This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Winner • Homeless advocates. Utah leaders stepped up and put public money where their mouths are in addressing homelessness as a statewide problem.
Loser • Any motorist who ticks above Utah's soon-to-be-toughest-in-the-nation 0.05 BAC limit for drinking and driving.
Winner • People who eat. Lawmakers dumped the regressive plan to hike Utah's food sales tax.
Loser • Victims of hate crimes. The Legislature stubbornly refused to debate a proposed hate-crimes bill in a time of rising fear and xenophobia.
Winner • Utah roads. Lawmakers zipped through a $1 billion borrowing plan to build and maintain roads and highways in the state.
Loser • The National Rifle Association. Gun-friendly lawmakers scuttled a bill legalizing concealed weapons without a permit because of the NRA's hardball tactics.
Winner • Sex assault victims. Mandatory testing all rape kits statewide will help assure more perpetrators are charged and convicted. But lawmakers fell short of full funding.
Loser • Political diversity. Republican supermajorities repealed long-standing law that many boards and commissions cap membership of any single political party (read GOP).