Tax reform continued to be a focus during the sixth week of the 2019 legislative session. After Utah lawmakers suddenly scrapped a tax reform plan extending sales taxes to services, House Republicans are pushing a plan to scale back the state budget until lawmakers pass a tax reform bill later this year in a special session.
Other important issues included four gun bills that failed to move to the House floor and a proposal to create a commission to determine whether Utah needs a new state flag.
Here's a brief look at five other major legislature stories from last week:
A House committee voted 8-2to send SB103, a hate crimes bill, to the House floor Friday despite some friction between committee members and the bill's sponsor.
The bill has already passed the Senate for the first time after years of attempts by senators to enact hate crimes legislation.
READ MORE: Utah hate crimes bill headed to House floor amid friction
Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to recommend a bill that would ban the practice of conversion therapy for gay teens in Utah. But advocates don't agree with the way conversion therapy is defined in the version of the bill that was approved.
Gov. Gary Herbert issued an apology letter Thursday to a group of young protesters who staged a sit-in outside his office earlier that day.
Several pro-life advocates gave emotional testimony in front of a packed Senate committee Thursday urging support of HB136, which would restrict Utah's window for legal abortions from 22 weeks to 18 weeks.
But the bill was also met with emotional resistance — from doctors, mothers, and legal advocates urging lawmakers not to pass a bill they said would not only restrict women's rights but also inevitably face an expensive legal challenge.
READ MORE: Bill to ban Utah abortions after 18 weeks heads to final legislative hurdle
Despite pushback from some environmental groups and concerned residents, the Utah House of Representatives voted 61-11 to approve a bill that would allow the port authority to expand outside its already 16,000-acre jurisdiction and partner with willing communities — including rural areas eager to maximize export opportunities for coal, oil, gas, hay or other products.
READ MORE: Bill to expand Utah Inland Port Authority to other areas clears Utah House
A House committee Wednesday rejected legislation to raise the alcohol content by weight from 3.2 percent to 4.8 percent for beer sold in Utah stores, something the bill's sponsor expected.
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