This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Tomorrow it begins: the Utah Legislature's general session. What happens here will affect Utahns' lives for decades to come. We might ask, how has the Legislature of the past affected us? Here's a brief tour of a few things from its first decades that have lasted through the years — and some that haven't.

In 1896, the first Legislature of the new state of Utah recognized counties as legal subdivisions of the state, created the county commissioner form of government, and required each county to appoint a board of health.

Those first legislators also voted to protect miners — limiting the number of hours of work and prohibiting boys under 14 from working in mines.

In 1901, after the horrific Winter Quarters mine explosion, the Legislature mandated dust-control measures in coal mines. Only one other state had such a law.

In 1909, lawmakers passed a prohibition bill, but Gov. William Spry vetoed it. The issue would come back in 1911, when the Legislature voted to allow local communities to prohibit alcohol, and in 1917, when it passed a statewide prohibition bill. This time, Gov. Simon Bamberger signed it. Two years later, Prohibition became a national law.

In 1907, legislators passed a law requiring public schools to teach sanitation and the prevention of disease.

As automobiles joined horses and wagons on the state's dirt roads, drivers pushed for road improvements. In 1909, the Legislature created the Utah State Road Commission to administer a state highway system.

In 1910, legislators voted to build a bridge over the Green River at Green River — which made people there very happy.

In 1911, they made the sego lily the state flower.

In 1913, they passed a buck law, meaning that hunters could only shoot male deer with antlers longer than five inches.

In 1915, they required each county to consolidate its school districts into a single district.

In 1917, a busy year, the Legislature established a public utilities commission to regulate railroads, gas, electricity, telephone, and water. It authorized issuing bonds for state roads and local tax levies for hospitals, and it chose a state song: "Utah, We Love Thee." It affirmed that labor unions were legal and passed a strong workman's compensation law.

In 1919, labor unions fared less well. Businesses across the state lobbied to repeal the law that allowed peaceful picketing by labor unions. Workers demonstrated against the repeal, but lawmakers went ahead and banned picketing.

In 1918, the Legislature supported the Farm Bureau's push for a weed law to rid roads, streets, railroad rights-of-way and canals of weeds.

In 1919, lawmakers made school attendance compulsory until age 18. That year, too, they sent a "Joint Memorial" to Congress, asking that Bryce Canyon be made a national monument.

In 1921, the Legislature granted counties the right to build airstrips. The Salt Lake Tribune wrote, "Utah is credited with having one of the most progressive laws in aid for commercial aviation … anywhere in the United States."

The lawmakers also appropriated $10,000 to renovate the old territorial capitol building in Fillmore, set speed limits, and made 16 the minimum age for drivers.

In 1923, the first gasoline tax was passed, in order to improve roads.

In 1925, the Legislature granted cities the right to create zoning regulations.

In 1927, it adopted a highway numbering system.

In 1930, it passed a personal and corporate income tax. (Before that, mostly property taxes paid for government services.)

In 1933, we got a sales tax. It was the Depression, and legislators cut government spending drastically. They also voted to repeal Prohibition and to participate in New Deal programs.

In 1935, the Legislature established state and county welfare departments.

This small space can't describe a fraction of the significance of the Legislature's actions in developing the state we have today. Nor can it communicate the role of Utah residents in influencing the lawmakers. This session, Utahns and lawmakers again will be wrestling with issues, and hopefully taking the long view — for what happens today surely affects tomorrow.

Kristen Iversen can be reached at kristenri@yahoo.com. Sources: Utah Historical Quarterly and selected volumes of the Centennial County History Series.