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Show SAAT Dope Oee a SeTe Maa GeO DAILY H ERALD ~ 2O06LEGISLATURE Seatbelt bill passesfirst vote Manysenatorsfelt the legislation goes too far, however. “It's the law that you have to wear your seat belt. That is very clear,” said Sen. Thomas Hatch, R-Panguitch, who voted against the bill. “What we're talking about here is just how punitive we are to people who violate the law.” Sen.Allen Christensen, RNorth Ogden,agreed. “This is a case of taking away a personal choice or freedom without sufficient cause,” Christensensaid. No onedisputed thatseat belts increase driver safety. ensen even included a referenceto “unbelted human missiles” who paythe price for being unbelted in a wreck. “Wecould also assume,” he added,“thatall those who are not wearing seat belts will soon be killed anyway — and then we'll have 100 percent compliance.” Bill’s future looks shaky _ Sponsor: Sen. Karen Hale, Alan Choate DAILY HERALD A proposal toughening enforcementofseat belt laws squeaked past a Utah Senate vote Tuesday, butits prospects for final approval look dicey. Lawmakersare again con- sidering makingthe failure to wear seatbelt while driving a “primary”offense, meaning a driver could be stopped by, police. Currently, drivers older than 19 years old can only be cited ona seatbelt violation if they're stopped for another reason. Senators approved the bill's first vote 16-10. but it achieved that onlyafter two senators switched their votes when the measurewas abouttofail. Fifteen affirmative votes are D-Salt Lake City Seat Belt Enforcement Amendments — Makes the failure to wear a seat fouled to pass billin the eylegislation, by Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City, must pass another Senatevote before it can proceed to the House of Representatives. This is the fourth time Hale has sponsored a primary offenseseatbeltbill. Senate President John Valentine said senators sometimes will votefora bill the first time aroundto continue debate. “It looked really shaky,” he said. Hale noted thatstate officials haveset a goal of reducing the numberoffatalities on Utah roads to zero. “Safety belt usageis indeed importantif we are trying to get to that number,”she said. She pointed out that California, New Mexico, Oregon and belt a primary offense. Washingtonhaveall moved to primary seatbelt law enforcement, andseatbelt use in those states is higher than in Utah. Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, compared the bill to the ban on indoor smoking — both arerestrictions on per- sonalchoices that are important to public health. “It is absolutely undisputed that bucklingupsaves lives,” he said. “This is a clear public health policy issue that this body cantaketo help save people'slives.” MARIO RUIZ/Daily Herald | Michelle and Dan Taggart, left, are advisors for the recently * organized group the Lone Peak Teenage Republicans. Republicans QUOTE OF THE DAY “They are kind of archaic and a throwback to a time when women were considered property, and if you said something bad aboutproperty it lessened its value. | hope we have moved beyondthat.” Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt LakeCity, discussing abil that would strike Utah's criminal libel laws, which maketa crime to impute “to any female, marred or uunmamned, a lack of chastity * House uses amendment to shoot down animalcruelty bill Tyler Peterson Forty-one states have made torturing animals a third-degree felony, butit doesn't look like Utah will join them. bill to increase the torture penalty from its current class A misdemeanorstatus met op- position Monday, where House representatives managed to Sponsor: Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan Criminal Penalty for AnimalCruelty — Bill would make animal torture a | third-degree felonyin- stead of a misdemeanor. pass an amendment 38-33 that Voters Continued from Al existenceof the 14 alleged voting noncitizens. State Sen. Gene Davis, DSalt LakeCity, also challenged Madsenon the numberof illegal voters. Madsenhadcited an estimateclaiming that 5,000 to 7,000 illegal residents were registered to vote “Howmanywentto the polls and voted?” asked Davis. “I don't think wehave data on that,” said Madsen. Manywere concerned about the legislation’s effect on voter registration drives organized by interest groups. “It’s going to makeit really difficult for anyone except the county clerks to do the registration,” said Sandy Peck of the League of WomenVotersof Utah. wa‘m wondering why we need this. I just really doubt there's a problem here.” Davis and Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt LakeCity, worried the newrequirements would erect barriers to voter registration and cause people to be disenfranchised. People maynot be able to go to the time or expense to get the documents they need to rendered the bill virtually year's originalbill said they felt meaningless. uncomfortable with the felony “If you bumpit back down charge, toa class A misdemeanor,then “We should reserve our you haven't done anything,” highestlevel of punishment... said Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Lo“for crimes against humans,” gan,the bill's sponsor. said Rep. Kerry Gibson, Rfinal voteis still