Bill to name Utah highway after Trump moves to House
Mar 5, 2018, 5:57 PM | Updated: 9:25 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – House Bill 0481, which would have a Utah highway bear President Donald Trump’s name, has passed on to the state House of Representatives. A subcommittee approved the move Monday, after some heated testimony from people on both sides of the proposal.
Rep. Mike Noel is the bill’s sponsor
“He’s a courageous man,” Noel said before the The Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Subcommittee Monday. “He’s someone that says and does what he’s going to do, and then he does it. It may be unorthodox, but I like it.”
The subcommittee hearing drew about a dozen people to speak both for and against the bill.
Leland Pollock, chairman of the Garfield County Commission praised Trump for putting land back in the hands of the people, allowing the potential to mine minerals in the future and create new jobs.
“Our number one export in Garfield County is our children,” Pollock said. “Garfield County is 93 percent federal land. We can’t do anything there.”
“We support Donald Trump 100 percent,” Stanton Glieb, a farmer and rancher said. “He’s done more for us in the short time that he’s been in there than any president in my lifetime.”
Others, however, vehemently opposed the proposed renaming.
“Donald Trump has called Mexicans rapists,” Tom Hanrahan said. “He has proposed banning an entire religion from entering the United States.”
“I’m an immigrant and I find everything that that man pointed out to be very disrespectful,” Isaac Bustos said of Hanrahan’s comments. “The idea that this is even being discussed is very upsetting. I’m sure you can understand why.”
Wendy Garvin, a member of the Salt Lake County Progressive Caucus said she’s concerned the bill could further divide Utah’s two major parties.
“I don’t think that [Donald Trump] has stood up and tried to cross the aisle, tried to work with people,” she said. “I don’t think that he’s doing his part to foster an America where we can work together.”
The subcommittee passed the bill onto the house, with a vote right along party lines, 9 to 2.
