Domestic violence and child custody, eyelash technicians and more in the 2024 legislative session

Kerry Bringhurst: It's Thursday, the day we're talking to Holly Richardson, editor of Utah Policy and columnist for the Deseret News, also a former lawmaker. She joins us every Thursday to discuss what's happening at the State Capitol.

And we are always interested in legislation that affects families and children and especially women here in the state of Utah. I understand, Holly, that student teachers now receive a scholarship. We discussed this last week – what can you tell us about this legislation?

Holly Richardson: This bill actually passed unanimously in the House and is on the Senate side. So what this bill would do is ensure that student teachers are still students for the semester in which they teach. So you pay tuition and you don't get paid as a student teacher, which makes it really difficult for some people to complete that part of their training.

So this bill from Rep. Karen Peterson says student teachers will receive a $6,000 stipend for the semester they teach. It is a scholarship that the state would fund to help them complete their education and get into school.

Kerry Bringhurst: Not only is it good for our children to have this continuity in the education system, but it is also a great thing for student teachers to encourage them to continue their careers. We discussed this last week, we are very happy about the update.

We also discussed a bill that addresses child custody and domestic violence. The Om Law?

Holly Richardson: His name is Om Gandhi and he was killed by his father in a custody dispute last year. He was 16 years old.

So what this bill would do, and it's being heard in committee today, is that the courts must take into account credible allegations of child abuse and any restraining orders that may exist within the family unit.

In this particular case involving Om, his mother had taken out a restraining order against the father and told the judge that there was child abuse and domestic violence against them. And the judge awarded sole custody to the father. When the mother tried to fight back in court, the father killed his son and then himself. So this bill is really about what happens when there is domestic violence in the family and how that affects the can impact custody decisions.

Kerry Bringhurst: Very important legislation.

And as we continue to talk about issues affecting women in Utah, jobs are always a topic we talk about, and in this case, the Utah Legislature will be discussing a bill that would allow eyelash technicians to obtain their own license. Don't assume that only women are eyelash technicians. But this is definitely something that could be helpful in the area of ​​job security.

Holly Richardson: That's right. And the reason is that this bill would exempt eyelash technicians and eyebrow technicians from the overall cosmetic law. Therefore, they currently need a license under the Cosmetics Act, which requires 1,600 hours of training.

What this bill would do is say, look, we just want eyelashes and eyebrows specifically, it's going to require 200 hours of training, they're going to have their own license, and they don't have to complete the full cosmetology license, which makes it more accessible for mothers or other women who want to run this as a business.

Kerry Bringhurst: More affordable too.

Holly Richardson: Yes, definitely.

Kerry Bringhurst: Well, Holly, we're pleased with this update and look forward to further conversations as the Utah legislative session progresses. And as always, we value your time.

Holly Richardson: It's my pleasure. And you know, we're halfway done now, so it'll go faster.

Kerry Bringhurst: Holly is the editor of Utah Policy. You can read about her tracking of the Utah legislative session, including bills affecting women, children and families in Utah, as well as many other important bills.

Holly Richardson: If you go to utahpolicy.com and sign up for the newsletter, that's where you'll get most of the information. The newsletter appears every morning around 7:30 a.m