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Gov. Herbert signs 55 bills

March 23, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY (March 23, 2015) - Gov. Gary R. Herbert signed 55 bills today, bringing the total number of bills signed to 102 of the total 528 bills passed during the 2015 General Legislative Session.

Among the group of bills signed today is HB11, Death Penalty Procedure Amendments. This bill establishes the firing squad as a secondary method for executions, in the event the drugs necessary for lethal injection cannot be obtained. Lethal injection remains the primary method for carrying out executions in Utah.

"Those who voiced opposition to this bill are primarily arguing against capital punishment in general and that decision has already been made in our state," said Marty Carpenter, spokesman for Gov. Herbert. "We regret anyone ever commits the heinous crime of aggravated murder to merit the death penalty and we prefer to use our primary method of lethal injection when such a sentence is issued. However, when a jury makes the decision and a judge signs a death warrant, enforcing that lawful decision is the obligation of the executive branch."

In total, 34 states use capital punishment. All those states use lethal injection as the primary method of execution. Eight states have electrocution as a secondary method for execution, four use the gas chamber, three use hanging and two use the firing squad.

The full list bills signed by the governor are as follows:

Bill Number Bill Name Bill Sponsor
HB 11 Death Penalty Procedure Amendments Ray, P.
HB 13 Jail Retirement System Amendments Ray, P.
HB 14 Appropriations Limit Formula Amendments Hall, C.
HB 19 Insurance Comparison Tables Hawkes, T.
HB 21 Department of Workforce Services Suset Authorization Edwards, R.
HB 26 Amendments to Driver License Records Hutchings, E.
HB 33 American Indian-Alaskan Native Education Amendments Draxler, J.
HB 48 Powdered Alcohol Amendments Eliason, S.
HB 72 Ballot Publishing Amendments Knotwell, J.
HB 73 Nepotism Amendments Cutler, B.
HB 74 Consent Definition for Sexual Offense Romero, A.
HB 78 Generator Site Access Permits Amendments Dee, B.
HB 79 Safety Belt Law Amendments Perry, L.
HB 81 Local School Board Meetings Requirements Hall, C.
HB 88 Veterinary Practice Act Amendments Peterson, J.
HB 101 Rural Residency Training Program Reauthorization Redd, E.
HB 102 Agricultural Tourism Amendments Perry, L.
HB 119 Charter School Finance Amendments Last, B.
HB 123 Tuition and Fees Assistance for Utah National Guard Members Peterson, V.
HB 131 Tobacco Shop Amendments Powell, K.
HB 139 Foster Home Amendments Daw, B.
HB 148 State Employee Health Clinic Barlow, S.
HB 154 Jury Duty Exemption Amendments McKell, M.
HB 157 Utah Code of Military Justice Amendments Peterson, V.
HB 165 Legislative In-session Employee Amendments Dunnigan, J.
HB 173 Recovery Dog Training Amendments Pitcher, D.
HB 175 Alzheimer State Plan Amendments Ray, P.
HB 189 Child Welfare Mediation Hutchings, E.
HB 192 Property Rights Ombudsman Amendments Hawkes, T.
HB 195 Traffic Code Repealer Perry, L.
HB 209 Suicide Prevention Program Amendments Fawson, J.
HB 212 Wildland Fire Liability Amendments Wheatley, M.
HB 219 Election Day Voter Registration Pilot Project Amendments Chavez-Houck, R.
HB 226 Air Quality Revisions Edwards, R.
HB 238 License Plate Obstruction Amendments Redd, E.
HB 277 Statute of Limitation for Civil Actions Ivory, K.
HB 280 Utah National Guard Command Structure Amendments Peterson, V.
HB 303 Legislative Approval of Land Transfers Stratton, K.
HB 364 Suicide Prevention Amendments Eliason, S.
HB 382 Utah National Guard Fund Amendments Peterson, V.
HB 384 Grazing Zones Amendments Noel, M.
HB 393 Energy Zones Amendments Noel, M.
HB 395 Controlled Substance Database Amendments Redd, E.
HB 401 Statute of Limitations Modifications Noel, M.
HB 447 Protections on Parental Guidance in Public Schools Dee, B.
HCR 10 Concurrent Rsolution on Basing and Infrastructure in Support of National and State Defense Peterson, V.
HCR 12 Concurrent Resolution on Healthcare Dunnigan, J.
SB 29 School Planning and Zoning Process Vickers, E.
SB 51 Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division Account Amendments Harper, W.
SB 64 Utah Educational Savings Plan Amendments Weiler, T.
SB 66 Unauthorized Activity on State Land Dayton, M.
SB 95 Town Amendments Iwamoto, J.
SB 121 Procurement Code Revisions Mayne, K.
SB 122 State Surplus Property Amendments Weiler, T.
SB 141 Judiciary Amendments Hillyard, L.

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