SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature has wrapped up its work for the year, capping off a session that saw a revision of a voter-approved redistricting law and a compromise on education funding.
The 45-day session ended late Thursday, March 12, in the shadow of the new coronavirus, which caused widespread cancellations but didn’t cause major disruptions in legislative business. Lawmakers dedicated an extra $24 million to help senior residents weather the virus
Lawmakers eased restrictions on polygamy and voted to put new ones on pornography by requiring warning labels on obscene materials that come into the state.
They also approved new requirements for abortion clinics and other medical providers to bury or cremate fetal remains, sending the measure to Gov. Gary Herbert, who has not said whether he plans to sign the requirements into law.
Meanwhile, a voter-approved measure aimed at curbing gerrymandering, a process of manipulating voting districts unfairly to gain an advantage, will get some changes.
The revisions would drop requirements that the GOP-dominated Legislature take an up-or-down vote on redistricting maps developed by an independent commission and provide a formal explanation if it chooses not to adopt them. While some worry those changes create less transparency, supporters of the original law have said the compromise keeps important steps intact.
Another compromise on education funding is making its way quickly through the Legislature. It would change a provision of the Utah Constitution that requires income tax revenue be used for education. Lawmakers say the change is needed to bolster a faltering sales tax base, and the deal would also create more stability for education funding.
Still, critics worry that allowing income taxes to be used for children’s health care and the disabled could ultimately undermine education spending in a state where it’s a chronic concern.
Since there’s a constitutional change involved, the proposal will have to go before the voters in November before it fully goes into effect.
