LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP: Highlights from the 2017 General Session.

• Author: Francom, Sarah Ryther

Though Utah's 2017 legislative session started with a bang and ended with a record number of bills passed, it was a relatively quiet 45 days. The state's 62nd Legislature kicked off on Monday, January 23, just a few days following President Donald Trump's inauguration. And one of lawmakers' first actions was to send the new president and the republican-controlled congress a message: rescind Bears Ears National Monument. The message was heard loud and clear by the Outdoor Retailer show, which announced it was taking its twice-yearly event--and its $50 million economic impact--out of Utah.

It was a controversial start to the session, which is rarely void of controversial, headline-grabbing issues. And while this year was relatively quiet despite its loud beginning, there were some bills that stirred local and national interest, such as the idea of reimplementing the food tax and revamping the state's somewhat quirky liquor laws. Below are highlights from the 2017 General Session of the Utah Legislature.

Education gets a boost

Utah's students were the biggest winners during this year's session. After hemming and hawing over a proposed 3 percent increase in per-pupil spending, Utah's legislators made a somewhat surprising announcement when they agreed to boost per-pupil spending by a whopping 4 percent. Lawmakers also approved $64 million in ongoing funding to fully fund student growth.

The increase comes at a time when Utah's already stretched classrooms are experiencing unprecedented student growth--the state adds approximately 10,000 new students every year. It also comes at a time when Utah has been at the bottom of the education funding pack, ranking dead last in the country for per-pupil spending--an achievement no one is proud of.

Despite the 4 percent funding increase, the Our Schools Now group is still advocating for more student spending. The group, founded by several prominent business and community leaders, is in the process of gathering signatures to add an initiative to the 2018 ballot that would ask Utah voters to approve a 7/8th of 1 percent income tax increase. If passed, the plan would boost education funding by an estimated $750 million per year.

Teacher pay was also on this year's legislative docket. HB 212 gives a $5,000 bonus to high-performing teachers in low-income areas. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Winder, R-West Valley, the bill was lauded as a way to attract teachers to Utah's poorest areas. HB 108, which aimed to grant science, math and technology teachers a pay increase, passed through committee but failed to make...