Font ResizeUtah has another 97 new laws.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed a slew of bills Tuesday that, among other things, prohibit local governments from requiring restaurants to post nutritional information on menus and allow home brewers to legally make their own beer.
The governor also signed a bill aimed at letting physicians more effectively treat gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Huntsman also approved $33 million in federal funding for the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative.
While U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has proposed federal legislation that would require restaurants to publish nutrition information, Utah lawmakers moved to prevent cities or counties from taking such action.
"It's important that if there are to be standards on restaurant nutrition information that we not have different standards across the state," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who sponsored SB213. "There ought to be a statewide standard."
There is no state requirement for listing such nutrition information.
Restaurants would had to have spent about $18,000 to revise menus, said Melva Sine, executive director of the Utah Restaurant Association.
But Gary Edwards, director of the Salt Lake Valley Health Department, was disappointed to see the bill signed into law.
"We as public health officials know that obesity is a significant public health problem, and to be taking potential tools away from people who are able to
Another bill the governor signed is aimed at combating sexually transmitted diseases.
HB17, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Seelig, D-Salt Lake City, would allow a health care professional who prescribes antibiotics to a patient for gonorrhea and chlamydia to write another, nameless prescription for the patient's sexual partner.
"Across the whole state, the rate of STD infection is very high, and these two diseases can make women sterile," Seelig said, adding that such laws have been effective in Washington, New Mexico and Colorado. "These two diseases are asymptomatic. Many women don't find out they're infected until they're sterile."
SB213 » sponsored by Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, prohibits local governments from requiring restaurants to publish nutrition information on menus.
HB17 » sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Seelig, D-Salt Lake City, allows physicians to write antibiotic prescriptions for the unnamed partners of patients with some sexually transmitted diseases.
SB240 » sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, allocates $33 million in federal aid for the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative.
HB51 » sponsored by Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, which allows home brewers to make up to 100 gallons of beer or wine a year without a license.
HB313 »sponsored by Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, makes the adult host of a party where underage drinking occurs pay a fine of $250 on the first offense, plus up to $1,000 of emergency personnel response costs.
SB162 » sponsored by Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, prohibits elected officials from using campaign funds for anything that would require the money to be considered taxable income.
