Show LcralMetro a StanJard-Examine- r Tuesday February 16 1988 nr AllUS forward with a sound educational staff program" a council spokesman SALT LAKE CITY — Legisla- told the committee A spokesman for Affirmation a tion assuring confidentiality in AIDS testing has cleared four of group of gay Mormons also came its five hurdies but a second Dili forward Monday to speak for the intended to track down possible bill The only opposition came from victims of the deadly disease is Life Insurance Co A Beneficial barely surviving The House Health Committee company spokesman said the bill Monday unanimously approved a would force the life insurance inbill by Sen Winn Richards dustry to require “offensive and that prohibits health and expensive” tests before insuring medical personnel from revealing clients The spokesman asked that life names of AIDS victims “AIDS is indeed a terrible insurance carriers be exempt threat facing us" Richards told from the disclosure penalties But Rep Kurt Oscarson the committee said life insurance compaHe said the bill described as nies have known about the legithe “cornerstone of AIDS legislation this year is intended to en- slation for months without courage testing particularly speaking against it until now Before passing the bill the comamong high-ris- k groups The bill has strong support mittee amended it to allow nurses among health groups in the state and other medical personnel including the State AIDS Adviso- treating AIDS victims to inform one another about the disease ry Council Richards’ bill passed through “This bill is critical in moving By PHIL JENSEN Standard-Examine- r dy House OKs retirement exemption ' The ing" See AIDS on 2C " '' '? ' SALT LAKE CITY — A Davis County lawmaker has withdrawn a bill that would have required AIDS testing for couples before they could receive a Utah marriage license Rep Scott Holt said Monday he reconsidered his bill after determining it was aimed at the wrong people “It wouldn’t hit the right target groups” Holt said of high-ris- k AIDS groups State health officials say those most likely to contract the deadly disease are homosexuals the sexually promiscu By PHIL JENSEN ous and drug users who share hypodermic needles Holt had filed the bill before the general session opened last month as a means to force more AIDS testing pre-marria- But health authorities responded with studies that concluded the marriage bill would be too costly and would do little to identify AIDS victims Health officials said the law held the likelihood of identifying an average of two cases a test year while results would unduly frighten dozens of couples false-positi- ! v - V ‘ ision ' reform bill last year has drawn content print material — has been derailed in the powerful Senate Rules Committee The Senate turned down an attempt by Matheson on Monday to pull the from older VI programming control law a resolution that supports banning such magazines as Playboy in Utah has been shelved in committee The resolution was introduced last week by Sen Ivan Matheson City who was angered at recent legislative action to repeal the 1983 cable TV law which never was enforced But Matheson’s resolution — which carries the campaign one step further to retirement provision part of an income tax Utahns It reduced the untaxable income from $6000 to $3600 for couples over age 65 and from $4800 to $2500 for single taxpayers over unconstitutional staff SALT LAKE CITY — While the governor has signed legislation repealing the old cable telev- 0 w A I measure from the committee If it did pass the resolution would compel the Legislature to ban certain sexually oriented materials from television and print if and when the courts upheld such laws The 1983 cable TV law was passed over the veto of then-Go- v Scott Matheson but was challenged immediately in the courts and ultimately struck down by the US Supreme Court as 65 Karras’ bill to restore the old figures easily passed the House 4 and has been sent to the Senate The bill will not cost the state any revenue because of a scheme 59-1- built into the legislation that raises the exemption figure for e retirees Karras said it would take money away only from retired people with annual incomes of $32000 or more “This is for the person on a fixed income” Karras said “The widow who is trying to hang onto her house” In voting on the bill about a fourth of the House declared a conflict of interest because of their ages The House also passed a companion bill that removes the exemption on retirement income for new state workers State workers presently pay no state income tax on their state retirement benefits Exempting the new workers from that benefit also was part of last year’s reform bill Standard Examiner staff Standard-Examine- "passed as heavy criticism Premarital testing bill has been withdrawn Committee shelves biii to ban books X - SALT LAKE CITY — House Majority Leader Nolan Karras of Roy is sponsoring legislation to give a tax break to retired people The bill repeals legislation passed last year that lowered the amount of retirement income exempt from state taxes “I’m sure your phones have been ringing like mine” Karras said Monday in introducing the bill on the House floor - 'ta proposal would dissuade people from voluntary AIDS testing Holt said that argument doesn't stand up Colorado has reported no drop in the number of AIDS testing since passing similar ‘laws His bill classifies AIDS and HIV the AIDS virus without the classic symptoms as communicable diseases That would place them under existing state laws which require health officials to report them in an effort to identify other possible victims Holt said his “tracking bill” would give health workers the necessary tool to identify AIDS victims and it is hoped to arrest the spread of the disease “I think the citizens of this state demand from this Legislature protection from AIDS" Holt said urging the committee not to “sit on our hands and do noth- & v"" staff r 6-- Hoy ' By PHIL JENSEN Standard-Examine- the Senate with little opposition and has only to survive a vote of the entire House to become law Gov Norman Bangerter who would sign the bill into law has ixivujku a letter supporting L With some exceptions the bill would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to identify even to the courts people who test positive for AIDS ’ While the committee has no trouble with the confidentiality bill its members were clearly at odds over legislation requiring mandatoiy reporting of AIDS That bill sponsored by Rep Scott Holt cleared the committee 5 