Senate advances slate of House bills on third reading, tables some for fiscal review

The Utah State Senate spent its afternoon session advancing a broad set of House bills on third reading, approving a number of measures with recorded roll-call tallies and tabling others for further fiscal review.

Among the bills the Senate advanced or passed on third reading were:

- House Bill 32 (Short‑term rental modifications): sponsor moved the bill and the Senate recorded 27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent; the bill will be returned to the House for signature.

- First Substitute House Bill 50 (state highway designation amendments): the Senate recorded 24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent and read the bill a third time. The bill annually adjusts which road segments are state highways (it adds the West Davis Corridor and moves a small portion near Bangerter Highway back to local control).

- House Bill 17 (marketplace facilitator reporting/marketplace definitions): the sponsor noted a fiscal note and the Senate voted to table the bill on third reading 'due to fiscal impact.'

- House Bill 34 (tax refund claim amendments): sponsor explained the bill would allow taxpayers to request refunds of penalty or interest after payment without having first appealed the imposition; the bill was placed for third reading and advanced by roll call.

- House Bill 88 (Landowner Liability Amendments): sponsor explained the bill extends definitions to include rock‑climbing activities; the bill passed third reading with 26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent.

- First Substitute House Bill 44 (Social Work Licensure Compact): senator explained the compact allows multi‑state licensure to ease interstate practice for social workers; the Senate recorded 26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent to read the bill a third time.

- House Bill 61 (Water measuring and accounting/telemetry): sponsor described the bill as allowing telemetry for real‑time water coordination; the bill was advanced (vote recorded as 27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent where noted).

- First Substitute House Bill 11 (Water‑efficient landscaping requirements in the Great Salt Lake basin): the bill would limit nonfunctional turf to 20% for certain government construction projects in the basin; the Senate recorded 18 yea, 9 nay, 2 absent to read the bill a third time.

Other measures advanced included HB 66 (circuit breaker/property tax relief amendments), HB 70 (fatality review amendments), HB 73 (rehabilitation services consolidation into a Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Fund), HB 76 (state resource management plan updates), HB 116 (commercial property clean energy act amendments), HB 12 (tax incentive revisions and community reinvestment agency reporting), HB 47 (Seismic Safety Commission renewal), HB 74 (utility relocation cost sharing), HB 81 (domestic violence modifications), HB 26 (correctional facility amendments — later lifted to table for a fiscal note), and HB 57 (allowing the Snake Valley Aquifer advisory council to sunset after settlement discussions). Many of these advanced bills passed with unanimous or near‑unanimous yea votes; a handful recorded substantive nay counts (for example HB 12 recorded a roll-call that included 20 yea and 7 nay votes on third reading).

On procedure, the Senate read communications from the House transmitting multiple bills and approved the rules committee report earlier in the session. Senators also used the floor for a personal‑privilege introduction of guests.

The Senate concluded its afternoon business with a short calendar of announcements (a Salt Lake Chamber reception and a Utah Cultural Alliance dinner) and adjourned until 11 a.m. the following day.

Votes at a glance (selected items with recorded tallies on the floor):

- HB 53 (first substitute) — passed 28 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent (after reconsideration and substitute).
- HB 32 — passed 27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent.
- HB 50 (first substitute) — passed 24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent.
- HB 67 (first substitute) — initially read for third (24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent) then later placed on the table for fiscal review.
- HB 88 — passed 26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent.
- HB 44 (first substitute) — passed 26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent.
- HB 26 (first substitute) — initial third‑reading tally 27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent; later lifted to the table for a fiscal note.
- HB 12 — recorded 20 yea, 7 nay, 2 absent on third reading.

What happens next: Bills that passed will be returned to the House for consideration, signature, or final action as appropriate. Items tabled for fiscal review will remain on hold until fiscal notes or technical corrections are resolved on the Senate calendar.

The session adjourned until 11 a.m. the following day.