Gov. Cox vetoes bill that would rework part of education funding
Governor Spencer Cox has vetoed a bill that would change how property taxes are used for education.
Currently, most property tax money goes directly to local school districts, but the recently-passed Senate Bill 37 would take that money and put it in the state’s general fund before being distributed to districts.
In a letter to Senate President J. Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz, Cox said the bill left technical and legal questions unanswered, such as whether those property tax dollars would still be restricted for education use once they were placed in the general fund.
He said the bill also set up a complicated system where school districts would have to track these dollars as both incoming and outgoing revenue.
The Utah Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, supported Cox’s veto. Senate President J. Stuart Adams disagreed with Cox’s decision and hinted at the possibility of a veto override in a statement to FOX 13 News.
Judge upholds Utah’s flavored vape ban, blocks surprise inspections
A federal judge has upheld Utah’s ban on flavored vapes — with a caveat.
The Utah Vapor Business Association is suing Utah over a law passed last year that banned selling flavored vape juices and allowed for warrantless inspections of businesses that might sell such products.
The association argued that the availability of flavored vapes was already limited and closely monitored, as they’re only legally available at retail tobacco businesses. They also argued the surprise inspections violated their Fourth Amendment right against illegal search and seizure.
A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in late December, delaying the restrictions from going into effect until the court made a decision on the business association’s complaint.
In a ruling late Monday, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow allowed the ban to go through, but blocked state officials from making surprise inspections, saying the plaintiffs were substantially likely to succeed on their Fourth Amendment challenge.
