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Show Wednesday, March 11, 2009 DAILY HERALD A2 Legislature Continued from Al cuts lawmakers made to the 2009 budget. It's unclear how many state workers will lose their jobs, but 3,100 positions in state government are being eliminated. ."We've come to a point in the session where some hard decisions have to be made," said House Budget Chairman Ron Bigelow, Valley City. "It's a very real and difficult decision that we are faced with, but ... I believe that this bill is a reasonable bill under the circumstances." st State revenues have steadily plummeted over the past year as a nationwide housing crisis crippled Utah's construction industry, creating a ripple effect in the state economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says Utah has lost about 20,400 jobs in the past year and the state unemployment rate is estimated at 4.6 percent. The cuts to Utah's budget would have been worse, but conservative lawmakers reluctantly agreed to accept federal stimulus money. Of the $8.5 billion lawmakers approved Tuesday, about $3 billion of that comes from federal sources. That's up from about $2.4 billion last year. , Still, the cuts don't come the upcoming budget year, lawmakers are raising vehicle registration fees by about $20 a car. Shelved for now are any efforts to raise tobacco taxes or the sales tax on food. Increasing cigarette taxes will likely occur in the future if state revenues continue to fall though. Gov. Jon Huntsman has said he's opposed to increasing the sales tax on food and wants to see the state portion eliminated Services, which represents the interests of Utah consumers Bill 224 and small business owners in Rep. Sheryl Allen, began working with Davis rate cases and other matters, I Sponsor. Sen, Curt an advisory group. County prosecutors on the bill Bramble, Utah consumer advocate last year after dozens of high I Encourages reusing Claire Geddes says the bill is school students were charged industrial byproduct in with distributing pornography an attempt to silence the comconstruction projects. mittee and make it easier for for using cell phones to take nude photos of themselves and the state's utilities to raise their send them to other students. electricity and natural gas . rates. Under current state law, Valentine says the bill would anyone who distributes or making it harder for patients exhibits pornography to mito win claims against emersimply codify suggestions made in a review of the comnors is guilty of a gency room doctors. mittee done by the Office of Currently, plaintiffs must be felony, punishable by a fine of the Utah Legislative Auditor able to prove malpractice by a $1,000 or more and at least 30 General days in jail "preponderance of evidence," The Associated Press Allen's bill reduces the penmeaning courts must determine it's more likely than not alty to a class A misdemeanor Voter ID A bill to require and a that malpractice has occurred. for 16- - and class B misdemeanor for anyvoters to present identification Senate Bill 79, sponsored to poll workers before casting one below age 16. by Sen. Peter Knudson, a ballot has been passed by the While the recent trend of City, raises the standard a notch to require "clear teenagers using cell phones to Utah Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Rep. and convincing" evidence. exchange pornographic imwas ages is serious, Allen said such Brad Daw, Emergency room doctors need extra protection from exchanges from one minor to passed by the Senate on Monanother don't warrant felony malpractice lawsuits because day but amended. The House concurred with the changes federal law requires them to charges. treat anyone who comes in, made to the measure, House Repeat offenders would Bill 126, on Tuesday. still be charged with a felony often without the benefit of The changes included requiron each subsequent offense, knowing patients' medical histories, said Rep. Roger Barrus, regardless of age. The reduced ing notification to be posted at a polling place to inform people penalties would not apply to The higher standard would that ID is required and what anyone 18 or older. Standard-Examiner not apply in cases where the . types are valid. doctor in question has a pre! The bill also would let votvious relationship with the ers who forget their IDs cast Utah legislators . Pay cut a provisional ballot. They'd have agreed to take a 10 perpatient and has access to the cent pay cut in an effort to then have five days to show patient's records. the county clerk their driver's reduce budget strains. Opponents of the bill said license or another accepted Senate Budget Chairman lawsuits against emergency identif icatioa The measure room doctors are very rare, says Lyle Hilryard, now goes to the governor. the current budget situation is and such doctors are already The Associated Press held to different standards the most difficult he's ever seen because of the unique position and reducing pay is a small The Utah Private records way to make cuts like those rethey're in. Senate has passed a bill to The bill practically gives quired of state agencies. make it easier to keep some Lawmakers' daily pay will immunity to emergency room be reduced to about $117 from records private. doctors, said Rep. Brian King, House Bill 122, sponsored Lake City. $130 under House Bill 410. The bill passed the House The House voted 8 to by Rep. Douglas Aagard, 72-- 1 makes changes to and