New anti-idling bill would enhance penalties on bad air days
As the haze of inversion settles over northern Utah valleys this week, the Utah State Legislature is considering a bill that would enhance penalties for idling vehicles on bad air days.
Current anti-idling ordinances aren’t consistent between cities, and in the past the legislature has restricted the ability to enforce ordinances already on the books. S.B. 153, sponsored by Sen. Nate Blouin (D-Salt Lake City), aims to change that.
On top of discouraging idling on bad air days, it would also allow certain local highway authorities to prohibit or restrict certain commercial vehicles from idling. Individuals who report idling violations could receive a reward.
The bill is currently waiting to be introduced in the Senate.
For fourth time, bill is proposed to address low sexual assault prosecution rate
A Utah lawmaker is trying for the fourth year to push a bill that seeks to address Utah’s low sexual assault prosecution rate.
Many sexual assaults go unreported, and even fewer lead to rape charges filed in court. One reason for this may be Utah’s laws around consent.
Currently, Utah’s first-degree felony rape statue often doesn’t cover cases where victims were too inebriated to consent, asleep or who froze up and couldn’t say anything at all.
To combat this, House Minority Leader Angela Romero (D-Salt Lake City) is sponsoring H.B. 162, which would create a third-degree felony offense for instances where a perpetrator didn’t get consent from a victim through words or actions.
This is the fourth time Romero has sponsored an affirmative consent bill in five years. None of the previous bills have made it out of committee.
Plane recovered from Pineview Reservoir after crash
A Cessna 185 plane was recovered from Pineview Reservoir in Ogden Valley over the weekend after crashing and becoming partially submerged.
Authorities responded to the crash Friday afternoon, where the pilot and passenger were able to escape and swim onto the ice before the cockpit was fully submerged in water. There were no reported injuries and both people are now home safe.
After an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Forest Service, the plane was removed from the reservoir on Saturday. The cause of the crash has not been released.
