Bills introduced during Utah’s special legislative session are now receiving public hearings. Lawmakers are inviting community input on proposed legislation, allowing residents to voice opinions and influence the decision-making process before votes are taken.

Utah

Utah legislators are considering a range of bills during a special session, with several measures open for public comment. Among the proposals is a bill aimed at granting the state more flexibility to manage the Great Salt Lake's water levels, which has drawn mixed reactions from the public. Other bills under review include changes to vehicle emissions inspections for diesel trucks, amendments to the process for appointing the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and adjustments to election record access. Additionally, lawmakers are addressing technical corrections to previously passed legislation. The session features a focus on compromise, with input from both the public and state officials.

Utah special session bills open for public hearings

I've told you about some of the bills already in the works for the special session, but one that the governor vetoed may now make a comeback. Right now the lake is about three feet higher than its lowest level, right? So they just need a little more flexibility to be able to act in the situation that we're in right now. Representative Jill Covert is running a new bill designed to help the Great Salt Lake. It gives the state the power to make snap decisions about this berm that divides the north and south arms in an effort to help the lake that continues to shrink. Nobody wants to cut off the arm and nobody wants to do that permanently, but if we can adjust those lake levels and do that in a way that makes sense when we need to, that's what we're trying to accomplish. Years of promises regarding a Great Salt Lake rescue plan ring hollow. In a hearing, public comment was mixed. I do support giving the Forestry Fire and State Lands Division the flexibility they need to manage the Great Salt Lake, but I ask that both you and them consider dusk mitigation and potential re-wetting of the lake bed. While this may appear to address low lake levels, it does not solve the root cause of the lake drying. But Representative Covert insists this won't be permanent and they only get 18 months to raise the berm. In next month's special session, lawmakers will also consider a bill tweaking vehicle emissions inspection requirements for diesel trucks. What we have here, this judiciary amendments bill, is a compromise bill that we've been negotiating with the governor. Legislators are resurrecting a bill Governor Spencer Cox vetoed. It still lets the governor appoint the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, but instead of requiring them to return to the legislature every four years, there's an eight-year term limit for the Chief Justice. And encourage each of you to support the bill. On Wednesday, Utahns had the chance to comment on the bill. Leave it alone. We should not have one person choosing the Chief Justice. Another bill is one Governor Cox complained about. It deals with election records and who can see what. The governor worried it dumped too much on county clerks who run elections. We've worked together and I would say that there's stuff that I wanted that I'm not getting and I'm sure that there are things that maybe the elections people want, but they're not getting. But that's what compromise is all about. There were also cleanup bills planned for the special session. Now, these are bills that passed the legislature, were signed by the governor, but they had some technical problems emerge. One deals with property managed licensing, another higher education code, and one dealing with county council redistricting. On the Hill, Ben Winslow, FOX 13 News, Utah.

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