It’s week three of the Legislative session and we caught up with Representative Christine Watkins at the State Capitol on Monday to talk about some of the upcoming bills that are going through committees right now.
First up was House Bill 177 which is a Health Education Amendments bill that deals with the teaching of sex education in schools.
The bill would require that students be taught about consent as well as what does not constitute consent, sexual violence behavioral intervention and sexual assault resources and strategies. The original bill would have had the classes beginning in the first grade.
“Literally I have received phone calls, emails and texts in the hundreds about this bill,” said Representative Watkins, “And with the exception of three, all have been against it.”
The bill headed to the committee is a second substitution and as it reads now the classes would begin in grade seven.
“She has already done two substitutes, I’ve read the original and the second substitute, and I’m still not sure I can support this, especially after the way it started out,” Watkins added.
Up next was Senate Bill 168 a bill on Designated Route Amendments. This bill would allow certain cities and towns to adopt ordinances restricting the use of street legal all-terrain vehicles. The ordinance would mostly cover cities and towns that are close to National Parks and tourist areas.
“The concern comes from Moab and Grand County,” Representative Watkins explained,” They have been overrun with noisy ATV’s and UTV’s because if they are licensed they are legal.” she also went on to talk about how there are businesses in town that rent out these machines as well, but the problem lies with the visitors who bring their own machines.
“Sometimes when people bring their own (machines) they have been modified so they are noisier, and a lot of people in Moab have said they are tired of the noise,” added Watkins.
The bill as it stands would put a ban on the machines from 8 pm to 8 am on roads that are owned or maintained by the city or town.