Salt Lake Tribune
Utah lawmakers are advancing a bill that would require the governor or the state or local health departments to consult with school districts about school mask mandates. This story and more in the Friday morning news brief.
Friday morning, February 19, 2021
State
Gov. Spencer Cox commended state lawmakers Thursday on their progress on police reform. During his
monthly news conference, he said stakeholders have come together to bring about some important changes, like better training for officers. He said he wasn’t sure though why some of the more progressive reform bills have stalled, such as a bill allowing cities to establish police oversight boards. Cox also noted progress has been made without legislation, including empathy training that corrections officers are now getting.
SALT LAKE CITY When a young Black woman from Utah County told a Senate committee of getting pencils thrown in my hair to see if they would stick, she was trying to shed light on a form of discrimination that may not be widely known about in the Beehive State.
And while discussion of SB80 to amend Utah s anti-discrimination laws did raise awareness of how hairstyles can lead to racial discrimination, it also brought questions of whether it is really a problem and prompted an apology from one state lawmaker accused of insensitivity for how he addressed women testifying as well as for telling a story of befriending Black children in a store.
Utah lawmakers meeting in Salt Lake City debate more than doubling subsidies for films that shoot in the Beehive State, raising questions about whether the entertainment industry deserves special incentives.