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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers are racing to pass bills Friday before the legislative session comes to an end at the stroke of midnight.
The close of the session, which comes on the first Friday in March each year, has signaled the coming of spring in recent years, and last week, sunshine prompted some lobbyists and lawmakers to stretch out in the grass during lunch. But wintry weather blanketed the Capitol in snow Friday as members prepared for lengthy sessions that could go late into the night.
Lawmakers have introduced a record number of bills — 1,014 have been made public — and passed 381 as of Friday morning.
The House of Representatives kicked off its work on Friday by giving final approval to bills raising the tax on nicotine and tobacco products and empowering law enforcement officials to impound vehicles driven by people without driver's licenses or privilege cards. The latter would apply to all unlicensed drivers, but lawmakers focused on its impact on immigrant drivers while discussing it during a committee hearing earlier this year.
This story will be updated throughout the day to bring you the latest from Utah's Capitol Hill.
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