SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Legislature begins work Monday. Lawmakers are expected to consider hundreds of bills over the 45-day period. Here’s a look at a few of the topics lawmakers are expected to discuss:
Tax overhaul
Leaders have pledged to quickly repeal the tax overhaul passed during a special session in December. The surprise retreat came last week as a citizen referendum effort challenging it gained steam. Though the overhaul would have cut income taxes, opponents were upset about hikes on food and gas. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert has said the state still needs to make changes to bolster a shrinking sales-tax base, but suggested a new plan might wait until next year.
Medical Marijuana
With the state expected to roll out a formal medical marijuana program in March, lawmakers are expected to consider a proposal to make several changes. It would allow for the expungement of past drug charges for people who were prosecuted before the drug became legal to treat several conditions, said Connor Boyack with the Libertas Institute, one of the groups that advocated for legalization. The plan would also remove an unusual requirement that flowers be purchased in a plastic blister pack, something advocates said would have been onerous for patients.
Vaping
Following a rash of nationwide deaths tied to electronic cigarettes, lawmakers will likely consider several proposals to curtail access to teenagers. One of those would allow schools to discard or destroy vaping devices, closing a loophole that required educators to treat them like electronics and return them to parents.
Transgender kids
Several states are considering measures that would ban transgender minors from medical steps toward transitioning, including hormones and surgery. Republican Rep. Brad Daw has said he is drafting a similar bill, though LGBTQ advocates are already speaking out against the idea that they say would be potentially disastrous for those kids.
