Editor's note: The following article includes excerpts from Deseret News legislative coverage
Watch: U.S. in 'dangerous' time, Rep. Chris Stewart tells Utah lawmakers
Rep. Chris Stewart spoke to the Utah House of Representatives, saying that this is the "most dangerous time since 1939."
The challenges facing the country are "beyond the intellect of man," he said in a Deseret News article. "If we're going to tackle these challenges it will only be if God helps us."
$14 million price tag for public lands lawsuit gives governor pause
Gov. Gary Herbert said the expensive cost of a lawsuit against the federal government over its control of public lands is reason to stop and think in his first media availability of the 2016 Legislature.
"We're going to spent $14 million and our chances of success are what?" He said in a Deseret News article.
He said there was no guarantee the state would win in court and he'd prefer to see Congress resolve the issue.
Top educators wary of teaching gun safety in schools
Some of Utah's educators have raised their concerns in response to legislation funding a optional pilot gun safety and violence prevention program.
"We all want our children to be safe and to understand the risks," Brittney Cummins said in a Deseret News article. "My question is we keep coming back to education, school, as that place to fix all of our social woes and to fix all of our problems. What we lack most in education is time and resources.
"Firearm safety is, to me, a community issue, a family issue," she said.
Panel OKs bill removing ban on carrying weapons on buses, trains
Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, is sponsoring HB67, which allows people to carry a gun on a bus as long as they don't have a criminal intent.
Utah hijacking law makes it a felony to conceal a dangerous weapon, which is why it is currently illegal.
"If it's presumed legal on the street, it should be presumed legal on a bus or train," Thurston said in a Deseret News article. "This is all about making it equitable."
The House Transportation Committee passed the bill to the House floor on a 9-1 vote with Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, voting no.
She said the penalties aren't the same because there is a difference between carrying a weapon on the street and in a confined space.
Herbert stands by Planned Parenthood directive despite calls to reverse it
Gov. Gary Herbert stood by his decision to block federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood of Utah despite the calls of four Democratic lawmakers to reverse his directive.
House Minority Whip Rebecca Chavez-Houch, D-Salt Lake City, said Herbert reacted to "heavily edited, highly political" videos but Herbert said his decision was not based on a "political whim."
"That does not mean the information on tape was necessarily wrong," the governor said in a Deseret News article. "I'm looking for the Congress and their investigations to really be the ultimate decision-maker.
Utah Planned Parenthood sued the governor over the order and the appeals court will hear arguments in March.
State senator wants to revamp Utah hate crime law
Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, is working with a coalition, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, to write a "robust" anti-hate crime law that protects all Utahns.
"The straight, white Mormon will be protected by our law as well as the African-American, gay Muslim will be protected by our law," Troy Williams, Equality Utah executive director said in a Deseret News article.
SB107 would "more clearly define a hate crime as an offense against a person or person's property based on a belief or perception about their ancestry, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion or sexual orientation" according to the article.
Social service advocates call for lawmakers to 'end the earmarks'
About a dozen social service groups gathered for a news conference at the Capitol to protest the more than $500 million earmarks that make it into the state budget, saying the money takes away from human services within the state.
"Earmarks tie the hands of legislators and take away their ability to adjust state spending to meet Utah's ever-evolving needs," the coalition said in a statement according to a Deseret News article.
The coalition includes Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness; the National Alliance on Mental Illness — Utah; Catholic Diocese of SLC Peace and Justice Commission; Comunidades Unidas/Communities United; Community Action Partnership of Utah; Crossroads Urban Center; League of Women Voters of Utah; Utah Housing Coalition; Utah Rivers Council; and Utahns Against Hunger.
Bill would lower age to apply for certain hunting permits
A bill that allows 12-year-olds to apply for specialty hunting permits was unanimously recommended from the House of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee.
HB84, which will move on to the House for further consideration, will allow 12-year-olds to apply for special big game permits and begin accruing bonus points. These bonus points "can not be sold, they cannot be transferred, and they can not be given to your kids" according to sponsor Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork in a Deseret News article.
Bill would allow disabled veterans free access to state parks
Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Millcreek, is sponsoring a bill that would grant honorably discharged veterans who are at least 50 percent disabled to recieve a free day-use pass to state parks.
In a Deseret News article, Hemingway said HB135 would impact 11,000 veterans.
The bill passed the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee unanimously and will go to the full House for further consideration.
2016 session will test Legislature's stand on water issues
Major water issues in the 2016 session include a "move to divert sales tax revenue from transportation to development projects and a $6 million request to study water use," according to a Deseret News article.
Critics of SB80 say it is a sneaky way to pay for two controversial projects — the Lake Powell pipeline or the proposal to divert water from the Bear River by building a dam — but bill sponsor Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams, R-Layton, says the bill is more about putting money aside to address water needs in preparation for a doubling of the state's population by 2050.
Gov. Gary Herbert is the one recommending $6 million to pay for a three-year study by the Utah Division of Drinking Water in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2016.
Other water issues include a bill from Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, SB80, which streamlines the water right claims process; SB28, a bill sponsored by Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, which requires culinary water providers to establish a rate structure that increases with use and establishes a rate increase for every block of water a customer uses; and a resolution Jenkins is running, SCR1, which encourages all water systems to move to universal metering.
Rep. Rob Bishop 'offended' by photos in ads attacking public lands bill (+video)
In an address to lawmakers, Rep. Rob Bishop took "umbrage" with an ad campaign attacking his public lands initiative before it was even unveiled.
"We have no intention of actually selling off the state of Utah," he said in a Deseret News article.
Love's first-year accomplishments include investigating 'industries' related to abortion
In a news conference at the Utah State Capitol, Rep. Mia Love reported on her first year in office, including her appointment to a committee seen as investigating Planned Parenthood.
The committee is about "infant lives, so I am trying to do everything I can to not focus on Planned Parenthood. There are a lot of people in this industry. This is something we don't know very much about," Love said in a Deseret News article.
Bill would be a 'stopgap' for State School Board elections
Members of the Senate Education Committee advanced SB78, a bill that attempts to find a way to select members of the Utah State Board of Education.
The bill is seen as a "stopgap" and a measure that "keeps a solution alive, according to a Deseret News article.
SB78 will continue to the full Senate for consideration.
Bill to ban airport smoking soars through Senate committee
SB61, a bill that would shut down the smoking rooms at the Salt Lake City International Airport, passed through the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously.
Bill sponsor Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, said Salt Lake City is one of seven large airports in the U.S. that still allows smoking rooms, according to a Deseret News article.
Opinion section
In Our Opinion: Human trafficking immoral and inhumane
"Investigators believe that every year in Utah, scores of young people are forced into servitude or sex slavery," writes the Deseret News editorial board. "Once so victimized, they struggle when rescued to find normal lives. They are often impoverished and in poor health, and while there are programs available to assist them, there are credible arguments for investment in additional resources. Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, says she and others on Capitol Hill are crafting legislation that would provide enhanced assistance for victims and increase levels of public awareness."
In Our Opinion: Energy legislation highlights bipartisan support
"The Senate Energy Committee is currently drafting an Energy Bill that would be the first significant energy legislation presented to the Senate in over eight years," writes the Deseret News editorial board. "It’s being prepared in a manner likely to earn broad, bipartisan support."
Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Gubernatorial and legislative dynamics always interesting to watch
"The Utah Legislature is a week old, and Gov. Gary Herbert has outlined his priorities in his State of the State speech," write columnists Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb. "The gubernatorial/legislative dynamics are always interesting to watch."
Email: vromney@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: GinnyRomney