HB 60 Vaccine Passport Amendments (Substitute 1)
Please contact members of the House Business and Labor Committee and urge them to vote YES on HB 60 1st Substitute.

WE NEED YOU! It is vitally important that you come and show your support FOR this bill. It is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, February 15 at 4:00 p.m. in room 445 of the Capitol.
(Contact information for committee members can be found below.)
 
HB 60 Sub. 1 primarily does the following:

• Prohibits "vaccine passports" as a condition of participation in the private sector, as most individuals perceive the concept of a vaccine passport.
• Prohibits any government entity from denying services to an individual on the basis of the individual's "vaccination status" including whether the individual has an immunity passport
• Prohibits government and private employers from discriminating against their employees on the basis of the employee's "vaccination status" including whether the individual has an immunity passport
• Prohibits a governmental entity or most employers from requiring an individual to receive a vaccine.

This bill protects both businesses AND the citizens of Utah. This would prohibit the use of someone's immunity status by places of public accommodation, governmental entities, and by most employers.

This is the way to free up businesses to do business, without the loss of time, focus, and revenue caused by the need to screen employees and/or customers. It also creates a safe atmosphere where employers, customers, and employees can interact without discrimination based upon health care decisions.

With HB 60 (Sub.1), the government is doing its primary job: protecting individual rights!
 
Please find the bill here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/hbillint/HB0060S01.pdf

Beloved Music Teacher at Draper Park Middle School for being required to teach the Social Emotional Learning program "Second Step" (shared with permission). They didn't even give his last 2 weeks:

My Dear DPMS families,
This is a difficult email to write.

I have given notice to the School and District of my resignation. I will be leaving Draper Park Middle School within the next two school weeks. This has been a heart-rending decision. I love working with your children, watching them grow and develop. I will miss being with them very much.

I know that this will come as a surprise. It has come as a surprise to me and my family. I intended to be at DPMS for years to come. Unfortunately the social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, “Second Step” was rolled out to Draper Park MS this year. Because I felt uncomfortable when our Admin announced that we would be implementing this program, I spent time reviewing the lessons, videos, teacher scripts, and student handouts from unit 1 for 7th grade curriculum, which is what I would be teaching. The more I watched and read, the more uncomfortable I became.

As a rule, I think that most people will agree that the skills, which the Second Step curriculum is supposed to teach students, are good and helpful. But way that these skills are presented in the Second Step Curriculum is concerning enough to me that I cannot, in good conscience, present the material to my students; material which teaches students that their parents are “roadblocks” to their goals; material which contains propaganda, and encourages students to become activists, among other things. I am especially uncomfortable with the anti-family undertone I have found find in the “Second Step” curriculum (particularly regarding the relationship between the students and their parents, which the curriculum occasionally calls “other generations”.) I am very concerned that this is in our schools.

I shared a detailed list of my concerns with our school Administration, who referred the issue to School Performance at the District level. At every level of interaction with school and district administrators I was treated better than I expected to be. (Parenthetically, Dr. Watts is perhaps the finest, most evenhanded administrator that I have had the pleasure to work with. His hands are tied in this situation. But even so, he has done more than I deserve to support me as we wrestled through this issue. We are fortunate to have him at Draper Park Middle.) My concerns were listened to, and a group at the district have taken the time to look at the relevant content to understand my concerns. Unfortunately, in the end, district personnel kindly told me that that my concerns are unfounded, and that I was seeing what I was “looking for”. They further indicated that the program, as applied in other schools through the district, is working well and helping achieve what they want. I was told that, as a teacher in the district, I am required to teach the concepts from the provided “Second Step” curriculum.
As a kind of compromise, I was offered some small flexibility in the way that I teach the material to the students, as guided an assigned district personnel. But having someone else tell me what I have to teach from a curriculum, which I believe doesn’t belong in the school, is even less appealing than the alternative.

I have advocated for total transparency of the curriculum for parent review, and an opt-out option for parents who are uncomfortable with the course. Because “Second Step” is a copyrighted program requiring a purchased license to access the content, parents can only review the lessons being taught to their students by going into the district office and having district personnel show it to them. No opt-out option will be offered.

I don’t expect all of you to agree with my decision, or that, given the same material to review, you would all feel reason for concern. But I hope that you will understand why I have felt the need to resign: that I cannot teach content to your children that I believe is harmful.

I also want you to know that I have not shared, and will not share, all that I am sharing with you with my students. I do not want to influence your children’s perception of the school, the “Second Step” program, or give them preconceptions about things which might make their time at the school more difficult or stressful. I will tell them that I was asked by the district to do something that I couldn’t do with a clear conscience, but will indicate that I have written to you with more detail so that you can share as much or as little of my concerns as you feel is appropriate.

I hope that you, and your children, will think kindly of me as we part ways. I have tried all that I know to find an acceptable solution which would allow me to stay. I wish all of you, your students, the school and the choir program all the best.

Sincerely,
Sam Crowley

On Thursday, April 16, at 9:00 am, the Utah Legislature will have a special session to consider multiple bills dealing with issues from the Coronavirus such as government operations, allocation of taxes, elections, worker’s compensation, right to try investigational drugs, unemployment benefits and emergency operations during the pandemic and to establish procedures for future emergencies.  So far, they have posted 10 bills and 2 resolutions that they will be considering.  They could post more.  It is important that we all call our representatives and legislative leadership and let them know how important it is to get people back to work. 
 
If we don’t do something very soon, we could have conditions similar to the “Great Depression” of the 1930s. Most everyone who lived during that time is gone, but we had parents and grandparent who told us the stories about the unbelievably high unemployment, individuals and families standing in long soup lines just to get something to eat, losing all they owned including their homes and, of course, there were those who actually committed suicide because they lost everything, had no means of support, and little hope.  They couldn’t pay their employees or their own obligations.
 
Our generation talks about the 2008-2009 “Great Recession”.  That is not what I am talking about.  We all survived that with very few consequences or discomfort.  We are experiencing for the first time in our lives, a pandemic, and because of that our life has changed. For the first time in our lives we are not able to move around freely from place to place.  We are being told that we cannot get in our car and drive to the:

• Department store,
• Stop and visit friends and family,
• Go to the gym to workout,
• Get a haircut,
• Take our family to a movie,
• Or even go to church,
• Etc, etc, etc.

 
I am not suggesting that we should throw caution to the wind and go and do all these things, but when so many businesses are being forced to close by government order, they may be crossing the line between the common good and restricting liberty. I understand that in times of crisis, government can overreact in an effort to protect the public, but legislators must always protect our personal liberties first, and we must remember that with liberty comes responsibility. It is not the proper role of government to force businesses to close, but we must be responsible in the personal choices we make. We must protect ourselves and our families, as well as others who we could expose. Those who are high risk themselves or to others should stay home. 
 
Click here to read our statement on faith and liberty during the CONVID-19 Crisis.

It is very important that you contact you legislators today, as well as legislative leadership. We are the ones to steer the direction of government. That is how a republic works, from the bottom up. We elect them to represent us. Let your voice be heard for the preservation of liberty. Now is the time to stand up and act. 
 
Ask your legislators to find the best way to start to open businesses and send people back to work while continuing to practice appropriate social distancing. 

You can read the bills at: https://le.utah.gov/DynaBill/BillList?session=2020S3
 
Find, email and text your legislators at: https://www.utaheagleforum.org/contact-your-legislator.html#/

Contact information for House and Senate Leadership:

Speaker of the House: 
Brad Wilson
Republican, District 15, 
801-425-1028,
bradwilson@le.utah.gov

President of the State Senate:
Stuart Adams
Republican, District 22
801-593-1776,
jsadams@le.utah.gov


Gayle Ruzicka
Utah Eagle Forum

On Tuesday, March 31, Equality Utah sent an email that included the following misinformation:

“Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. And being visible literally saves lives. This year, a wave of anti-transgender bills swept across the country. Sadly, the Idaho governor just signed two anti-transgender bills into law. 
​
Here in Utah, the Eagle Forum worked aggressively to push legislation to criminalize transition related healthcare for transgender children. They recruited Representative Brad Daw to carry out their harmful legislation. Thankfully, when Rep. Daw met with transgender children and their parents and doctors, he just couldn’t do it. He listened with an open heart and refused to advance the Eagle Forum’s cruel medical ban.

We are grateful to the courageous advocates who are working to change hearts and minds on Capitol Hill.”
​
Equality Utah referred to “healthcare for transgender children.”  It is incomprehensible to call experimental medical procedures, that hurt and permanently damage children, “healthcare.” These are unproven treatments that use children as guinea pigs.

It is important to know that many organizations including Empowered Families, a coalition of 30 pro-family organizations, along with the Berean Baptist Church and The Compassion Coalition, and Utah Eagle Forum all joined together on this critically important legislation, and worked very hard during the Legislative session to protect children dealing with gender dysphoria (discomfort with one’s biological sex).