over strong objections from state health authorities But Committee Chairman Jowho cast seph Moody the deciding vote said the issue is too important not to be debated by the entire House Health officials who supported the confidentiality bill said Holt’s Movies Obituaries Comics higher-incom- Gov Norman Bangerter last week signed without comment a bill that officially repeals the 1983 Cable Decency Act As a member of the Legislature at the time Bangerter voted for the act Sen Matheson’s resolution says the Legislature supports laws to “limit explicit sex on the content of television and in print as soon as it is allowed by the US Supreme Court” It says a majority of Utahns support the concept of laws to ban indecent material on television and in print “Be it further resolved that the Legislature commit itself to the enactment of legislation that prohibits indecent programming on television and explicit sexual materials in print in the state as soon as the US Supreme Court rules that such legislation may be allowed” the resolution says The resolution says the “bared female breast” would be prohibited in printed materials It also instructs lawmakers to get an answer from the court on laws that how to pass anti-smwould stand up to legal challenge Matheson the most vocal opponent to the bill repealing the 1983 act has announced that he will this year not seek ut Backers hope to revive biii to ban surrogates Horsing around in snow Heather Fordyce and her horse kick up snow as they ride through a white field near Huntsville last week Fordyce’s Todd CroslandStandard-Examine- r SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Supporters are trying to revive a bill rejected by the House that would ban surrogate motherhood contracts in Utah The bill sponsored by Rep Jordan Kelly Atkinson was defeated Monday on a 2 vote However following the vote Rep Kurt Oscarson was granted a request that the bill st 31-4- sunglasses reflect the surrounding countryside in the mountain valley east of Ogden be held for reconsideration at a later date The measure would outlaw contracts in which a woman consents to carry a man’s child and give up all parental rights after the infant’s birth Atkinson said the bill would permit the Legislature to study problems surrounding surrogate parenthood before children are See BILL on 2C Water outlook for Northern Utah is ‘looking a little better’ Canyon But if we get some good storms that might change” Snow is about 70 to 80 percent of normal on the Despite dry conditions most Northern Utah reservoirs should fill this spring Weber and Ogden rivers Flint said “It’s looking a little better” said General Manager Overall water content the amount of water meltIvan Flint of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy ed snow would yield remains below normal in District Northern Utah said Ray Wilson a hydrologist The district supplies Weber and Ogden river with the US Soil Conservation Service About a week ago the Weber Ogden and Bear drainage water to many communities in Northern Utah river drainages had 68 percent of the average water But two of Weber Basin’s many reservoirs might content in the mountain snow pack Twice in the be in trouble if dry conditions persist past 25 years in 1962 and in 1980 spring storms “We don’t feel really comfortable at this point — made up those deficits we’ll still have problems filling Finevicw and East “Right now we’re probably talking about a lot of By JENNIFER PAUL Standard-Examine- staff Bangerter nominates 2 for By DAVID HACKETT Standard Examiner Davis Bureau SALT LAKE CITY — Gov Norman Bangerter has named the Roy City attorney and a Logan lawyer to a pair of Northern Utah judgeships In a decision announced Monday by Bangcrtcr's staff the governor nominated Roger S Dutson of Roy to replace former 3rd Circuit Court Judge Robert V Phillips who resigned Dec Circuit Court Judge David W Sorensen 56 of Logan was named to replace retired 1st District Juvenile Court Judge Robert L Newcy The selection is subject to final approval by the Utah Senate which has 30 days to make up its mind Dutson the Roy City attorney and assistant city manager was the only male among three finalists chosen by a judicial nominating commission earlier this month The commission intercandidates in all viewed The other two finalists were Assistant Ogden City Attorney Andrea Lockwood and Bcttic J Marsh of Ogden a private 1 1 N big snow storms It can be done but it’d be really rare” Wilson said Wilson said it’s more likely the Bear Weber and Ogden river drainages could climb to about 79 or 80 percent of normal if both February and March precipitations are average Temperature and precipitation are predicted to be lower than normal during the next month said Bill Alder chief meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City Local precipitation so far this month has been below usual amounts Only 16 inches of precipitation was recorded at the mouth of Ogden Canyon and a sparse 11 inches was noted at the Salt Lake Inter national Airport The valleys however have been drier than mountains Alder said The dry conditions have kept the Great Salt Lake in line The water rose to 420955 feet above sea level today from 420950 feet above sea level Feb 1 Today’s reading is 2'2 inches higher than last year’s low point of 420935 feet above sea level on Dec 20 1987 Two of three huge pumps were restarted earlier this month to relieve the flooded lake by lifting water into a west desert pond That evaporation basin is about the size of Utah Lake once-emp- ty Utah judgeships Marsh said today she docs not think the governor’s decision represents a sexist attitude but that she was slightly surprised that he did not take the opportunity to appoint a woman “I have never noted any kind of sexist attitude or any bias in general or during my interview” she said “But I think there are certainly a lot of people in the legal community who thought the nominating commission sent a message to the governor” Nonetheless Marsh stressed that she thinks Bangerter based his decision on Dutson’s qualifi- - cations rather than his gender Dutson 50 who said he is experienced in “nearly all phases of the law” agreed and said Bangerter told him that he is eager to see more women in the judiciary “The governor expressed to me his concern about appointing more women and I anticipate that will occur as qualified applicants apply for these positions” Bangerter spokesman Francine Giani said the governor’s decision was based solely on judicial qualifications regardless of gender See JUDGES on 2C J |