Utah lawmakers OK bill to reform bail system

Utah lawmakers are challenging the system that allows the wealthy to go free while poor Utahns who cannot afford bail remain in jail. HB206 won final legislative passage Wednesday with a 25-1 Senate vote.Rep. Stephanie Pitcher, D-Salt Lake City, told members of the Senate Business and Labor Committee that currently monetary bail is the most widely used pretrial release tool. Judges set an amount based on a bail schedule — a chart that assigns a dollar value to the level of offense charged.