Utah Senate advances broad slate of bills on taxes, education, public safety and health; votes at a glance

The Utah Senate on Day 14 advanced and passed a package of bills spanning tax code fixes, property-tax refund clarifications, elections, technical code edits, public-safety measures and health services, and recorded votes for each measure on the floor.

Several bills were technical or procedural in scope and passed with little debate. Senator Wilson described SB22 as a technical clean-up to align long-standing tax information-sharing practices; the floor recorded the bill as passing (roll-call indicated 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent). First Substitute SB54 (property tax refund amendments) and First Substitute SB90 (technical code amendments) likewise passed with roll-call tallies reported in the record as 28-0-1. SB94 (elections records privacy amendments) was described by Senator Kwon as closing a privacy oversight and passed on a roll-call recorded as 27 yeas, 0 nays, 2 absent.

A handful of policy items also advanced. First Substitute SB107, which moves the unaffiliated-candidate filing deadline to June to align with other states, passed unanimously as recorded (29-0). First Substitute SB82, clarifying that the public-accommodation statute does not regulate business website accessibility, passed on a divided vote (22 yeas, 6 nays, 1 absent).

Senators also passed bills affecting families and public health. Senator Escamilla moved SB85 to reinstate Medicaid reimbursement for doula services, citing national research on savings and reduced preterm birth; the record shows the bill was read a third time and passed (roll call recorded as 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent). Other bills passed included SB56 (homeschool notarization requirement removed, 29-0), SB60 (drug paraphernalia amendments, 29-0), SB72 (Bureau of Emergency Medical Services transition authority, 29-0), SB64 (teacher-notification of incentives for high-poverty schools, 29-0), and SCR1 recognizing school support staff (29-0).

Votes at a glance (as recorded on the chamber floor):
- SB22 (Tax information sharing amendments): recorded as 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent — passed.
- First Substitute SB54 (Property tax refund amendments): recorded as 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent — passed.
- First Substitute SB81 (County clerk amendments): circled (held for further work).
- SB90 (Technical code amendments): recorded as 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent — passed.
- SB94 (Elections records amendments): recorded as 27 yeas, 0 nays, 2 absent — passed.
- First Substitute SB107 (Unaffiliated candidate amendments): recorded as 29 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent — passed.
- First Substitute SB82 (Public accommodation amendments): recorded as 22 yeas, 6 nays, 1 absent — passed.
- SB101 (LLC amendments): recorded as 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent — passed.
- SCR4 (Concurrent resolution on ADA website accessibility): recorded as 22 yeas, 6 nays, 1 absent — passed.
- SB56 (Homeschool amendments): recorded as 29 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent — passed.
- SB60 (Drug paraphernalia amendments): recorded as 29 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent — passed.
- SB72 (Bureau of EMS amendments): recorded as 29 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent — passed.
- SB64 (Teacher incentive notification): recorded as 29 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent — passed.
- SCR1 (Recognizing school support staff): recorded as 29 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent — passed.
- SB85 (Medicaid doula services): recorded as 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent — passed (read third time on the floor).

Senators concluded with announcements and adjourned until 11 a.m. the following day. The bills noted above will be transmitted to the House as appropriate for further consideration.