Utah Senate passes wide-ranging calendar of bills; EAC updates revenue outlook

The Utah Senate recessed for lunch after a brisk morning session in which senators approved a range of bills and heard a budget update that narrowed lawmakers' fiscal options.

Senate leaders moved through a lengthy concurrence and consent calendar on a variety of policy areas. Second Substitute Senate Bill 67 — a clarification of continuous use and reversion of public thoroughfares to private landowners — was concurred and passed (reported 24 yea votes). Third Substitute Senate Bill 81, which updates county clerk language for online marriage ceremonies, also passed after the Senate concurred with minor technical edits. The chamber returned numerous other bills to the House for enrollment or signature after roll-call votes.

Why it matters: the batch of bills approved affects multiple state functions, from property rights and family law to energy and water policy, and the updated revenue outlook shared by the Economic Advisory Committee (EAC) could constrain how lawmakers fund new programs this year.

Key votes at a glance (morning session)

- Second Substitute Senate Bill 67 (concurrence on reversion/use language): passed; reported 24 yea votes.
- Third Substitute Senate Bill 81 (county clerk/online weddings technical fix): passed; reported 24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent.
- Third Substitute Senate Bill 98: passed; reported 24 yea votes, 0 nay, 6 absent.
- First substitute House Bill 118 (prohibition on compelled disclosure of private keys except by court order): passed.
- House Bill 90 (outdoor recreation and trail infrastructure clarifications): passed.
- House Bill 251 (post-retirement reemployment restrictions; 90-day cooling off for some public safety reemployment): passed; reported 25 yea, 0 nay, 4 absent.
- Second Substitute House Bill 210 (disabled parking amendments, veterans eligibility): passed; reported 23 yea, 0 nay, 6 absent.
- Second Substitute House Bill 191 (electrical energy / Public Service Commission alignment with state energy policy): passed.
- Senate Bill 205 as amended (child abuse prevention grant and education program): passed; reported 25 yea, 0 nay, 4 absent.
- House Bill 206 (repeal of outdated Columbia River compact ratification for a small NW drainage area): passed; reported 23 yea, 0 nay.
- Third Substitute House Bill 241 (clean energy amendments): passed; reported 24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent.
- House Bill 295 (produced water reuse amendments): passed; reported 25 yea, 0 nay.
- House Concurrent Resolution 8 (Butch Cassidy State Monument): passed; reported 23 yea, 0 nay.
- First Substitute House Bill 140 (custody/parent-time notice regarding access by registered offenders): passed; reported 24 yea, 0 nay.
- First Substitute House Bill 152 and other construction/licensing bills: passed.
- First Substitute House Bill 29 (sensitive material review for school libraries): passed after floor debate; recorded nos were noted and the measure will return to the House for final processing.

Policy highlights and floor discussion

- Blockchain privacy: Sen. Collomor explained House Bill 118, which recognizes private cryptographic keys used in blockchain transactions as generally protected from compelled disclosure, while preserving court-ordered exceptions. The Senate passed the bill after a brief presentation.

- Produced water reuse: Sen. Vickers said HB 295 clarifies that water produced during oil and gas operations does not require a separate water right to be reused and estimated the change could "save between 10,000 acre-feet every year of fresh water." The Senate approved the measure.

- Unemployment insurance change (context noted earlier in the calendar): the chamber debated several workforce and unemployment measures during the day; some sponsors explained amendments that adjusted compliance or timing windows when employers or claimants must respond.

Fiscal context: updated revenue estimates

Sen. Stevenson, as chair of the Economic Advisory Committee, told the Senate that previously reported December figures (roughly $50.4 million ongoing and $134 million one-time available after base commitments) have been revised. Legislative economists, in coordination with the governor's office and the tax commission, now project the Legislature will need an additional roughly $126 million in ongoing funding and about $214 million in one-time funding to meet priorities — with up to $175 million of one-time money categorized as high risk because of recent federal tax changes. "We'll need to be budget very carefully," Stevenson told colleagues, adding that the state's revenue growth remains modest compared with prior years when billions were available for new spending.

What happens next

Senators recessed the floor until 2 p.m. and committees and floor managers will continue to carry bills through rules and subsequent readings. Several measures passed this morning will be returned to the House for enrollment or the speaker's signature as the bicameral process continues.

Quotes

"We now expect we'll have to have an additional 126,000,000 in ongoing and 214,000,000 in one-time," Sen. Stevenson said, urging caution on new spending.

"This allows [produced water] to be reused and could save between 10,000 acre-feet every year," Sen. Vickers said of HB 295.

Ending

The Senate paused its work until the afternoon; many of the bills approved in the morning will proceed to the next step in the legislative process and the revised revenue estimates will shape budget negotiations as the session continues.