Senate advances several housekeeping, pay and public-utility bills; SB89 extended implementation deadline for social-media laws

SALT LAKE CITY — During floor proceedings, the Utah Senate approved a series of mostly technical and procedural measures and moved several items forward on the calendar.

Key roll-call outcomes and procedural actions:

- SB 89 (Social Media modifications): Presented by Senator Cullimore, the bill extends the implementation date for previously passed social-media-related statutes from March 1 to Oct. 1 to allow the Legislature time to consider replacement bills. Senators voted to suspend the 24-hour posting and three-reading requirements and passed SB 89 under suspension; the announced tally was 25 yes, 2 no, 2 absent. (Sponsor: Senator Cullimore.)

- SB 99 (Public Service Commission Amendments): Senator Harper described the bill as a clean-up addressing PSC vacancies and appointment language. The Senate read the bill for a third time and passed it by roll call (25 yes, 0 no, 4 absent).

- SJR 6 (Authorizing pay for in-session employees): Senator Vickers presented the joint resolution and cited a fiscal note of about $59,000. Senators moved to suspend the 24-hour and three-reading rules and passed the resolution under suspension (24 yes, 0 no, 5 absent).

- SB 24 (Physician Assistants Practice Amendments): Senator Bramble explained SB 24 as a technical clarification to ensure physician assistants are referenced where intended in the Utah Medical Practice Act (Title 58, Chapter 67). The Senate suspended rules and passed the bill (announced tally reported as 25 yes, 0 no).

- SB 33 (Irrebuttable presumption of domicile): Senator Bramble presented an interim committee bill that would create an irrebuttable presumption of Utah domicile for taxpayers who vote in specified Utah elections and meet enumerated conditions. Senators discussed edge cases (for example, married couples filing joint returns while domiciled in different states) and agreed to move the bill to third reading; the recorded tally on the call was 25 yes, 0 no, 4 absent.

Process notes: Several bills and House communications were read for the first time and sent to the Rules Committee. The Senate adopted standing committee reports and placed those bills on the second-reading calendar. Senators were repeatedly asked to follow their bills to find a sponsor on the House rules committee to help move measures out of the House.

What’s next: Bills that passed the Senate will be transmitted to the House and, where needed, scheduled for House committee consideration or third reading.