Legislative bills passed: 477; Herbert vetoes: 2

SALT LAKE CITY — Of the 477 bills Utah lawmakers passed this year, Gov. Gary Herbert vetoed two, both involving public schools.

On Wednesday, the governor struck down HB414, which required school districts to use bond revenues to fund seismic studies of existing buildings.

Herbert called it a "friendly" veto over technical issues that he said would impede a district’s ability to issue tax-exempt bonds. He said he would support an amended bill that corrects those problems.

Earlier this month, he vetoed HB363, the controversial sex education bill that would have forced school districts to teach abstinence-only or nothing at all. It prohibited instruction on contraceptives, intercourse and homosexuality. Herbert said existing law allows parents to choose if and how their children will receive instruction on those topics.

Overall, 2012 legislative session decisions were good for Utah, he said.

“Both political parties came together on critical issues to find common sense solutions,” Herbert said. “Most importantly, we prioritized correctly and funded education efforts."

Public education received about $112 million in additional funding for the budget year beginning July 1.

— Dennis Romboy Twitter: dennisromboy