Hate crimes bill stalled as Senate president says no need for debate when ‘it doesn’t have the votes to pass’

For the third year in a row, it looks like a bill that would give Utah’s current hate crimes statute some teeth may die in the Legislature without a hearing. SB86 — which would allow judges to increase the penalties for a charged crime if a defendant is convicted of targeting someone based on “ancestry, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion or sexual orientation” — hasn’t budged from the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforceme