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Show A-14 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, January 25-28, 2020 The Park Record Utah tax overhaul repealed Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — A contentious tax-overhaul in Utah will be repealed amid growing voter backlash to the plan that would raise taxes on food and groceries while cutting income tax, Republican legislative leaders said Thursday. The repeal was announced after an effort to challenge it through a citizen referendum appeared to have succeeded in getting a spot on the November ballot, the Deseret News reported. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert told reporters during his regular monthly news conference on PBS Utah that an overhaul is still needed, but lawmakers will likely wait to take up the issue until next year. The legislative session begins Monday. “I think we’re accommodating the will of the people,” Herbert said about the repeal. “The fact that we have push back means we have not done our job as far as convincing the people this is the right thing to do or the right way to do it.” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Brad Wilson issued a joint statement committing to a repeal and “getting our tax policy right.” They said they hope to get a repeal signed into law within the first week of the legislative session, so lawmakers can create a budget without the “uncertainty of a referendum.” The organizer of the referendum effort, former Republican state lawmaker Fred Cox, said he was glad that leaders appear to be listening, but his group is still pushing ahead until a full repeal is signed by the governor. His group said it had collected more than enough signatures to secure a spot on the ballot, but those signatures must be still verified by elections officials. The plan would have cut income taxes and raised sales taxes on food, gas and some services in an effort to bolster a shrinking sales tax base. Opponents had worried about the effect on low-income people and questioned whether tax rebates created for them would be enough to offset the impact. The referendum effort gained steam as grocery stores got on board and allowed signature collecting at their stores. Several candidates for governor, including former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, opposed the plan. Herbert is not running again in 2020. Conversion therapy banned Utah is 19th state to prohibit ‘treatment’ of LGBTQ kids LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — The discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ children is now banned in Utah, making it the 19th state and one of the most conservative to prohibit it. Supporters navigated a winding path to passage and some dissent remains, but barring it in Utah could give a boost to similar efforts in other right-leaning states, said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “It’s really given people a lot of hope,” said Minter, whose group has pushed for bans around the U.S. Virginia is considering a ban, and the issue could also come up in this year in Texas and Kentucky, he said. The change in Utah comes after the state hammered out a regulatory rule that had the support of the influential Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Leaders had opposed a previous version because it didn’t have certain exceptions for clergy. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert took the unusual step of calling on regulators after a proposed law was derailed by changes made by conservative lawmakers. State officials confirmed the rule became final late Tuesday. The original sponsor of the proposal, GOP Utah Rep. Craig Hall, applauded the rule going into effect, saying in a statement that it prohibits dangerous practices while protecting healthcare professionals. “This measure will truly save lives,” he said. Conversion therapy is a practice used to try to change sexual orientation or gender identity. Many people who have been through it say it deepened feelings of depression and increased thoughts of suicide. The new rule bans Utah therapists from subjecting LGBTQ minors to the practice that the American Psychological Association has said is not based in science and is harmful to mental health. Still, the ban has drawn pushback in Utah. Opponents argued it would prevent parents from getting help for children with “unwanted” gay feelings and keep therapists from even talking about sexuality with their kids. The rule could become an issue during the 2020 legislative session. Utah’s predominant faith, known widely as the Mormon church, opposes same-sex marriage and teaches that intimate same-sex relationships are a sin. But it also urges members to be kind and compassionate to LGBTQ people. The religion holds tremendous influence in Utah, where the majority of state lawmakers and nearly two-thirds of the state’s 3.1 million residents are members. The faith got behind the conversion therapy ban after supporters included assurances that church leaders and members who are therapists would be allowed to provide spiritual counseling for parishioners or families. Get 53% Off the newsstand price when you subscribe! 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