Bill requiring child and pet signs killed

Utah parents are on their own when it comes to remembering not to leave kids and pets in a hot car, because they'll be getting no help from the government this year.

A proposal to require child care centers, public schools and state office buildings to display signs reminding parents about the danger of leaving children and animals in parked cars was tabled by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday.

Bill sponsor Sen. Karen Mayne, D-West Valley, said SB175 was intended to prevent the "tragedy" of children and pets dying in hot cars when busy parents forget about them. She said sheriff's officials told her they have investigated 209 such cases in the past year alone.

"We don't know how many children we can save and how many we can protect from a lapse of memory," Mayne said.

Sen. Allen Christensen, R-Ogden, said he was concerned about the potentially burdensome requirement that signs be displayed at every building entrance. He said he would prefer to see a resolution rather than a law to address the problem.

"I am very much in empathy with what you're trying to do here, but I can't support the bill," Christensen said.

— David Servatius