Utah Senate approves broad package of bills, returns measures to the House for signatures

The Utah Senate on Feb. 3 (Day 17) approved a package of bills and resolutions spanning election technical corrections, health-care liability language, sunset extensions for advisory councils and economic incentives, and measures affecting small-business tax credits and emergency response.

Senate Bill 19, an election-technical revision, was concurred with House amendments and passed after debate that the House changes were technical corrections. Senator Thatcher described the changes as "technical corrections to this technical revision election bill." The chamber reported the final tally as 25 yea, 0 nay, 4 absent; the measure will be returned to the House for the speaker's signature.

Senate Bill 23, described by sponsor Senator Escamilla as a housekeeping amendment that corrected a spelling and clarified that acupuncturists are included among certain liability provisions, passed after concurrence with the House (26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent). "Acupuncture was spelled incorrectly," Escamilla said while explaining the House amendment.

The Senate also passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, which highlights Utah's rare-earth-mineral position, by a recorded vote (26 yea, 1 nay, 2 absent) and returned it to the House for signature.

On House-originated measures, the Senate acted on multiple third-reading bills and approved them for return to the House. Notable actions included:

- HB20 (extension of the Utah Council on Victims of Crime): after procedural motions and reconsideration, the Senate passed the measure (28 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent) and will return it to the House.

- HB27 (state monuments act amendments): the Senate passed the bill (28 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent); the measure codifies a process for considering areas for state-monument designation.

- HB17 (State Small Business Credit Initiative Program Fund amendments): passed (28 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent); sponsors said it consolidates and streamlines program services for small-business lending and investment.

- HB25 (second substitute, Utah Rural Jobs Act amendments): passed (27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent); sponsors described refundable and nonrefundable tax credits for investments in qualifying small businesses in specified counties.

- HB47 (extension of controlled-substance prescription requirements): sponsor Senator Kennedy said the bill extends the seven-day limit for an initial opioid prescription and presented prescribing data, stating that "7 day prescriptions have gone up by 53,000, and 30 day prescriptions have gone down by 112,000" over the referenced period; the Senate passed the bill (27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent).

- HB48 and HB49 (sunset extensions related to substance use, mental health advisory council and a study of state hospital capacity), HB14 (board of bank advisers sunset extension) and HB16 (emergency response amendments for workers' compensation) were also passed; vote tallies and returns to the House were announced on the floor.

Most measures on this calendar received unanimous or near-unanimous support; the majority were described on the floor as technical corrections, consolidations, sunset extensions or statutory clarifications. The actions the Senate approved will be processed for the speaker's signature in the House and, where relevant, sent on for any required implementation steps.

The Senate recessed until 2 p.m. after completing the day's work.