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PM News Brief: Fetal Burial Bill, Cox Campaign Primary Signatures & Bachelor's of Cannabis

Photo of the Utah state capitol building.
Brian Albers
/
KUER
Legislation advancing in the third week of Utah's legislative session includes a fetal burial bill and a bill that would require year-round daylight saving time.

Monday evening, Feb. 10, 2020

STATE

Mountain Daylight Saving

A bill that would require year-round daylight saving time in Utah is making its way through the Legislature. It would mean no more changing the clocks, no more falling back. The bill depends on at least four other Western states adopting a similar measure. Washington, Oregon and California have already done so. Bill sponsor Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, said sticking with daylight saving offers significant health and economic benefits. Monday, the bill passed a second reading on the Senate floor 28-1. It will have one more reading there before heading to the House. — Jessica Lowell

Fetal Burial Legislation

The Utah State Senate approved a bill Monday along party lines that would require medical providers to bury or cremate a miscarried or aborted fetus. It also requires medical professionals ask someone who’s just had an abortion or miscarriage whether they would like the remains to be buried or cremated. Sponsor Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said we lose our humanity if we don’t treat remains with dignity. Critics argue though that while a person should get to choose what happens to the fetus, asking about it makes a traumatic situation even more traumatic. The bill will get a third vote on the Senate floor before heading to the House. — Sonja Hutson

Cox On Republican Gubernatorial Primary Ballot

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox is the first gubernatorial candidate to submit the required amount of signatures to appear on the Republican primary ballot. Spencer Cox’s wife Abby Cox delivered 29,365 signatures to the Utah Elections Office Monday; 28,000 signatures are required to get on the ballot. Lt. Gov. Cox is also the state’s chief elections officer, but said in a release that if a concern arises, former Utah Lt. Gov. Gayle McKeachnie will evaluate it.— Caroline Ballard

Bloomberg In Utah

State election officials will begin mailing ballots Tuesday for the March 3 presidential primary. It’s a big day for Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg. He has been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on his campaign targeting Super Tuesday states, including Utah. Bloomberg’s Utah campaign has also hired 19 staffers here in a little over a month. Roughly a third of Utah voters are unaffiliated. A January poll by the Salt Lake Tribune and Suffolk University put Bloomberg in fourth place among Democratic primary candidates. Read the full story. — Sonja Hutson

NORTHERN UTAH

Naloxone Training

Salt Lake County Council members and county employees will be trained on how to administer Naloxone. Naloxone is an opioid-blocking drug that can reverse an overdose. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson recently witnessed a medical emergency where a man who had overdosed was immediately given Naloxone, saving his life. — Caroline Ballard

The Mayor Will See You Now

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced she will continue offering office hours — where the public can come discuss and share ideas with her about the city. Mendenhall started office hours during her transition to becoming mayor. She said they helped her shape her vision for the city, and wants to keep hearing resident feedback. Office hours will be held twice a month, and will have Spanish translation at the Chapman Branch hours. — Caroline Ballard

REGION

Bachelor’s Of Cannabis

Starting this fall, a state university in Colorado will offer a Bachelor's degree to study the Cannabis plant. It will become one of the first of its kind in the nation. Students will not be working with any high THC marijuana because of its illegal status at the federal level. Instead, the labs will offer industrial hemp for study. — Ali Budner, Mountain West News Bureau

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