SALT LAKE CITY — A new bill introduced in the Utah State Legislature would criminalize disruption of a public meeting.
Senate Bill 173, sponsored by Sen. Don Ipson, R-St. George, makes the intentional disruption of a meeting a criminal offense ranging from an infraction to a misdemeanor crime.
The bill comes as the Inland Port Authority has struggled to meet in the face of protests over the massive development project. But Sen. Ipson told reporters it was not necessarily driven by that.
"Not necessarily," he said Monday. "We just want to promote civility."
Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, also pointed to an incident involving the "Capitol 13" who blocked access to a legislative meeting in 2014 in protest of LGBTQ rights.
