Latest news with #ScottSandall
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion: Thank you, Rep. Hall and Sen. Sandall, for protecting Utah's health care workers
Healthcare costs are too high and getting worse — that much we all know. What fewer people see is why. As an attorney who defends healthcare providers, I've witnessed firsthand how our legal system, when distorted, can drive good doctors out of practice, complicate the resolution of legitimate claims and quietly make healthcare more expensive for everyone. That's why I was heartened to see Representative Katy Hall and Senator Scott Sandall champion HB503 — a bold, fair-minded reform aimed at one of the most unjust quirks of our courts: the use of 'phantom damages.' Phantom damages are inflated medical costs presented to juries in court — even though no one ever paid them, nor was expected to. Here's how it works: A plaintiff introduces a hospital bill showing the full 'sticker price' for medical care — often wildly inflated and far above what insurers or patients actually pay. But the defense? We're barred from explaining that the real cost — the amount actually accepted by the provider — was just a fraction of that sticker price. So the jury, kept in the dark, may base their verdict on a fiction. The result? A system that rewards inflated claims, punishes transparency and drives up the cost of care for everyone — not just the defendant in a particular case. HB503 helps restore fairness and common sense. It ensures that damages reflect real costs — not contrived figures that serve no one but those looking to inflate verdicts. When our courts traffic in phantom numbers, they don't just hurt doctors and hospitals. They harm patients. They strain insurance systems. They chip away at access to care in communities that need it most. That's why the Utah Medical Association, Copic and physicians across the state rallied behind this legislation. They know what's at stake. On behalf of the dedicated professionals I work with every day — and the Utah families who depend on them — I thank Rep. Hall and Sen. Sandall for their courage. They stood up and delivered a win for healthcare access, legal integrity and economic sanity. If we're serious about controlling healthcare costs and protecting access to care, we need more legislation like HB503.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kids learn about key women in Utah's history, and lawmakers join in the fun
Just hours before a bill to codify the Utah Women's History Initiative advanced through House committee, hundreds of students made their way through the Capitol learning about key women in Utah's history for Utah Women Making History Day. SB161 is sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and would help to codify multiple initiatives and organizations within the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. The bill, which includes the Utah Women's History Initiative, was heard in the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee on the same day as Utah Women Making History Day was celebrated at the Capitol. The bill already passed through the Senate and will now go to the House floor for a final vote. On Tuesday, hundreds of students from around Utah came to the Capitol for the sixth annual Utah Women Making History Day, put on by the Utah Women's History Initiative and Better Days. The event featured a variety of displays where children could visit to learn more about prominent women in Utah's history. The displays and booths were set up by partner organizations such as the Utah Education Network, the State Board of Education and Women's Leadership Institute. 'We try to align community organizations talking about a woman doing that same work that they do today. So it's pretty fun,' said Katherine Kitterman, who manages the Utah Women's History Initiative. During the event, students were able to interact with a member of the Lieutenant Governor's Office of Elections who was portraying Seraph Young Ford, the first woman to vote in Utah. They were also able to complete certain tasks, and visit a number of booths in order to receive a prize at the end. The students also learned about other women such as Reva Beck Bosone, who was Utah's first female judge; she was also a state legislator and radio and TV host. At one booth, they were able to meet female mayors who are currently serving around the state. A group of students gathered in the Capitol's Gold Room to hear from Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who spoke about women in Utah's history, such as Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman in the U.S. to be elected to a state senate. Henderson also shared her own experience being a woman in the Utah Senate and how she got to where she is today. 'If it's worth doing, it's not going to be easy, and that's one thing that you should always remember, that just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Often, it means you should,' Henderson said. 'And the more you do hard things, the tougher you get.' This event was first started in 2020 as a celebration for the 150th anniversary of the first votes cast by women in Utah. 'Better Days had started this, again to honor that anniversary of voting rights and also to show kids, look at the rich legacy of leadership that we have here in this state,' Kitterman said. 'Look at the women who've come before us and paved the way, who have seen a problem and done something to solve it, or stood up, or gathered folks together to make a difference.' There are nine divisions within the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement and SB161 covers five of them; the Utah State Library, the Utah Historical Society, the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism, the Division of Arts and Museums and the State Historic Preservation office. The bill would codify the Utah Women's History Initiative, which was funded in 2021 but is not yet in code. The purpose of the initiative is to educate the Utah public on women's contributions to the state's history and support relevant historical and cultural organizations. SB161 would provide updates to the Utah Service Fellowship which is a part of the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism. In the Division of Arts and Museums, it would change the grant eligibility criteria. The fifth division that is affected by the bill is the State Historic Preservation Office, which under that bill would see technical changes.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kids learn about key women in Utah's history, and lawmakers join in the fun
