SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah lawmakers have passed several bills related to the state’s effort to curb violence and drug trafficking in a Salt Lake City neighborhood near an overcrowded downtown homeless shelter.
Utah’s House and Senate voted in a special session Wednesday to shuffle nearly $5 million in the budget to help pay for an effort that includes a stepped-up police presence, arrests, drug treatment and job training and placement.
Lawmakers also passed a law allowing the state to lease a closed street from Salt Lake City and turn it into a fenced-off “safe space” for homeless people.
Republican House Speaker Greg Hughes told The Salt Lake Tribune (https://bit.ly/2jLYt3T ) that the space will include toilets, bike lockers, security cameras and assistance with housing, health care and employment.
Legislators say they plan to close the street until mid-2019 when new shelters open.
___
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, https://www.sltrib.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.