Subject: ACTION ALERT: Utah
From: James Yorton <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 1996 09:44:53 -0600 (CST)

[ Moderator Note:  This is not a duplicate action alert.  It is
  another call to action on a different phase of the Bill.

  submitted by [email-masked] (Jessea NR Greenman) ]

Charlene Orchard
Co-Chair, Utah Human Rights Coalition
P.O. Box 521242
Salt Lake City, UT  84152-1242
801-484-5291

Late on the last day that Utah Governor Mike Leavitt had to consider passed
legislation, he vetoed  controversial SB246, the bill that would prohibit
private actions of school employees and volunteers if those actions would
undermind the morals of school children and cause a significant disruption
of school activities. The governor said that he feared the bill would
infringe the free speech rights of teachers.

This is a mixed victory because Leavitt has put SB246 on the agenda for an
April 17, one-day, special session of the legislature in order to fix the
language of the bill.

The Utah Human Rights Coalition maintains that SB246 is completely
unnecessary if what it wants to do is prohibit illegal conduct, as the
bill's title reads. Unfortunately, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, the
bill's sponsor, Sen. Craig Taylor "said his intention was to keep gay and
lesbian students from meeting on public school campuses and to discourage
teachers from sponsoring those clubs."   UHRC is very concerned that new
language in SB246 may make its target more clear.

We are urging concerned Utah citizens to call and write their
representatives in the House and Senate and ask them to kill SB246 because
it is unnecessary. It is already illegal for teachers to engage in or
promote illegal conduct.

People outside of Utah who are watching our bewildering activity can help
by calling or writing the House and Senate leadership and ask them why they
feel it is necessary to prohibit what is already prohibited. What are they
really trying to do? The best action would be to delete the language
submitted by Sen. Taylor which amends the existing statute prohibiting
schools from supporting illegal conduct.

Lane Beattie
President
(R)
1313 North 1100 West
West Bountiful, Utah
84087 H-292-7406 O-298-7000

Craig A. Peterson
Majority Leader
(R)
1687 North 200 West
Orem, Utah 84057
H-226-3236 O-756-8888

Leonard M. Blackham
Majority Whip
(R)
P.O. Box 255
Moroni, Utah 84646
H-436-8489 O-436-8125

Scott N. Howell
Minority Leader
(D)
9711 South 3725 East
Sandy, Utah 84092
H-943-5770 O-328-6643

George Mantes
Minority Whip
(D)
185 North Main Suite 201
Tooele, Utah 84074
H-882-4856 SLC-531-8157

Leonard M. Blackham
Majority Whip
(R)
P.O. Box 255
Moroni, Utah 84646
H-436-8489 O-436-8125
-----

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