify for their children from public to funding. "This bill is private education. A Senate committee approved the bill in said Steve Peterson, a vote. spokesman for the Utah Under the program, famiSchool Boards Association. lies would receive a private "Public funds should be used school tuition credit of $500 for public purposes." to $3,000, depending on Some also raise questions household income, for each that funneling state money child who switches to private into private schools that may school. have religious or other group The vouchers would be deaffiliations could be ruled unducted from the state public constitutional. education fund, which has "I would like to see a bill about $5,000 each year per that is defensible so we don't student. Legislative analysts end up wasting huge amounts estimate the average voucher of resources in litigation," to be worth about $2,000, with said Sen. Ross Romero, the remaining $3,000 going Lake City. back into the public fund. Urquhart said the main School districts that lose benefit of the bill is to provide students to the program good educational opportuniwould continue to receive the ties to Utahns whose economreduced amount for five years ic circumstances have forced after each student's departhem into schools that often ture. can't meet their needs. "Rich people have school Proponents say the vouchers would improve the system choice by virtue of where famiby offering they buy their house," he said. lies more educational choice "This provides options to peoand helping control class sizes ple who haven't had a choice." in public schools. The bill now moves to the "This is something that Senate floor. 5-- 2 low-inco- Guns Continued from is the AI on guns at the University of Utah, saying campus officials could not adopt a policy that runs counter to state law. Utah law prevents state and local agencies from restricting possession or use of firearms on public or private property. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Greg Bell, Heights, would require a storage area for guns near faculty offices. "My big issue was that the Legislature should set policy," Bell said. "The main thing faculty seemed to feel strongly that they have a choice." For some students, one gun on campus is too many. "Knowing people have guns and could lose their tempers scares me. Something could happen," said Brittany English, a senior at the University of Utah. s Some advocates aren't pleased with the bill. "There is no reason for a segregated dorm system. That would not be tolerated by any other minority," said Charles Hardy, director for Gunowners of Utah. gun-right- public-polic- y Bill sends would -be divorcees to classes Nathan Johnson IIB120 DAI1Y HERAID I Married couples seeking to end their union may be getting a lesson on the ins and outs of divorce from the state, if some House lawmakers have their way. House Bill 128, which passed in a House committee on Wednesday, would require that couples seeking a divorce attend a mandatory class. The course would go over some of the legal, financial and psychological effects of divorce, as well as the effects that a divorce has on children. The class would be required of couples who are seeking a divorce, even if they don't have children. Rep. Jackie Biskupski, Lake City, expressed her concern that this bill might be a case of the government lt overreaching. "I still have a great deal of concern that the government is trying to dictate to two people that they need to take classes, and that it's actually required. It's a mandate to even follow through with a desire of theirs to get a divorce, and there's no children involved in the situation, so I just struggle with this. I don't think it's appropriate for government to be dictating this," she said. Rep. Lorie Fowlke, said that the bill was designed to help people make an informed choice. "We have a significant interest as a society in help-ta- g people have information to make informed choices, whether it's to try to salvage DAILY IjlERALD Framed by staggering statistics on American obesity, the House of Representatives on Wednesday considered legislation that would mandate that insurance companies cover weight loss surgeries. and that it was not ready to be passed He did, however, say that it was important to raise the issue and get the process of collecting information moving. Mascaro says that weight loss surgery is a preventative measure which will save dol- lars and lives. Colleen Cook, president of The bill's sponsor, Rep. Bariatric Support Centers InSteve Mascaro, Jorternational, says that it makes dan, said the purpose of the good financial sense to insure legislation was to start collectpeople for weight loss surgery. Cook said the state spends ing information. Mascaro said he and other legislators need $3,278 more per person on the much more information on health care of obese people what defines morbid obesity than is spent on those who are and how it affects Utah citiat a normal weight. zens before putting something "These are tax dollars being into statute. spent to care for this population HB 225 was sent back to the of people. ... That's over $8 milRules Committee for reassignlion that we are currently spendment to the Health and Human ing out of taxpayer dollars to Services Interim committee, treat this disease," she said which will study the' issue in The bill would have cost the state $9 million in 2008 and depth while the Legislature is not in session. $5.4 million in 2009 to fund the While this means that the bill increased cost of insurance to is dead for this legislative sesits employees. Some represension, Mascaro believes that it tatives expressed concern that will return next year. He said this bill could have potentially he never expected that this impacted small business. bill would be passed this time, Cook said weight loss sur of a package that helps patients manage obesity. Obesity is a disease, and she also argues that weight loss surgery has saved hundreds of