State Street

How do you reduce suicide deaths in a pro-gun state where half of those deaths are by firearm? Hosts Sonja Hutson and Emily Means look at Utah’s approach over the years. Plus, a conversation with Rep. Steve Eliason, who’s spearheaded several suicide prevention bills.If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Utah Crisis Line at 801-587-3000 or the Crisis Text Line by texting 741741.

After a summer of protests and counter-protests about police reform, Utah lawmakers have already introduced a number of bills on the issue. Hosts Emily Means and Sonja Hutson look at how Utah found itself ready to talk about police brutality and what reforms are on the table this year.

Did you know Utah lawmakers technically have only ONE thing to do during the legislative session? And do you know what that thing is? Make the state’s budget! It takes the Legislature 45 days to hash it out (and that’s not counting all the staff time to prepare for the session!). But Sonja and Emily can explain how Utah’s budget works in just 15 minutes. Impressive, we know.

45 Days is back with a preview of the 2021 Utah Legislative Session. Spoiler alert: it’s going to be a little bit different this time around. But one of the things that hasn’t changed this year is the Republican supermajority in both chambers. Hosts Emily Means and Sonja Hutson talked with Senate President Stuart Adams and House Minority Leader Brian King about what they hope to get done during this session.

Just in time for Utah's 2021 legislative session, 45 Days is back. We have two new hosts to guide you through the twists and turns of this unprecedented moment: KUER political reporters Sonja Hutson and Emily Means. They'll dive deep into the biggest bills and issues each week. New episodes drop Friday mornings.You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

We know a couple things already about who the capital city’s next mayor will be. She’ll be a Democrat, and she’ll be a woman. Over the next four years, she’ll also have the chance to lead the city on big issues like air quality, homelessness and the inland port.

The 63rd session of the Utah Legislature concluded last night — a little early in fact — drawing to a close about an hour before midnight. Lawmakers outdid themselves this year, passing a record 573 bills. Not to mention balancing a record-setting budget of $19 billion, with bigger investments in air quality, school counselors and retirement benefits for public safety workers. Republican leaders set out with an ambitious agenda to tackle tax reform, which fizzled out. But they did a bunch of other stuff: hate crimes, a beer bill, criminal justice reform and a controversial overhaul of voter-approved Medicaid expansion.

This week three major bills — tax reform, conversion therapy, and 4.8 percent beer — were killed in some form or another. We talk with Katie McKellar from the Deseret News about lawmakers’ efforts to address homelessness and affordable housing, and we’ve noticed a new buzzword popping up in Utah politics recently. Bills & Issues Mentioned in this Episode: Tax reform is dead —for now. After significant changes to a bill that aimed to ban conversion therapy for minors, sponsor Rep. Craig Hall

We know we’re nearing the end of the session when two major bills with big implications drop as the clock winds down. One is the widely anticipated tax reform package and the other bill proposes some significant changes to the inland port created just last year. We sit down with Rep. Robert Spendlove to dive into the new tax bill and find out what things Utahns might soon have to start paying taxes on. Plus, we examine the mixed signals lawmakers are sending about traffic safety.

We’re more than halfway through the legislative session and bills are chuggin’ along. In this week’s episode, we update you on the status of various bills dealing with social issues including hate crimes, abortion, guns and LGBTQ protections. We grab (nonalcoholic) drinks with the beer lobby to talk about their push for heavier brews in grocery stores. And we ask: Why do people care about flags so much?