This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Rep. Michael Noel - a Republican from Kanab whose grandson died in a rollover last year after forgetting to buckle up - made a passionate plea on Wednesday to boost the penalty for minors not wearing a seat belt.
His colleagues expressed sorrow for Noel's loss, then defeated the bill.
Noel's House Bill 92 would have taken away a driver license for 30 days from minors, 16-18 years old, who are cited for not wearing a seat belt while driving or as a passenger. The bill initially would have made the penalty a misdemeanor, though committee members changed it to an infraction.
The bill failed on a 4-4 tie vote.
