With fewer than 48 hours until the opening bell rings on the 2006 session of the Utah Legislature, Saturday Sen. Chris Buttars said he was confident his colleagues would agree with him about evolution and high school clubs.

Buttars, R-West Jordan, spoke to a crowd of about 200 people Saturday at a Utah Eagle Forum Convention at Salt Lake Community College. He said Senate Bill 96, otherwise know as the Origins of Life bill, will not include any reference to "divine design," but it will challenge the way evolution is currently taught in Utah's public schools.

"The bill seeks to prevent overstating or over-representing the truth," Buttars said.

He said the bill will be heard in committee the first week of the legislative session because he is co-chairman of the Economic Development and Human Resources Committee.

Buttars said he concedes evolution happens within species, but he disagrees with the notion of cross-species evolution.

"You have big dogs, and you have little dogs," he said. "And you have big cats and little cats, but you don't have a dat."

Buttars also spoke about his other bill, which would ban gay-straight alliances from Utah high schools. He said he has received many e-mails referring to him as "bigot" and "narrow-minded" because he thinks the clubs are inappropriate because they involve "human sexuality," even though club proponents say they don't discuss sex.

"If I have a chess club, I'm going to be talking about chess," Buttars said. "And if I have a dance club, I'm going to be talking about dance."

Students at Provo High School recently started a gay-straight alliance.

Gayle Ruzicka, president of Utah Eagle Forum, said she is confident both of Buttars' bills will pass.

"I'm very positive about the bills," she said. "But I never take things for granted. I feel both his bills will pass because there are a lot of people interested."

Ruzicka said Eagle Forum volunteers will testify in committee meetings and lobby Utah senators and representatives on Buttars's behalf to help push the bills through.

"We will be doing the same thing other lobbyists do, except for free," she said.

Ruzicka also took an opportunity to address remarks from critics, referring to her as a "hateful bigot" because of her stance on homosexuality and other issues. She said she has many close friends who have different values.

"I don't hate these people," Ruzicka said. "They are my friends, and I love them."

In addition, Ruzicka commended Larry H. Miller for pulling "Brokeback Mountain" from the Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons.

"Larry Miller is my new hero because of the example he sets for younger people," she said. "I wish KSL would follow his example and cancel that horrible show, "The Book of Daniel."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.