pending, West Weber. Others said making animal however, while Wyatt makes sometechnical changes neces- torture a felony would only sitated by the amendment. Last makeenforcing the law more expensive. year, Wyatt'sbill passed the “If we changethis to feloHouse but didn’t get through the Senate. ny, I don't believeit’s going to Legislators who opposed this be anystrongerof a deterrent ate, Republican Sens. Parley Hellewell of Orem, Allen Christensen of North OgdenandBill HickmanofSt. George voted in favor Theywere skepticalof arguments that registering to vote is alreadytoo onerous for many people andsaid it's important to checkfor U.S. citizenship ee because people haveto showidentification to vote absentee. “WhatI'm hearing hereis that voting should be a casual pastime,” Christensen said. “It's a privilege. And with privilege comes responsibility.” Davis pointedly disagreed “Voting Is not a privilege,” he said. “Voting is a right and as such should be available to all equally. It is a right of any citizen.” The bill now moves to the Senatefloor for debate. r Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain Voter Registration - Proof of Citizenship — Requires proof of U.S.citizenship to register to vote and iden- tification whenvoting at a polling place. can get 10 people to vote the wayI would have,” said club chairman Brittney Taggart, 16, a sophomoreat Lone Peak High School. “Even encouraging those whodon't vote to vote,I think we would be able to doit easily.” Dan Taggart, Brittney's father,is state director of the Republican Youth Leadership Development. Brittney said she had alwaystalked about politics with her dad, “The reason I wanted to get involved is because I would like to hold a political position when I'm older. I just thought I would enjoy help running campaigns andlearning aboutthe political process.” About15 people are involved now,she said. The groupwill meet at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Highland City Building. Utah County Republican Party Chairwoman Marian Monnahan and county party secretary Susan Bramble have beeninvited to speak to the group aboutparty structure and getting involved in the electoral process. Students ages 13 to 18 who live in the Highland, Alpine and Cedar Hills areas areinvited to attend. The group'sactivities this year will include passing out flyers and serving as ushers at caucuses andotherpolitical events. “These great young people are a tremendous benefit to the party,” said Dan Taggart. “Theyhelp us with voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote efforts, neighborhood caucus meetings, county andstate conventions, and most importantly, helping Republican can- didates get elected.” Tyler Taggart, 14, a ninth grader at Mountain Ridge Junior High, said just because! , the teens can’t puncha ballot doesn't mean they can’t stand ; for what theybelieve in. “We'll be able to get the people who are able to vote who aren't as, activein politics, we can try to _ get them moreactivein it, and ; wecan help support the people wethink arebest to serve.” Brady said they're starting young to maketheir voices heard. “We're trying to use our own democratic powerto further the Republican way.” Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or annac@heraldextra.com. SESSION HIGHLIGHTS Orem councilman seeks | legislature seat One morelocalpolitician is looking to move upin the political world. OremCity Councilman Stephen Sandstrom unning for Utah House District 61, whichis currently held by Rep. JimFerrin, R-Orem. Sandstrom, whohas been on the Orem City Council for three terms,said in a news release he is concerned about the current legislative trend of erodingcities’ rights in land-use issues and qualityoflife. His major focuses while on the council have been parks and other recreational opportunities and-the Neighborhood Preservation Units. announced Tuesdayhe’s register. Andthe time it takes to verify some documents could prevent countyofficials from approvingregistrationsin time for an election, they sai Davis and Hale voted against movingthe bill to the full Sen- than we have now,” said Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan. Without mentioning names, Wyatt said the bill was misunderstood as an animal rights bill, whenit was really a human rightsbill. Animaltorture — defined in the legislation as prolonging agony, pain or suffering of an animal — is often a precursor to abuse on humans, Wyatt said.Serialkiller Jeffrey Dahmerhad a history of animal torture. “Thepointofthis is to get rid of abuse before it spreads to humans,” Wyattsaid at an earlier committee meeting. The bill contained ex: tions for zoos, hunters, falconers and ranchers whose “accepted husbandry practices” haveat times been construed as torture by animal rights activists. The Housecouldrevisit the topic as early as this morning. Continued from Al Homeschoolbill one step closer to passage The Senate voted 21-7 to movethe legislation forward.Itstill must pass one more. Senate vote, andthenit goes to the House of Representatives. Opponents worried the legislation would have unintended consequences with how extracurricularactivities are regulated. Sen.Patrice Arent, D-Salt Lake City, said the lawwould takethis aspect of