[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6089991,"mediaKeyId","2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea","parentId",2869828,"title","Legislators describe school-board transparency changes and new firearm-safety instruction for students","audioSeconds",365,"startMs",2355285,"endMs",2720790,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea&start=2355&end=2720","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea/thumbnail_2355285.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6089991/Utah/Legislators-describe-school-board-transparency-changes-and-new-firearm-safety-instruction-for-students","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6089991-6c137420c1be66f2e73dd80f933c6bcb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771210705&Signature=TF9JWjui0MW5xCgOc-TNpi70Op3dbIewMBDfwv7Gon3CByyCNJFIEJzJULSdooJPLlPrcnef-SnOj5K8wEYt6gFtraZldbdYGNuc82~8OahWEV8TONW6ghGHJ5xCAfmRNla7xNhzmmaAjnh5eZLuaV~WcwU6tOYI~hSZ8y3HqvbHN~8ncgBMBFHt35YF-H0IgrX3GkJpP8IPRDj1rrT9u4nnofQeeyh8xE6XQ530tBeHC09W0CsJRK4z0XF9vw9adiotHuFwRcm~roA7WMaNzG3MZcE8NU~2rVLDhDWUuGXpyCyHWgknalbEYVOlB-JqPTA0ZHiVIqNexsWqNOqdlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-03T17:27:45Z","article","Local lawmakers at the Washington County Republican Women luncheon discussed several education-related measures that advanced during the session, including a bill on school-board transparency and another requiring age-appropriate firearm-safety instruction in K–12 schools.

Representative Walt Brooks described a transparency measure that aims to make school-board actions easier for the public to find online — including meeting notices, topics, and vote records — and said the proposal met resistance from some school-board members before being attached to another bill so it could advance late in the session. \"We made it more descriptive of how we would like them to be transparent,\" Brooks said, urging public access to meeting times, topics and who voted for items.

Representative Rex Shipp, who serves on the public utilities and energy committee as well as other committees, described a bill to make firearm-safety education part of school instruction. Shipp said the final version of his bill (HP4104 as described during the session) requires firearm-safety instruction in grades K–6 at least three times during those years plus instruction once in middle school and once in high school; he said older students could be offered expanded electives or hunter-safety course options. \"Typically, all it's mainly gonna be is a video... probably take 5 or 10 minutes,\" Shipp said, describing the intent as low-burden lessons to reduce accidental shootings.

Speakers said the school-board transparency provision was added into the legislative process by combining like sections of code to ensure it could be heard before session deadlines. They did not provide statutory citations for the final enrolled language during the luncheon and referred attendees to the legislative record for exact text.

Why this matters: Both measures touch on public accountability and student safety. Lawmakers argued the transparency language helps residents verify board actions and that firearm-safety instruction fills a gap where optional instruction had not been consistently implemented.

Next steps: Implementation details will be handled at the local district level for instruction and by school boards and district staff for transparency postings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","WCRW April Luncheon 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives described a lawmaking effort to require clearer school-board posting of agendas and votes and a change (after amendments) to make firearm-safety instruction in schools more broadly available to students.","taxTitle","Washington County Republican Women, Utah Lobbyist / NGO, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",77249,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6089996,"Sunshine Caucus lawmakers urge party changes to strengthen convention pathway after SB54",564,3657360,4221655,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea&start=3657&end=4221","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea/thumbnail_3657360.jpg","/articles/6089996/Utah/Sunshine-Caucus-lawmakers-urge-party-changes-to-strengthen-convention-pathway-after-SB54","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6089996-a790095143f50b470b3e482a3ae1ce8b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771210705&Signature=j3lWswCO~We-dTDiAybACTYtcwMmqlfK0hhZ3ib1QUSUTpDzmYk7skieb0fPV2b6RhIoggEGKDt-F-0RUAF6QKrrEi-ghQf-RtMEE9XQJAMi1qXBPXOWieKGyceh9eDyKA4bL5EEkCWYrSFuVvC-QVW-NoNXNYlget-qGgX6VJwFZgKeok4a-id0hnw4kRLD5UOBNjD0n3bz3JpwlYInvHxsKuogxmuFVuMbzQjXRI~2LwWG3ins3SahFcoB9HX7pN45cb0mSVQfE3qHyNPID3D6RSNJsFKyxZIT9FpfYhSJkvRNFzYsXXLE0rz7HOcBiqod7bWPXtwsFUV~A9~Mqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several Sunshine Caucus members told a Washington County Republican Women luncheon that maintaining the party convention as a viable nomination path requires internal party changes after SB54 and ongoing ballot-initiative pressures.

