SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah lawmakers have advanced a state proposal that has the backing of former kidnapping and sexual abuse victim Elizabeth Smart.
The House on Thursday voted unanimously to approve the bill aiming to prevent child abuse. Smart visited the Capitol Thursday, reiterating her support for the bill.
The measure from Salt Lake City Democrat Rep. Angela Romero would create a statewide program to teach K-12 schoolchildren what to do if they are kidnapped or abused. It would let schools choose whether to teach the information. And parents could opt their children out of the program.
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Lawmakers debated Thursday if the bill should instead require parents who desire such lessons to explicitly request them. Lawmakers abandoned the idea after Romero said it could hurt existing programs.
The bill advances to the Senate.
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Online: HB 286 https://le.utah.gov/~2014/bills/static/HB0286.html
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