This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Amid opposition by members who said it would improperly interfere with parental rights, the House defeated a bill Wednesday that would make leaving children under age 12 alone in a car a Class C misdemeanor.
Ironically, Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry, a Highway Patrol lieutenant who was the House sponsor of SB124, kept repeating to lawmakers that current law imposes much stiffer penalties on parents who leave children in cars, and the bill was intended to lessen that.
"It makes it so parents won't be charged with child neglect or abuse" for leaving children momentarily, and make it more like a traffic ticket, Perry said. "If you want government out of your life, and want it lessened, that is exactly what this bill does."
But the House voted it down 41-29, after a long parade of lawmakers complained that government should let parents decide whether to leave their children alone in cars.
"It's a little too much nanny state for me," said Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman.
"We are crossing the line on personal responsibility on this," said Rep. Christine Watkins, D-Price.
Rep. Bill Wright, R-Holden, said lawmakers who complain about federal interference with the state should not themselves interfere with parents. "We think we're smarter than everyone else. ... Anytime we go this far with anything, we are crossing the line," he said.