Representative Neil Walter and others explained that SB54 was a negotiated response to a ballot initiative called \"Count My Vote\" and that any legislative attempt to alter SB54’s effects would risk prompting a new statewide initiative that could eliminate the convention nomination path entirely. \"If we do, there will be a ballot initiative for which they have the votes, which will make the convention go away,\" Walter said.

Lawmakers and attendees discussed one local remedy adopted by the Washington County Republican Party: raising the delegate threshold required at convention to automatically place a candidate on the primary ballot. Walter recommended raising the automatic nomination threshold from 60% to 70% (or higher) so fewer qualified candidates would be eliminated at convention and thus reduce the incentive to collect primary-signature petitions.

Other speakers said polling shows many Republican voters favor retaining a dual path (convention plus signature). Lawmakers framed the suggested party changes as a way to make the convention more attractive and representative without eliminating the signature path.

Why this matters: The balance between convention and signature paths affects candidate selection and party control of nominations; speakers said the issue has statewide implications and that local changes to delegate rules can alter candidate incentives.

Next steps: Lawmakers recommended internal party rule adjustments and continued discussion; they cautioned that statutory or legislative changes could trigger ballot initiatives with binding effects.","Local legislators at a Republican women’s luncheon urged party-level changes — including raising delegate thresholds — to preserve the convention pathway following SB54 and related initiatives.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6090001,"Sunshine Caucus lawmakers describe mixed outcomes on immigration-related bills; SB90 advanced a tougher approach to repeat illegal entry",603,2650200,3253770,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea&start=2650&end=3253","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea/thumbnail_2650200.jpg","/articles/6090001/Utah/Sunshine-Caucus-lawmakers-describe-mixed-outcomes-on-immigration-related-bills-SB90-advanced-a-tougher-approach-to-repeat-illegal-entry","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6090001-9957f9bacf75059cae0493b139987206/orig.mp4?Expires=1771210705&Signature=ecOpaz9Poqt3xhSVzJaHmGgyo-rE7AFBqqXXf-sYDceNEAgSjIU3jenSfoiz04AG0MuzWSVN8WeOCM7D5r3K1c0JqvqC5GYrBdhwJsrGLq-tqY6VCzsJuqg4v7P8Nswb1VYUPTf~eMcUZcgLCvYo~2g2NUT3~PpzBw6gmYGNN9ujco4ENHXHHO9zHo~GOVcQ111N94OJAZSj2H-qr~o5K2KcYGBlUTwKx06SXGXZURuE8G4RtqAaX8gM8RYIQSni5OjuaYiFmgoGfuDbQakRKObAXi8VGFi5IWbEhRBwfSgiuTtGjR7l9HTG6GeGzmHHFeIY-2vNKofAB516Ye6jZQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sunshine Caucus members at the Washington County Republican Women luncheon described multiple immigration-related bills from the legislative session and the mixed fate of each.

Representative Neil Walter summarized two failed measures: his effort to broaden Utah’s E-Verify employer requirement (which would have lowered the employee-threshold back toward 15 or 5 employees) did not clear the House committee after lengthy debate, and a separate proposal to remove state-funded health insurance coverage for people in the state without legal status also failed to advance.

By contrast, Walter and other attendees described SB90 as a bill that passed and that sought to close a perceived \"revolving door\" in which individuals apprehended for misdemeanors while undocumented were repeatedly released without serving sentences. Walter said SB90 requires that, for certain repeat arrests of undocumented individuals, the person serve the full sentence so that ICE can identify and locate them later.

