From Deseret News archives:
Huntsman calls session to tackle school splits
The special session will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday to address four bills on those issues.
Two bills pertain to questions arising in splitting Granite and Jordan districts, including concerns that the west sides of those districts would be stuck with rising enrollments and not enough money to construct buildings to accommodate that growth.
A bill that sets up a countywide building equalization fund is listed on the governor's call for the session, rather than a statewide option, as several legislators had hoped.
Lawmakers will also be asked to deal with Utah's animal-cruelty law, in a measure that would give prosecutors the ability to increase the penalty to a felony in certain cases of egregious animal torture.
Animal-protection advocates have pushed for Henry's Law, named after a small mixed-breed dog that was placed in an oven and baked for several minutes. The dog suffered burns, and its toes on its paws were fused together. In an earlier attack, the dog lost an eye when it was beaten with a leaf blower.
The owner's ex-husband was convicted of a Class A misdemeanor — the highest criminal penalty allowed under Utah's statute — for abusing the dog.
Utah is one of nine states that lack a felony provision for animal-cruelty cases, despite several repeat attempts in legislative sessions to get one on the books. Opponents fear enhancement of the penalties could hamper practices in animal husbandry or criminalize activities carried out by veterinarians or zookeepers, although exceptions have been detailed in previous legislative proposals.
Motivated by Henry's abuse and the bill's lack of passage in the last legislative sessions, supporters had gathered signatures petitioning Huntsman for a special session and held protests at the Governor's Mansion.
Huntsman spokeswoman Jami Palmer said the governor supported the bill in the most recent legislative session, but legislators did not reach a consensus on the issue.
"Gov. Huntsman believes this legislation is very important and a progressive step in the right direction in how we can all better treat animals," she said.
In other business, lawmakers at the special session will address adding new beds for the inmate population in Utah. Officials want to expand the Garfield County Jail, an expansion that would typically entail having the Department of Corrections lease up to 80 beds to house state prisoners.