Just hours before a bill to codify the Utah Women's History Initiative advanced through House committee, hundreds of students made their way through the Capitol learning about key women in Utah's history for Utah Women Making History Day. SB161 is sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and would help to codify multiple initiatives and organizations within the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. The bill, which includes the Utah Women's History Initiative, was heard in the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee on the same day as Utah Women Making History Day was celebrated at the Capitol. The bill already passed through the Senate and will now go to the House floor for a final vote. On Tuesday, hundreds of students from around Utah came to the Capitol for the sixth annual Utah Women Making History Day, put on by the Utah Women's History Initiative and Better Days. The event featured a variety of displays where children could visit to learn more about prominent women in Utah's history. The displays and booths were set up by partner organizations such as the Utah Education Network, the State Board of Education and Women's Leadership Institute. 'We try to align community organizations talking about a woman doing that same work that they do today. So it's pretty fun,' said Katherine Kitterman, who manages the Utah Women's History Initiative. During the event, students were able to interact with a member of the Lieutenant Governor's Office of Elections who was portraying Seraph Young Ford, the first woman to vote in Utah. They were also able to complete certain tasks, and visit a number of booths in order to receive a prize at the end. The students also learned about other women such as Reva Beck Bosone, who was Utah's first female judge; she was also a state legislator and radio and TV host. At one booth, they were able to meet female mayors who are currently serving around the state. A group of students gathered in the Capitol's Gold Room to hear from Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who spoke about women in Utah's history, such as Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman in the U.S. to be elected to a state senate. Henderson also shared her own experience being a woman in the Utah Senate and how she got to where she is today. 'If it's worth doing, it's not going to be easy, and that's one thing that you should always remember, that just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Often, it means you should,' Henderson said. 'And the more you do hard things, the tougher you get.' This event was first started in 2020 as a celebration for the 150th anniversary of the first votes cast by women in Utah. 'Better Days had started this, again to honor that anniversary of voting rights and also to show kids, look at the rich legacy of leadership that we have here in this state,' Kitterman said. 'Look at the women who've come before us and paved the way, who have seen a problem and done something to solve it, or stood up, or gathered folks together to make a difference.' There are nine divisions within the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement and SB161 covers five of them; the Utah State Library, the Utah Historical Society, the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism, the Division of Arts and Museums and the State Historic Preservation office. The bill would codify the Utah Women's History Initiative, which was funded in 2021 but is not yet in code. The purpose of the initiative is to educate the Utah public on women's contributions to the state's history and support relevant historical and cultural organizations. SB161 would provide updates to the Utah Service Fellowship which is a part of the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism. In the Division of Arts and Museums, it would change the grant eligibility criteria. The fifth division that is affected by the bill is the State Historic Preservation Office, which under that bill would see technical changes.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed bill would trim training hours for barbers and cosmetologists
SALT LAKE CITY () — Senate Bill 330 advanced from the Business and Labor Committee Wednesday by a vote of 5-1. The bill amends the requirements to get a license as a barber or cosmetologist. The , sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall (R), would also create micro-licenses or permits. This would allow people who are interested in a specific field to specialize and not go through full training. For example, to get a license as a master esthetician, it would require 1,200 training hours. But if you're only interested in doing nails, that would take 300 hours. Eyebrows? Just 270 hours. Supporters say it helps more people get into the business while saving on time and money. Stylist Rhonda Halliday likes that idea, saying, 'The micro-licensing and the letting students have access to these programs without having to go through only beauty schools to get them.' Barbers, however, say that dropping their hours from 1,000 to a 130 training hour permit doesn't make the cut. Richard Hite owns The Barber School in Midvale and completely opposes the idea of a barber getting a permit after 130 hours. He explained, 'These are craftsmen. These people are highly skilled people that provide a craft that can't be duplicated by a stupid certificate for 130 hours.' Hite also believes the shorter hours would be bad for business. He claims that while it would open the door to more barbers, it would also open it to bad quality. 'The public eventually is going to say, 'Hey, I'm not getting a consistent haircut. I'm out of here. I'm going to go somewhere else,'' Hite said. 'So, the barber is no longer able to hire people because there's no qualified people out there in the pool to be hired.' Jeff Shumway, the director of the Office of Professional Licensure Review, says the office would have supported even lower hours. He says they arrived at these hours by studying health professionals and the requirements they meet in certain training. They believe the license is issued to make sure standards of health and safety are met — not whether or not your barber can line you up correctly or perfect a fade. 'It doesn't necessarily say you're going to get, you know, exactly the haircut you want, but it's going to be safe. You're not going to get sick. You're not going to get hurt,' Shumway explained. Hite and other barbers in attendance disagree. Dave Broderick, a local barber, referenced his ability to detect worrisome issues with his clients' skin. He mentioned two instances where he referred clients to dermatologists, and they found cancer — something he says his experience and training enable him to spot out. Hite says 130 hours just isn't enough. 'It just satisfies that you've seen the words 'health and safety' somewhere, maybe in a book, and that you're no longer a health risk to the public. That's all that they care about.' Sen. Sandall admits the bill's current form isn't perfect. In fact, he has 22 changes (and counting) that he wants to make in a substitute bill based on the feedback he received. Committee Chair Evan Vickers was the lone vote against the bill, citing it not being done as his reason. He pledged to help make sure the bill addresses the concerns as it moves through the process. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Axios
X Games to celebrate 30th anniversary in Salt Lake City
The X Games are turning 30 and want to celebrate in Utah's capital. Driving the news: The X Games are partnering with Salt Lake County to bring a sports festival to Utah State Fairpark June 27-29, featuring the world's best BMX and motocross riders and skateboarders while honoring their history. More than 100 athletes will compete for over $1 million in prize money. The action sports competition is also holding events in Osaka, Japan, and Sacramento, California, this summer. Why it matters: Summer events can draw as many as 100,000 people to a metro area, X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom said at a Thursday news briefing, joined by athletes and city and state leaders. The intrigue: State Sen. Scott Sandall (R-Tremonton), who attended the press conference, wants the X Games to return and extend their one-year contract. Sandall chairs the Utah Fairpark Area Investment and Restoration District Board. Bloom said the X Games are interested in pursuing long-term partnerships with cities and hope to be in Salt Lake City for "many years to come." "We're having those conversations," he noted. What's next: Tickets are set to go on sale next month. Starting next year, the X Games are planning to transition from an event model to a global team-based format, following in the footsteps of Formula One. Catch up quick: The announcement comes months after Salt Lake City was selected as the host city for the 2034 Winter Olympic Games.
