In an effort to prevent gang violence, lawmakers passed a bill that requires Utah schools to toughen up on gangs.

SB59, which passed the House on a 45-23 vote, would require local school boards and the governing boards of charter schools to implement gang prevention and intervention programs aimed at nipping gang involvement in the bud.

"We're trying to curtail gang activity and get on top of it before it happens," said Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, the House sponsor of the bill. "This gives a standard across the state that everybody needs to be coming up with a gang policy before it's too late."

Opponents of the bill, including Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, and Rep. Keith Grover, R-Provo, were concerned that the bill includes a mandate requiring all school boards to adhere to the law rather than dealing with the problem individually.

"How is it appropriate that we're dictating to districts what they should or should not be doing?" Grover said. "I'm just wondering why we're not presenting this to the local school boards and letting local control take care of this situation."

The mandate, Ray said, would only require school boards to enact a program, but each school board would be left to determine the details and how it will be implemented into the districts.

"We're telling them to enact a policy," Ray said. "We make it very simple, but it helps us to get on top of the problem. Ten years down the road, if we don't do this, we're going to think: 'Why weren't we more pro-active? Why didn't we take this opportunity to make our school a little bit safer for our kids?'"

The bill will now goes to the governor for his final action.