gery is part thousands of lives. Mascaro said that there is a difference between the disease of morbid obesity and being overweight. The difference, he said, is that there are those who, despite participating in normal wellness practices such as diet and exercise, are unable to lose weight. Dr. Steven Simper, a bariatric surgeon, said his company, the Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians, have performed more than 16,000 gastric bypass surgeries in the past 25 years. He said that only 10 percent to 15 percent of patients regain the weight over the 10 years after their surgery. "They offer an excellent chance of long-terhealth for the majority of our patients." "There needs to be questions answered," Mascaro said. These questions include financial impact on the state, business and the overall health of Utah citizens. Committee sends wetlands bill to Senate HERALD Local governments should leave mapping wetlands to federal agencies, according to legislation that squeaked out of a legislative committee on Wednesday. The bill from Sen. Sheldon would Killpack, prohibit cities and counties from designating protected wetland areas, except when a federal agency such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued the designation. It stems from a situation in Summit County in which the county wants to designate additional wetlands beyond what the Corps found, which Killpack called an "inverse condemnation" of private prop- SB 183 SB 215 Sponsored by: Sheldon Killpack, Sponsored by: Designation of Wetlands Prohibits cities and counties from delineating wetlands that haven't already been identified by a federal agency. Amendments to Land Use Development and Man Makes agement Act cnanges in trie legalese and inserts deadline provisions for processing development applications. Greg Bell, protecting wetlands is not just about open space natural wetlands, she said, are superior flood control mechanisms. "You'll be taking away the authority of local government to actually protect their communities," she said. "That only exasperates flood control issues." erty. "The state has a pretty But Utah Association of Realtors lobbyist Mike strong history of property told lawmakers that rights," he said. He also said there was no particular reason wetlands are a federal concern he didn't also ban state agenset forth in federal rules and cies from issuing wetlands regulations. "I don't believe this bill subdesignations, and that he'd be open to expanding the prohibistantively changes the law tion in the future. at all," he said, adding that a Sen. Scott McCoy, prohibition would prevent a Lake City, wondered if the "hodgepodge" of local rules. Summit County situation called "It's an issue of uniformity for "finesse" instead of legislaand consistency," said tion. who was also repre"I hate for one bad situasenting the Property Rights tion to dictate the policy for Coalition. the entire state," McCoy said. The Senate Government "It seems to me that when we Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee voted identify a problem, instead of to using a sniper rifle to deal with send the bill to the full Senate. it, we use a howitzer. And this Committee members unaniis a howitzer." mously supported another bill that came out of lengthy Amy Defreese of the Utah Rivers Council, who is a negotiations between developformer project manager for ers and officials charged with the corps of engineers, said regulating development. D-S- Oster-mille- r, 3-- 2 TODAY Some of the bills being discussed in the Legislature today: I SB 52, Health Regulations for Public Indoor Tanning Beds, Sen. Patricia Lake City. Jones, This bill would require a person younger than 18 years to have parental permission before using an indoor tanning facility. The House Business and Labor Standing Committee will discuss the bill at 8 a.m. today in Room 10 of the West Office Building at the State Capitol Complex. lt t HB 286, School Discipline and Conduct Amendments, Rep. Eric This Hutchings, bill would provide that a school-ag- e minor who gets a habitual disruptive behavior citation in school will be subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. The House Education Standing Committee will discuss the bill at 8 a.m. today in Room 135 of the West Office Building at the State Capitol Complex. HB15, Driver License Privilege Suspension for Alan Choate DAILY HAPPENING Failure Heights The legislation makes it explicit that "fundamental fairness" is one of the purposes of land-usregulations and inserts a technical change specifying that courts should evaluate land use decisions based on the requirements of state law instead of a broader "reasonably debatable" standard. The main thrust of the bill is to provide a "ripcord" provision that an applicant can use if they feel a project is stuck in to Pay Child Sup- port, Rep. Julie Fisher, Heights. This bill would allow the Department of Public Safety to suspend a person's driver's license if the person is at least 60 days behind on child support. The Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Standing Committee will discuss the bill at 8 a.m. today in Room 130 of the West Office Building at the State Capitol Complex. e limbo. That provision requires local land-us- e authorities to review applications within a reasonable amount of time, but doesn't set a limit on "reasonable." However, applicants can demand that a city or county state whether an application is complete, and after a review period can request a y deadline for approval or denial of a project. "What if you keep getting tabled? What if you keep getting ignored?" said sponsor Sen. Greg Bell, Heights, on the need for a ripcord section. "What if you just don't get a decision? N-- is better than just being adrift forever." Sponsored by: Rep. Lorie Fowlke, For expanded coverage, www.hemldextra.com Senate kiUs affordable health care amendment Alan Choate DAILY HERALD The idea was to amend Utah's constitution to include a right to basic, affordable health care and the idea died a quick death Wednesday afternoon on a party-lin- e vote. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee killed the bill by Sen. Scott Lake City, McCoy, with a 2 vote. His legislation would have asked for a new section of the constitution requiring the Legislature to "provide for the establishment and maintenance" of a state system of "affordable, medically necessary health care services or insurance." "I personally believe that proper health care is essential to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," McCoy said. "We need to start thinking systematically about our health care system." The amendment wouldn't have required any particular health care system, he added. Legislators could enact universal health care or simply subsidize individuals buying insurance through their employers, or hammer out some other method, he said. "That's a question that's entirely in the hands of the Legislature," said McCoy. "All of that is really open to discussion." The committee's Republican members weren't very open to the idea, however. "You're really saying, 'Regardless of what you do, we're going to take care of " you,' said Sen. Pete Knud-son- , City, who worried that people wouldn't have an incentive to take care of themselves. "With a right also comes a responsibility." Sea Chris Buttars. Jordan, was blunt: "For me, H's a giant step in socialism" If the proposal had made it through the Legislature, Utah voters would have had chance to ratify it before the amendment took effect. 3-- Divorce Orientation This bill mandates divorce orientation classes as a precursor to divorce and provides for an optional temporary separation order. marriage or go ahead and do a divorce with the least amount of conflict," she said. Utah already provides a parental divorce education class which has many of the same features of the proposed legislation. Fowlke says that because this program is already in place, the new legislation can be implemented with minimal effort or cost. The bill appropriates $145,700 for 2008's mandatory divorce education program. The bill also adds another option for couples in Leu of divorce. The bill would give couples the option of requesting courts issue a temporary separation order. The order would require that couples attend the divorce education class, and would cost couples an additional $25 on top of the r, class fee. The $25 fee, would be appued to the cost of filing for the divorce if the couple decides end the a how-eve- marriage. Alan Choate DAILY SCR 5 Hf RAID Most but not all of the Utah Senate signed on to a resolution on Wednesday opposing the Divine Strake bomb test scheduled at the Nevada Test Site sometime this year. The Senate voted 26-- 3 for the resolution, which now goes to the House of Representatives. Wednesday was the deadline for public comment on the blast. The bomb 700 tons of explosives to be detonated under- Said. 64 vote. Sponsored by: Gene Davis, Lake Resolution Opposing Divine Strake Expresses opposition to the proposed Divine Strake bomb test in Nevada. Jenkins said he hadn't edu- cated himself fully but that he understood that dust cloud ground wont contain nucle- fears had been answered. ar components. The concern is "I don't know what the worthe blast will kick up layers of ries are here, or the intended radioactive dust at the test site, results or consequences of where atmospheric nuclear this test," Jenkins said. "As I weapons testing occurred in understood, this Issue had kind the 1950s and '60s. of been put to bed, the fact that Fallout from those tests they weren't expecting an airfloated over southern Utah borne plume out of this test." and is blamed for causing high People heard false assurincidences of cancer and other ances in the previous era of illnesses. Critics don't want the testing, said Sen. Bill Hickman, situation to repeat itself. George. The fear that we have b ... "This is a very sensitive Isthe dust from that is going to sue in southern Utah," he said. recirculate into the atmosphere "We were assured at that time, some of the past testing, in and many times during that peatomic particles, that will afriod, that these were very safe fect us in our communities the above-groun- d tests. same as an open-ai- r atomic "We found out later that no, test." said Sen. Gene Davis, this is not the case. We were Lake City and sponsor of misled As result, a lot of our the resolution. folks had some very serious illnesses." Voting against the resolution were Sens. Scott Jenkins, Stephenson, meanwhile, said ft was City, Howard Stephenimproper for senators to son, R Draper, and Mark Mad-serush the resolut ion through the Mountain. legislative process, skipping D-S- "Studies have shown that families can recover from divorce (and) they do better if there Is less conflict, "Fowlke The bill passed in a Senate opposes Divine Stroke 26-- 3 n, committee hearings and the multiple votes that most bills must endure. "We knew when the deadline was for comment," he said. "This is another case where we suspend the rules and violate the normal process of the deliberative bodies we are supposed to be. The public will not be able to comment on this, for or against." Not on the resolution, perbut ample public sentihaps ment against Divine Strake has been expressed at public hearings on the subject. Stephenson added that he knew people who became sick because of the nuclear tests: This strikes close to home for me." Madsen was not available for comment. Several legislators had a personal connection to down-windillnesses, including Sen. Chris Buttars. Jordan. His wife's father raised sheep near Payson. he said. "When those tests happened, he used to wake up and him and the sheep would be covered with pink dust," Buttars said. "He died three years later of leukemia. They've denied, to this day, any responsibility. er "I cant believe they're tryit again." ing to do I Alan Choatt can be 6 reached af or at alanchoaf p? henldext ra 344-355- com. st |