Politics

Utah lawmakers have declined to extend a 15-year truck ban on a scenic highway north of Salt Lake City. A state Senate committee last week voted down a measure that sought to push the ban's expiration date to July 2022.

Trucks will be allowed to travel on the more than 11-mile (18-kilometer) stretch of Legacy Parkway in Davis County in January 2020.

The ban was enacted to settle a lawsuit between the state and environmental groups, which had blocked the construction of the highway in an effort to protect wetlands and wildlife.

A proposal to raise low alcohol limits for beer sold at Utah grocery stores has cleared its first hurdle.

The unanimous committee vote on Thursday came despite opposition from substance-abuse counselors and people worried about children getting higher-alcohol beer.

Many local craft brewers are also against it, saying it would require them to modify their products while allowing larger breweries to keep store shelf space.

The proposal would increase the alcohol limit from 3.2 percent to 4.8 percent by weight.

 A Utah Senate committee has approved legislation barring abortions sought because a fetus has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.

This is the second year the bill has been introduced, and the committee vote on Wednesday came after the sponsor added language addressing concerns that the bill could be unconstitutional.

A Utah House committee has passed a bill that would ban even holding a cellphone while driving.

The House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted Wednesday to recommend the bill.

The bill, sponsored by House Minority Whip Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, makes any handheld use of a cellphone illegal while driving, even when using the phone for navigation and voice communication.

A panel of Utah lawmakers has unanimously approved removing a provision in the state constitution that allows slavery as punishment for a crime. The Tuesday vote came after religious leaders, activists and others spoke up to say slavery doesn't belong anywhere in state documents.

A fast-moving proposal to scale back a voter-approved Medicaid expansion in Utah passed the state Senate on Monday over protests from activists who say it guts a plan the majority of voters want.

The Utah House has passed a proposal to create a committee to review drug overdose deaths. The measure would also create an opioid fatality examiner position and enhance state databases to help study the nationwide opioid crisis in Utah.

A state analysis shows Utah lawmakers' plan to reduce the number of people covered by a voter-passed Medicaid expansion could cost nearly $72 million before expected savings begin.

The Utah House has passed a plan to allow candidates running for office to pay for child care with campaign funds. The Thursday vote of 72-1 comes as a number of states weigh the question following a record-setting year for women running for office. It now goes to the Senate.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert increased his tax-cut proposal to $225 million on Wednesday as he pressed his call to restructure the tax system by putting new taxes on services, a project he called the state's No. 1 priority.

Utah lawmakers have advanced a proposal to replace the full Medicaid expansion approved by voters in November. Ogden Republican Sen. Allen Christensen's SB96 got a favorable recommendation from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday.

Utah voters approved a ballot measure last year to enact full Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, bringing health care to 100,000 lower-income residents.