Utah
A Utah bill denying 'personhood' to bodies of water passes committee
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that bans legal personhood to any body of water, among other things, passed out of the Utah Legislature’s House Business and Labor Committee on Tuesday.
St. George Rep. Walt Brooks, R – St. George, said he crafted HB249 not necessarily with Great Salt Lake in mind. However, environmentalist Nan Seymour said she fears the bill’s eventual passage could damage efforts to protect the lake.
Great Salt Lake reached a historic low in 2022.
“As the center of our ecosystem, Great Salt Lake has an inherent right to live, flourish, and be replenished,” Seymour told the committee.
Brooks said there are ways to protect species of animals and the lake without considering any of them a person.
“There are ways we can preserve it and go forward, but trying to mix the ideas that it’s actually a human person is not appropriate,” Brooks said.
Specifically, the bill says that a “governmental entity may not grant legal personhood to, nor recognize legal personhood in:
- artificial intelligence;
- an inanimate object;
- a body of water;
- land;
- real property;
- atmospheric gases;
- an astronomical object;
- weather;
- a plant;
- a nonhuman animal; or
- any other member of a taxonomic domain that is not a human being.”
HB249 now heads to the House floor for a final vote.
If the bill passes the Utah Senate and Gov. Cox signs it, it would go into effect May 1, 2024.
Related reading:
Utah
New NBA Draft Intel: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Utah
On the Sean O’Connell Show, Krysten Peek joined the show to talk about all things NBA Draft, and she brought some incredible insight and intel. If you haven’t listened, make sure you do here:
If you don’t have a chance to listen, here are the different insights she brought:
Utah
Utah suicide rates twice national average, Summit County Health Department says
Summit County Health Director Phil Bondurant said the early 2026 survey found men are suffering with significant mental and behavioral health challenges between the ages of 10 and 44. In the U.S., Bondurant said, suicide is the second leading cause of death, behind unintentional injury.
“It’s the eighth leading cause of death nationally across all ages of men,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” June 8. “When we look at this in Utah, we are two times the national average in suicides, and when you look at men, three of the four suicides in the state of Utah are men.”
He said that’s disproportionate to women. Roughly 31 out of 100,000 suicide deaths in Utah are men while less than 9 deaths per 100,000 are women.
FULL INTERIVEW: Summit County Health Department Phil Bondurant
Bondurant said those statistics are related to men feeling isolated, experiencing depression and uncertainty about the future. But, he said the health department has worked to develop programs to break the stigma around men’s mental health and help people access care.
“It’s important that we remember that connection, conversation, help and support, just like our physical health, when we’re not feeling well or we break a bone, we go to the doctor, and they do what they do to help us get better and help our bodies mend,” he said. “Our mental health is the same way, we need to take care of it.”
He said uninsured residents that need help can call the health department and speak with the behavioral health team.
There is also a 24-hour 988 crisis hotline for people who need help or know someone who needs help. Utahns can also download the SafeUT app to speak with licensed counselors, submit safety tips and confidential help.
Utah
Adventure travel draws families to Moab, Utah, as Americans stay closer to home
-
Lifestyle2 minutes ago‘Disclosure Day’ star Josh O’Connor received a ‘genius’ late-night text from Spielberg
-
Technology12 minutes agoClaude Fable is too scared to teach you about the powerhouse of the cell
-
World17 minutes agoWorld court prosecutor who went after Netanyahu for war crimes suspended over sexual misconduct
-
Politics24 minutes agoRepublicans fear of ‘fatal mistake’ in must-win Platner race
-
Health27 minutes agoAmericans born after 1970 face higher death rates from several major causes in middle age
-
Sports32 minutes agoTracking America’s World Cup journey: How and when to watch the US Men’s National Team
-
Technology39 minutes agoTexas mom jailed over dirty water Facebook post
-
Business42 minutes ago
Rivian begins deliveries of cheaper electric vehicles