Speakers emphasized that immigration enforcement is governed primarily by federal authority, and they described the state bills as limited tools to address local public-safety consequences. The panel also cited other related measures that passed on topics such as firearm possession restrictions for people with pending asylum or temporary protected status and enhancements for fentanyl distribution and gang-related offenses.

Why this matters: Legislators said local public-safety concerns and state interactions with federal immigration enforcement motivated the bills. The luncheon remarks described the session’s approach as a mixture of bills that failed and those that passed; where bills failed, speakers said they plan further work in interim sessions.

Follow-up: Walter urged attendees to monitor committee records and future interim work on the E-Verify and public-safety proposals.","Lawmakers discussed several immigration-related bills: an E-Verify expansion attempt failed in committee, a proposal to remove state-funded coverage for some noncitizen residents did not advance, and SB90 — aimed at reducing the 'revolving door' for repeat illegal-entry arrests — passed.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6090006,"Lawmakers say SB69 supported small hospitals’ access to 340B medication revenues; governor let it become law without signature",2760,1030130,3790910,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea&start=1030&end=3790","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea/thumbnail_1030130.jpg","/articles/6090006/Utah/Lawmakers-say-SB69-supported-small-hospitals-access-to-340B-medication-revenues-governor-let-it-become-law-without-signature","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6090006-ed0925bce1d4a1f725240004a08cd569/orig.mp4?Expires=1771210705&Signature=guDcrolHB-mm~KY4WEkazr-LViE7UDnpnDHh3hA7L8lyALOnDqllZNLK8iglVVivnK5BgVOijmpNLCo5ltllPWoqhyTspWxi9xDVNbf9p5fppf1R~Sr~unAg28HcQBp8kvNtprdovlQb7F1kxcKIu9LFi2ePLhd3kmk6H0d9v0iAKlnlIpfCTbJE1qJ4zprfatczntgLNKmqDEaRCeI2I9Dk5pNZik7DmtuxNxNmWMIcfqkXHxJT8CwZ1KkCLqUUFC-QTbpKihirJteXhDVESW50aGvFPCymnh1U4Dr3Khgc6oy0cekiQII4z~krsUzk6YjVPAxOFgk0UGuMVI4QXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Evan Vickers told attendees of a Washington County Republican Women luncheon that SB69 — a legislative effort tied to 340B medication revenues — was aimed at protecting small hospitals and federally qualified clinics from actions by drug manufacturers.

Vickers said the bill represented a \"David versus Goliath\" fight on behalf of small providers, including tribal clinics and rural hospitals. He described intense manufacturer opposition and heavy lobbying but said the measure \"ended up passing significantly,\" noting only a single negative vote in the speaker’s summary of chamber action.

At a later point in the luncheon another attendee referenced SB69 as a bill that \"went into law without signature,\" which the speakers characterized as a formal outcome. The lawmakers did not provide the bill’s full text or a statutory citation during the meeting; they described the bill in discussion as related to manufacturer behavior toward 340B medications and the financial resources small providers use for charity care.

Why this matters: Small hospitals and federally qualified health centers in rural areas often rely on revenues tied to federal 340B pricing programs to help fund uncompensated care. Lawmakers in the luncheon framed SB69 as preserving those local health resources.

What was said: Vickers described opposition from pharmaceutical manufacturers and said the bill’s passage was notable for overcoming such resistance. Speakers did not offer roll-call vote tallies in the luncheon remarks and did not read the statute’s precise language; attendees were referred to legislative records for detail.

