Monday, January 29, 2007
This Morning,
It's Week 3 begins at the Legislature Up for debate today are health worker
background checks, crimes against children, trails and off-road vehicles,
make-up of county government and economic help for Navajos .
HB 197, in HOUSE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE (W025 at 8 am)
expands Department of Health authority to do background checks on
paramedics, and on health care facility workers with responsibility for the
safety of children, the elderly or the disabled. For those workers, if
they are under 30 or have adult criminal records, juvenile court records
could be examined .
Also in committee, HB 93 changes homicide laws. If sexual offenses
committed against a child are part of a murder, whether intentional or not,
the crime becomes aggravated murder, a capital offense.
HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT (W125 at 8)
is considering an annual appropriation of $500,000 for the Centennial
Nonmotorized Paths and Trail Crossings Program under HB 280.
HB 237 would limit noise emitted by off-highway vehicles to 96dbA but the
limit would not apply to snowmobiles, or to dune buggies during a
competitive or organized event. The age of children allowed to operate
OHV's in a race or organized practice would be lowered from 8 to 6 years
old, with direct adult supervision, EMTs and an ambulance provider on the
premises required.
SENATE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS (8 am , W020)
considers SB 141, which says that beginning in 2012, county commission or
county council members must be elected by geographic district, rather than
at-large, in counties of the first or second class with large populations
like Salt Lake. Small county councils or commissions would be elected
at-large, unless a court ordered otherwise. Currently, the Salt Lake
County Council has two members elected at large and the rest are elected by
district. That option was approved by the voters, as required by the Utah
Constitution.
SENATE WORKFORCE SERVICES AND COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (9 am
W015) HB 19, increases from $2 million to $4 million a year the amount of
severance tax revenue that can go into the Navaho Revitalization Fund.
Grants and loans from the fund pay for water and power projects, housing,
economic development and preservation of Navajo culture on the reservation
in San Juan County.
Sandy Peck
League of Women
Voters,
(801)272-8683 fax (801)272-5942
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