Browsing: Utah

Ogden, UT  — A contentious bill aiming to limit or eliminate collective bargaining rights for public sector labor unions remains on hold, with Utah Senate leaders uncertain about when it will be revisited. House Bill 267, titled “Public Sector Labor Union Amendments,” passed its second reading in the Senate last week but was temporarily postponed on Friday after public backlash and ongoing concerns from lawmakers. Originally, the bill sought to bar public sector unions from engaging in collective bargaining, but a substitute version of the bill was proposed, allowing bargaining under specific conditions. Under the revised proposal, unions could continue…

Ogden, UT — A bill aimed at combating the state’s fentanyl crisis passed through the Utah House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday after an emotional hearing. House Bill 87 (HB87), sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gwynn, R-Farr West, would make it a first-degree felony for individuals to produce, distribute, or traffic fentanyl in the state. The committee approved the bill unanimously, sending it to the full House of Representatives for a vote. Rep. Gwynn, who serves as the police chief of Roy, shared personal stories during the hearing that underscored the severity of the issue. Gwynn, his voice…