extracurricular managementoutside of the state Board of Education and the Utah High SchoolActivities Association, whererules already exist. In particular,it might introduce confusion in the area of private school teams and clubs that participate in the UHSAA. Tattoo bill breezes through House Utahsenators OK'd legislation Tuesday specifying that home school students can participate in extracurricularactivities at their local public school, “Thisis a bill that comes about because of the horrorstories,” said Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain and the sponsor of Senate The state House of Representatives voted Mondayto increase the penalty for those tattooing or body piercing a minor without a parentat the child'sside. Formerly a class C misdemeanor,the act would become a class B misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine if the bill becomes law. Debateon the bill was nonexistentafter a simple presentation by its sponsor, Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, State rules alreadyallow homeschoolers to play sports or be in the school band. But uneven enforcement and misunderstandings haveled to students being excluded or urdies. after explaining the penalty increase in one sentence. The bill passed 65-6 and moves on to the Senate. — Daily Herald staff Bill 72 Some ofthe bills being discussed todayin the Legislature: 9 SB 96; Public Education — Instruction and Policy Relating tothe Origins of Life Contact the sponsor: Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan — home: 801-567-0535,e-mail: debuttars@utahsenate.org Requires the state school board to set instructional policies regarding the gigins of life and the origins human race that not endorse any particular scientific viewpoints. It wouldn't require officials to teach anything that isn't already being taught. What's happening: It will be heard in the House Education Committee at 2 p.m. today in Room 135 of the West Office | Building at the State Capitol Complex. “It's nothing major,just, that's all,” he said » Second Substitute SB 56: Election Reform Contact the Sen. Al Mansell, R-Sandy — home:801-942-6019, e-mail: amansell@utahsenate.org This bill would modify the Election Code to provide the option tofile a pledgeof fair nee practices and to establish criminal penalties related to issuing false information or improper contributions during campaigns, What's bgSe It willbe heardin the House ment Operations Commuttee at 8 a.m. today in Room 10 of the West Office Building. This bill would narrow the uses for which local governments may acquire roads, streets or alleys by eminent domain. What's aie It will be heard in the House Political Subdivisions Committee at 8 a.m. today in Room 125 of the West Office Building. »S8 97; ee Club Amer Contact the : Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan — home:801-567. , e-mail: debuttars@utahsenate.org This bill would clubs in public schools that involve HB 292: 2 Use of Eminent Domain Contact the sponsor: Aaron Tilton, R-Springville — home: 801-491-2051, e-mail: atilton@utahgov What's omru It tw will be heard in the Senate Education Committee at 8 a.m. today in Room 130 of the West “Office ‘ — Daily Herald staff Conservation Intemational A “Giant White" Rhododendron is a species yet to be described, possibly the largest of any rhododendron species in the world, . seen on the ConservationInternational Rapid Assessment Program (RAP)expedition to Indonesia. . Species Continued from Al “By some miracleof the stars, everything came together and we were able to spend two weekson the mountain,” Beehler said in a phone interview from Washington.“I'm still poe myself that it could work. At a news conference here Tuesday,officials from Conservation International and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences heralded the discovery of what may be the most pristine natural ecosystem in the entire Asia-Pacific — a find that also suggests what New Guinea was like 50,000 years ago. “There are very few places left on Earth where there's been so little human impact,” said Stephen Richards, a vertebrates curator with the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, who beg the expedition's other Within minutesbat their helicopter on an open, ae , two team spotted a blackish, chicken-like bird with str orange wattles, Beehler Beehler said he had wanted , to go to the Foja Mountains since the mid-1970s, when he was a graduate studentat Princeton University. “Naturalists love to go to places that haven't been visited before,” he explained. “And this was one of the last, Ped Damon very last.” a physiolo- Savisthereein197 the nearly mythical g fronted bowerbird, a species that had not been seen since the 1890s. But Diamond did, not take a picture or capture a live specimen. Beehler's team snapped the first bowerbird photo, On the second night of the mission, as the scientists were in their base camp, they saw eee dance. The male — Se plumagi its throat and white on its flank.It had tela mewires extending from its the scientists were stunned, and gradually realized the said. a freaky looking,” he SIG anew of honeyeater, making it the first new bird found New Guinea in more than 60 years. twonote song for the female. |