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News Brief: Grizzlies, Dreamers & Next Step In Tax Reform

Three grizzly bears on a mountain.
Flickr Creative Commons Gregory Smith
A lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity's says officials should consider restoring grizzlies to areas of Utah and six other states. This and more in Tuesday's first news brief.

Tuesday morning, December 10, 2019

State

Legislative Committee Votes In Favor Of Tax Reform Bill

Utah lawmakers are expected to take up tax reform in a special session Thursday after a state task force approved legislation late last night aimed at cutting taxes by $160 million. The task force on Monday night voted 6-3 in favor of the bill, which reduces the state income tax rate from 4.95% to 4.66% while increasing sales tax on food, gas and some services such as ride sharing. Read the full storyJon Reed

Proposed Rule To Allow DACA Recipients To Practice Law

Utah is set to become the latest state to allow undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors to practice law. A proposed rule issued by the state Supreme Court was unveiled Monday. It followed a request from two women who earned law degrees from Utah universities but can't practice law because they aren't legal residents of the United States. The court issued a statement saying that after consulting with the state bar, law professors, the state attorney general and the legislative research council, it determined it has the authority to create the rule. — Diane Maggipinto

Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Bill To Be Unveiled

State Representative Angela Romero is presenting legislation today to create a task force that would study the missing and murdered indigenous women issue. The Democrat from Salt Lake City passed a resolution acknowledging the issue last session, and she says the next step is to take action. Republican State Senator David Hinkins is co-sponsoring the bill. His district includes San Juan County, which has a large population of Native residents. Romero will present the bill to a state legislative committee that works with Native American tribes in Utah. The committee meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday. — Kate Groetzinger, Blanding

Northern Utah

Cost Of Building Schools

The cost of building new high schools along the Wasatch Front is spiking. One reason is that tariffs are affecting the price materials like steel and aluminum. The total cost for the planned Cyprus High in Granite School District is $15 million. That’s nearly double that of Farmington High School which opened last year with a building cost of $77.5 million. — Diane Maggipinto

Nation

Grizzly Bears

Federal officials will review whether they are doing enough to protect grizzly bears. A federal judge approved a settlement yesterday after advocates sued the government to impel better efforts to protect the bears in more areas of the contiguous United States. The Center for Biological Diversity's lawsuit says officials should consider restoring grizzlies to areas of Utah and six other states. A slow recovery in a handful of areas — parts of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington state — show about 1,900 bears there. — Diane Maggipinto

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