Next steps and context: Lawmakers suggested the bill will affect how manufacturers interact with covered entities and that implementation questions will be handled through regulatory and administrative channels. The luncheon remarks did not provide specific guidance about implementation timelines or agency rules.","Senator Evan Vickers described SB69 as a David-vs.-Goliath measure to protect small hospitals and clinics that rely on 340B medication revenue; speakers said manufacturers strongly opposed the bill but it became law without the governor’s signature.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6090008,"Lawmakers say recent bills aim to bring IPP power into Utah and shield ratepayers from data-center costs",0,1422625,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea&start=1422&end=1422","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2869828-83a2074f2d7222f87f33d13547cc7fea/thumbnail_1422625.jpg","/articles/6090008/Utah/Lawmakers-say-recent-bills-aim-to-bring-IPP-power-into-Utah-and-shield-ratepayers-from-data-center-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6090008-53b9aa7d7ba95c0df9357e8efcfa1a97/orig.mp4?Expires=1771210705&Signature=fr4nD7VJImmbXWUE01g0z6n65Ahjf0-fKJXFvpeTQ291ZGtPxB8b7GY2qwcImfdjm6vbYtotd2krmCQzMIdfcL98QjnvAvdhZ66~-g6-ULKMGAXmrGF9EFMxoWvMGJapqWoRvUD8QSIlmt8gunG~3XUcslXLUHhH7eMrRD5S1xp82ln-oXVQNZhDDMqE5vFDBKwYUrse8Mb6gCRi6sS0oDT2dH25tGPykKuUQkku6Y2j8Fosnr1BAnGGlO795m6JmeJ5c78~LhALU3KBCFEqqFSus7Ai4ZgItiDwEgRNzi5zkkOiizrztl6Dy1cb2feoBDS~4q5tc~f13yAFkiYqjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State lawmakers attending a Washington County Republican Women luncheon said two measures passed this year to address large new power demands from data centers and to secure generation capacity for Utah.

Representative Colin Jack, who chairs the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee, said SB132 passed unanimously in both chambers and sets a framework for utilities to serve large electricity loads — such as data centers — without shifting costs to ordinary ratepayers. \"We passed out of the House unanimously, and then we got unanimous concurrence at the Senate,\" Jack said, describing SB132 as a mechanism to let big users \"pay their own way.\"

Jack also credited HB70 (referred to in discussion as the bill to keep the IPP plant) for preserving nearly 2 gigawatts of capacity at the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) near Delta and returning much of that generation to Utah’s grid supply. \"HB70 . . . will allow the state of Utah to keep the IPP power plant up in Delta,\" he said, adding the measure will enable an operator request-for-proposal process when it takes effect.

Representative Neil Walter, who said he carried the related IPP bill in the House, described the legislative approach as preventing a form of cross-subsidy in which existing ratepayers would otherwise absorb costs tied to new large industrial or data-center customers. \"Because of [Jack’s] expertise, that was prevented,\" Walter said, describing the bills as protecting consumers from a hidden tax to subsidize corporate demand.

Speakers noted strong lobbying pressure from data-center interests during the session. Jack said the combination of SB132 and HB70 is intended to let utilities serve large loads while requiring those users to bear their share of system costs, not the general rate base. Jack and Walter both characterized the measures as improving Utah’s energy security and capacity planning as large artificial-intelligence and data facilities grow.

Details provided in the discussion included an estimate that HB70 will bring roughly 2,000 megawatts of generating capacity back into Utah’s effective supply once the IPP arrangements take effect; Jack said an operator RFP will follow the bill’s effective date in May. The lawmakers did not provide legislative vote tallies in the luncheon remarks beyond describing SB132’s unanimous passage.

Why this matters: Large data centers and new high-demand users have raised questions nationwide about how to add capacity without driving up residential and small-business electric rates. The lawmakers said the pair of bills is intended to direct costs toward the new large users and preserve generation capacity that had been contracted out-of-state.

Looking ahead, Jack said rulemaking and utility-level implementation will determine how charges are allocated, and he said the RFP for an operator for IPP will be a near-term step following HB70’s effective date.","Representatives at a Washington County Republican Women luncheon described passage of SB132 and HB70 as steps to secure generation and require large data-center loads to pay their own power costs, including bringing the IPP plant capacity into Utah.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Legislators describe school-board transparency changes and new firearm-safety instruction for students

Sunshine Caucus lawmakers urge party changes to strengthen convention pathway after SB54

Sunshine Caucus lawmakers describe mixed outcomes on immigration-related bills; SB90 advanced a tougher approach to repeat illegal entry

Lawmakers say SB69 supported small hospitals’ access to 340B medication revenues; governor let it become law without signature

Lawmakers say recent bills aim to bring IPP power into Utah and shield ratepayers from data-center costs