From Deseret News archives:
Utah County lawmakers discuss host of issues with local leaders
Topics include porn, gambling, tuition bill for illegal students
A major topic of discussion was the bill to repeal a 2002 law allowing undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state tuition for education beyond high school. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem is co-sponsoring the bill.
Currently, undocumented students must be high school graduates and have lived in Utah for at least three years to receive in-state tuition. According to the Utah System of Higher Education, only 182 of these students use the law to their advantage with a total savings of $887,790.
If the bill is passed, undocumented students receiving in-state tuition before May 1, 2007, would continue to get the in-state rate until graduation. The bill is one of many aimed at curbing illegal immigration, whether it is repealing driving privilege cards used by undocumented immigrants or allowing state law enforcement to act in the stead of federal officials to enforce immigration laws.
"(Immigration is) a big problem, and it seems we want to close our eyes to the problem, and we've got to do something," said Provo City Council chairman George Stewart. He urges simplifying the legal immigration process.
Sandstrom is also sponsoring a bill to prevent "gambling-like activities" in private clubs and other organizations.
An example of this is a private club having a "poker night" with chips that have no value, but at the end of the game or competition, the person with the most chips gets a cash prize. This is a loophole in anti-gambling legislation, he said, and his bill will close it.
Utah and Hawaii are the only two states that do not allow any form of gambling. Sandstrom said he wants to keep it that way.
Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, has proposed a resolution asking Congress to control access to pornographic Web sites. The resolution is "asking them to take action because they can take it, it is constitutional, and it will work," he said.
He said computer filters for unwanted content aren't 100 percent effective, sometimes block non-pornographic Web sites and people can easily get around them. Daw's solution is simple, allowing people to control what type of material comes up on their computer screen without a filter.
When a Web site address is entered, a message would accompany the electronic request to open the site, he said.
Web sites would be required to classify their own content according to existing federal guidelines.
Local leaders and lawmakers also discussed the need to provide health care to the uninsured by requiring those beneath the poverty line to pay for "catastrophic" health insurance.
Surprisingly, Utah Valley State College's proposed change to university status wasn't extensively discussed.
E-mail: asnyder@desnews.com
