In a vote that nearly didn't happen, the Senate Education Committee passed late Monday a measure meant to change Dixie State University's name after another sometimes-heated debate over the word "Dixie."
HB 278 substitute one passed with a favorable recommendation, six to one, and now moves on to the full Senate. Sen. John D. Johnson, R-Ogden, the committee chair, was the lone vote in opposition.
The proposal moves to the full Senate for consideration but only after some of the original bill's language regarding "Dixie" was softened.
And, unlike the original bill, the revised bill does not explicitly state that the name "Dixie" cannot be used in the school's new name.