Bridger Beal-Cvetko is a reporter for KSL. He covers politics, Salt Lake County communities and breaking news. Bridger has worked for the Deseret News and graduated from Utah Valley University.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox uncapped his veto pen for the first time this year to axe two bills providing internet access on school buses in rural areas and addressing complaints against medical providers.
The vetoes were issued Thursday — the final day for the governor to take action on legislation passed during the recent session — along with the signing of 53 other bills into law. Cox also allowed one bill to take effect without his signature.What did the governor veto?The governor explained his decision to veto the two bills in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday. The first, HB462, would have established a grant program to provide internet access on some school buses in rural areas."I acknowledge and respect the sponsor's goal of helping students get their homework done even while they participate in extracurricular activities. And, as a student who grew up in a rural district, I recognize the added challenge of longer bus rides for rural students," Cox wrote. "But I am very concerned about signaling to our students that we value more time spent on devices rather than more time interacting with one another face-to-face. Our kids simply need less screen time and more human connection."The governor has been a vocal critic of social media companies and the impact of their platforms on children. He championed a bill this session, which he recently signed into law, establishing a "bell-to-bell" cellphone ban during the school day.But the sponsor of HB462, Rep. Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan, said the bill was a "practical, narrowly tailored solution" to help students who often travel for hours to participate in activities. She called the veto a "missed opportunity.""Screen time isn't the issue. The question is whether that time is wasted on scrolling or used productively to complete homework earlier," she told KSL in a lengthy statement. "Gov. Cox has made student health a priority, which makes this veto especially disappointing, because this bill directly supported that goal in a thoughtful, limited way. Rural students shouldn't have to choose between participating in school activities and getting enough sleep to succeed."The other vetoed bill, HB164, would have required health care providers to tell patients how to file complaints with the state Division of Professional Licensing while invalidating certain nondisclosure agreements if providers didn't follow certain steps.But Cox said a
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