These experimental treatments are currently legal in Utah and are seriously harming our children, including:

• Puberty blockers:  Children as young as 9 years old, are taken to adolescent transgender clinics where they are given unproven drugs, usually Lupron, to block puberty.

1. There is not a single long-term study to demonstrate that puberty blockers are safe for gender incongruent youth. This means that the claim that puberty blockers are harmless for gender incongruent youth is a lie.
2. There are also many harmful life-long side effects associated with the use of Lupron. These include premature osteoporosis, seizures, anxiety disorders in young women, obesity and testicular cancer in young men, memory problems in men and women, and when prescribed simultaneously with or followed by cross-sex hormones, permanent sterility in both sexes. The fact that the long-term permanent harm caused by these procedures have not been ruled out by the promoters of treatments means that informed consent is not possible for parents or their children.
3. Puberty blockers used on young boys have been reported to cause the development of their genitalia to be arrested.  By their late teens, it was found that their genitalia were equivalent to that of a 9 year-old boy and that they experienced a loss of sexual sensation. This is a permanent condition. 

​

• Cross-sex hormones: Trans-identified youth next take dangerous cross-sex hormones to try to present as the opposite sex. Young girls are given testosterone and young boys are given estrogen.​​ 

1. This puts youth at an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots, cancer and more across their lifespan. And the best long-term evidence we have among adults shows medical intervention fails to reduce suicide.
2. Most gender-distressed teens are girls and boys who are anxious, depressed, traumatized, struggling with ADHD, autism or other mental illnesses, and are uncomfortable with their bodies and struggling with their identity. Several case reports and series show that the vast majority of teens can embrace their bodies through psychological counseling alone.

 

• Surgery: Top and bottom surgeries are being given to adolescents to change their sexual body parts. Girls as young as 12 years old are being subjected to mastectomies. These surgeries can and often do render children permanently sterile.

Please contact Governor Herbert and ask him to sign HB 332, a bill that creates Special Needs Tax Credit Scholarships. This parental choice bill provides additional options to families with special needs students.

• This scholarship will help families struggling to find solutions an opportunity to choose the education options that best meet their child’s unique learning needs.
• Utah parents need a solution that is more flexible and most importantly can serve many more special needs students.
• This bill allows parents to use some of the income tax dollars that they are already paying to pursue education opportunities of their choice.
• HB 332 focuses on those students who need it the most.
• HB 332 uses a proven funding model that is used in over 20 other states.
• The end result of these tax credits would actually be a win-win,  increasing per-pupil spending for Utah students, while allowing parents to choose the best options to fit their child's needs.

Contact the governor's office: You can call directly: 801-538-1000 
You can use this online form to send a message/email the Governors Office: https://servicecloudtrial-155c0807bf-158b6dc6793.force.com/governor/s/comments​

Some FAQs about HB332:

What is the revenue source for this new scholarship? This new special needs scholarship will be funded using income tax credits, therefore avoiding taking funds directly out of the education fund.

What is a tax credit scholarship? Tax credit scholarships are funded by corporate and individual taxpayers who divert all or a portion of their state income taxes to non-profit organizations who then, in turn, provide scholarships to students in need.

Is this tax credit scholarship capped and if so, how will it grow? This new special needs scholarship caps how much each taxpayer could give at $1 million and caps the overall program at $6 million. Built into the program is a growth mechanism that allows that overall cap to increase each year there is sufficient demand for the scholarship program. If a 90% threshold of donations is reached in relation to the cap, then the cap itself will increase 10% next year.

Would this program just be for private school tuition? No, this new special needs scholarship would operate as a Flexible Education Spending Account. You, the parent would be able to spend the money on a variety of educational products and services that would best benefit your child.

Who would be eligible for this scholarship? The same conditions that currently allow a student to qualify for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) are used to determine who would be eligible as outlined by federal law.

What are some examples of what products and services the scholarship could be used for? The following isn’t an exhaustive list: tutoring, online classes and/or curriculum, private school tuition, educational therapy, mentoring, textbooks, specialized software, and equipment.

What would the amount of the scholarship be? Students exiting the public school system would be eligible for scholarships up to around $7,000 (2 WPUs). Students that are already in a private school or homeschooled would be eligible for scholarships up to around $3,500 (1 WPU). These caps would automatically increase year to year.

Who would oversee these non-profit organizations that would grant the scholarships? The State Board of Education and State Tax Commission would oversee the scholarship granting organizations
​
How would families actually be able to use these funds?In other states that use these kinds of funding models, there are three primary ways funds are dispersed: debit card, a third-party “marketplace” app, and traditional physical checks.

Read HB 332: le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/HB0332.html