Rundown

With less than a week to go in the session here is where many of the bills we have discussed lie:

Through the Legislature and on to the Governor:
HB 256 Jessica's Law for Sex Offenders
HB 286 Permanent Teacher License Revocation for Sexual Activity with Students
HB 327 Enticing a Minor by Electronic Means

These bills will probably not make it:
SB 14 Smoking Ban in Motor Vehicles With Kids Present
SB 173 Sen. McCoy's Renewable Energy Bill
HB 266 I.B. Program Increase in Funding

These bills are somewhere in between:
HB 140 Child Restraint Devices until Age 8
HB 194 Reduce Class Sizes K-3
HB 241 Repealing Instate Tuition for Illegal Immigrants
HB 326 Increasing CHIP Enrollment
HB 406 Raising Speed Limit in some areas on I-15
SB 37 Sports for Home-Schoolers
SB 93 Direct Entry Midwife Amendments
SB 35 More Pay for Math & Science Teachers
SB 180 $1,000 Regent's Scholarships

Most of the bills above I think will make it through. The big news the last couple days has been about the budget. It looks like teachers will get a $1700 increase, and the WPU will increase by 2.5 %, both short of what was aimed for in the beginning ($2500 for teachers, and Gov. Huntsman wanted a 7 % increase in the WPU).

The bill addressing Direct Entry Midwives went through 7 substitutions, before a compromise was finally reached. Both sides spoke in favor of the final bill in a House committee yesterday.

A substitute of HB 241 Repealing Instate Tuition of Illegal Immigrants has been submitted by the Senate sponsor. It is a much more 'compassionate' bill - fitting the immigration buzz word for the session.

If your children are home-schooled and you have been tracking the progress of SB 37, I think it may not have the support to make it through the House. Right now the bill is in the Rules Committee, to be either assigned out to a Standing Committee or die there.

We'll probably be driving faster on I-15 to St. George and buckling the kids in car seats until age 8. I'll let you know if these bills actually make it and when they will take effect if they do, it is usually on July 1.