passed the Senate 22-- 5 send SB 79 to Gov, Jon Huntsman's desk for final approval. on Tuesday. It needs one more the balancing test for eight Barrus said a sunset provision formal vote before being sent types of records covered under to. the governor. in the bill requires the Legislathe Government Records AcThe Associated Press cess and Management Act that ture to review its effectiveness deal with police investigations after four years. Standard-Examine- r A bill and legal proceedings. ....... Utility committee If the life or safety of somethat would strip some of the d The Utah Senate one might be jeopardized by Sexting power from a citizens committee that adthe release of information has paved the way for final related to an investigation, dresses utility matters has approval of a bill that would reduce the penalties for minors passed out of the Utah Senate. whoever is making the request Senate Bill 214, sponsored by would have to show clear and caught exchanging pornograSen. John Valentine, convincing evidence that the phy with each other. The Senate voted unaniwas approved 21-- 8 on Monday need for it outweighs the need and now goes to the House. to keep it private. mously Tuesday in favor of The measure would make House Bill 14, which needs one For seven other types of re" more Seriate vote before going the Committee of Consumer ' cords related to investigations Senate third-degre- completely. Lawmakers had to make two rounds of budget cuts to the current year's budget tokeep from going into the red, which is prohibited by state law. Legislative briefs: Industrial waste A bill is making it's way through the Legislature that would pave the way for slag at the old Geneva Steel site to be used for Interstate 15 expansion. Senate Bill 224 "requires the Department of Transportation to allow and encourage the reuse of an industrial byproduct in the construction of department projects." Sponsor Sen. Curt Bramble, said the state Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Transportation both have standards for material that can be used in construction. But there is no language in the .without consequences, law that allows for a coordinaTeachers could be forced 'to take up to five unpaid days tion of the two. Bramble said the material loff to meet a target of cutting 'spending by 5.2 percent. High- he's talking about would contain "inert contaminants" that er education employees could be forced to take as many as 11 would be minimally hazardous. "Slag can be used for road unpaid days off. Those dependent on state material," he said. "It has been programs will also notice a dif- for some time." He said he was approached ference. Funding for Medicaid by the owners of the Geneva programs, the homeless and tobacco cessation programs all property to carry the bill, but said the company doesn't are being reduced. know if there's any money Some state parks will also g steel begin closing two days a week. in it. The Despite calls from some plant was opened in 1944 but went in fits and spurts from Democrats, Republicans who control the Legislature refused 1987 until it finally shuttered in 2002. The bill was passed to tap into the state's $414 milin the Senate and will now be lion rainy day fund to soften the blow of the budget cuts. debated in the house. GOP lawmakers fear they Daily Herald might need that money if the The Malpractice cases economy doesn't bounce back and they cant make up for the Utah Legislature took a step stimulus money that won't be toward reforming the state's medical malpractice laws on around next year. To help make endsrne&in" Tuesday by passing a measure j- or lawsuits, the bill would make the standard for release a preponderance of evidence. The amended bill now goes back to the House for a vote. The Associated Press to Gov. Jon Huntsman for his signature. e lt 53-1- state-sponsore- ; Managing Your Horse on a Tight Budget . The Utah Incest bill House has passed a bill that expands the definition of incest and eliminates artificial insemination as a possible criminal defense. Senate Bill 11 passed 69-- 0 with no debate. It had already cleared the Senate and just needs the signature of Gov. Jon Huntsman to become law. The bill makes it illegal for adult relatives to provide each other with seminal fluids or human otrtrs fnr use in nrtifi- - rial inseminatioa Current law requires proof of intercourse and only addresses offenses between adults and children under 18. The bill was introduced after a 2008 Iron County investigation into incest allegations fell apart because the adults involved said their children were conceived through artificial insemination. The Associated Press Quick hits A handful of senators opposed a pay cut they're taking in the face of hard economic times. The motion should probably be to raise the salary $25,000," said Sen. Chris Jordan. He and others argued that at such a low wage, fewer and fewer ' people would get involved in It second a politics. passed reading in the Senate 22-- 5 anyway. One more vote and ft goes to the governor for a signature. I House Bill 211 calls for an inventory of investments that Utah carries related to Iranian oil exports. There would be no divestment, and Senate sponsor Curt Bramble, said it was for transparency purposes only. I During a floor debate on Tuesday, Sen. Scott McCoy's microphone was shut off by President Michael Wad-doup-s to move on to the next speaker. 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