Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck's first legislative session held some tough lessons about pushing a progressive cause in a conservative Republican-dominated government.
The newly minted lawmaker, appointed to fill out the term of former House Minority Leader-turned Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, sponsored four bills. None made it to the House floor and two - including a proposal to repeal Utah's ban on gay couples adopting children - were closeted in the Rules Committee without a single public hearing. The other bill smothered in Rules would have created an independent redistricting commission to replace the highly partisan fight that now occurs in the Legislature every 10 years.

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