Legislative Bills

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HB0098 | Sexual Offense Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill creates the offense of sexual conduct without affirmative consent.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill creates a third degree felony offense of sexual conduct without affirmative consent; amends the Sex and Kidnap Offender Registry to include the offense of sex conduct without affirmative consent.

Bill Details
Year: 
2022
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 04, 2022
Sponsor
Representative
Democrat - District 26
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

This law would help victims of sexual assault by closing the gap of sexual conduct without affirmative consent. Currently defendants can escape criminal liability for engaging in sex where the victim is not consenting, through avoiding awareness of the victim's non-consent, such an an inebriated or sleeping victim, or when the victim "freezes" due to fear.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations promote and support the adoption and
enforcement of laws, at all levels of government, to end the recruitment, force or involvement
of a minor in conduct or violence of a sexually nature and all forms of sexual exploitation;
and be it further

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations encourage and call for members, policy
makers, schools and community organizations to actively raise awareness and to address
those conditions and situations that contribute to the sexual exploitation of a minor

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.

HB0099S01 | Enhanced Kindergarten Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill addresses requirements and funding for optional enhanced kindergarten.

Bill Details
Year: 
2020
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 28, 2020
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 74
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$10,000,000
This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2021: to the State Board of Education - Minimum School Program - Related to Basic School Programs, as an ongoing appropriation: from the Education Fund, $9,955,000; and to the State Board of Education - MSP Categorical Program Administration, as an ongoing appropriation: from the Education Fund, $45,000.
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

This bill addresses requirements and funding for optional enhanced kindergarten. Optional extended day kindergarten contributes to increased school readiness, leads to higher academic achievement, enhances social and emotional learning of a child and supports literacy and language development. 

Commission: 
Family Life
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA supports the expansion of optional full-day kindergarten programs for students in need of support to achieve minimal learning standards and requests increased funding to support such expansion.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

1.Support education legislation which maintains the constitutional guarantee that the Legislature shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a public education system, which shall be open to all children of the state; and that all revenue from a tax on income shall be used to support the system of public education and higher education.

2. Support education appropriations which fully fund enrollment growth and increase the WPU by 6%.

National PTA Public Policy Agenda

National PTA's 2019-2020 Public Policy Agenda

Early Learning and Childhood Education: The PTA has advocated for over a century to provide affordable, accessible and high-quality early education programs to all children, such as universal kindergarten. It is critical to PTA’s mission to empower all families with the tools and practices they need to effectively engage in their child’s education and development, starting at the earliest stages.

https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/federal-legislation/Public-Policy-Agen...

HB0099 | Sex Offender Restrictions Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill increases the penalty for repeat offenders of sex offender restrictions.

Highlighted Provisions: 

12 ▸ increases the penalty for repeat offenders of sex offender restrictions; and
13 ▸ makes technical changes.

Bill Details
Year: 
2023
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 14, 2023
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 54
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

Children should be safe in their community and should be protected from dangerous individuals. Children should be protected from sex offenders in public places where children congregate. If sex offenders ignore the restrictions placed upon them, then the penalties should be increased to encourage compliance.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations advocate for adequate laws to protect children in all areas of child abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and exploitation

Resolved, That state laws and local ordinances be monitored to assure adequate safety
regulations for the protection of children and youth;

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.

COMMITMENT: We are dedicated to children’s educational success, health, and well-being through strong family and community engagement, while remaining accountable to the principles upon which our association was founded.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

5. SAFETY. Support evidence-based community violence intervention and means reduction strategies.

 

HB0101S02 | Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements

Description
General Description: 

This bill addresses law enforcement reporting requirements.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill requires the Bureau of Criminal Identification to collect statistics on the source of firearms recovered from restricted persons

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 13, 2024
Sponsor
Representative
Democrat - District 23
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

No parent should have to fear for the safety of their child every time they leave home. Unfortunately, far too often, lives are lost or changed forever due to gun violence. This bill will collect statistics on the sources where restricted persons obtained recovered firearms, and will therefore inform policy makers and allow them to address these problems.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, The Utah PTA support collaboration among criminal justice, public health, medical, educational, and other organizations interested in this problem;

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.

To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

SAFETY: Support funding to strengthen school safety measures. This includes the improvement of school infrastructure to ensure safety and security, implementation of comprehensive safety training, adoption of evidence-based strategies for community violence intervention and means reduction, as well as the education of families and communities on school safety protocols, children's online security, and the assessment of digital threats posed to schools across Utah.

National PTA Public Policy Agenda

Enhance the physical safety of school buildings, address environmental health hazards and invest in disaster preparedness through emergency planning, infrastructure improvements and physical security measures without undermining the school environment or causing psychological harm through trainings, lock downs or responses to false threats of violence, also known as “swatting.”

HB0101 | Distracted Driver Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends provisions related to the use of a handheld wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle.

Bill Details
Year: 
2020
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 12, 2020
Sponsor
Representative
Democrat - District 37
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

The changes would increase the ability to enforce the law by not allowing any manual manipulation and thereby making Utah roads safer for all.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

National PTA Resolution on Distracted Driving
Resolved, That PTA and its constituent associations support the adoption and enforcement of laws that restrict the manipulation of handheld and portable communication devices while driving;