Governor signs special session bills

Gov. Olene Walker signed into law Friday all four of the bills passed during this week's special session of the Legislature.

The most costly bill exempts members of the National Guard and the reserves who were deployed overseas from paying state income tax on their 2004 military earnings. It carries a price tag of $5.5 million.

Another $3 million will be spent on upgrades at the state prison in Draper to accommodate a growing female inmate population. And a total of $152,000 will be used to protect the archaeological finds at the state-owned ranch in Range Creek.

Also signed was a bill intended to correct problems with a banking bill passed last session.