Panel to assess the needs of women in the economy

An effort to identify policies and programs to meet the needs of Utah women in the economy is slated to begin soon.

The Utah Legislature OK'd creation of the Women in the Economy Commission, an 11-member body of legislators, academics, service providers and business people. HB90 charges the group with increasing public understanding of the impact of the state's women on the economy, coordinating public agencies and private groups that provide services to women or protect their rights, conducting research on issues related to women in the economy and providing a forum for discussion of those issues.

Under the bill, the commission will expire on July 1, 2016. The measure passed the House on a 71-0 vote and the Senate 26-1. Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, was the lone dissenter.

The chief sponsor of the bill was outgoing House Minority Leader Jennifer Seelig, D-Salt Lake City, who wants to find ways to improve educational attainment and identify barriers that impede women's economic success.

The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, said in a recent study that women in Utah make 70 cents for every dollar a man makes and hold just 31.8 percent of managerial jobs.

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC