Senate approves bill allowing parents access to national registry information on phone numbers that contact minors

The Utah Senate passed Senate Bill 11 on a voice and roll call vote after the sponsor said the measure would help parents identify phone numbers associated with national offender registries and involve law enforcement when necessary.

Senator Wilson, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the bill responds to attempts by predators to reach young people across state lines: "What this bill would be able to do is with that phone number, parents would be enabled be able to go and check a national registry to see if that that phone number is on this national registry of offenders." He said parents would then be able "to take that number to law enforcement who would be able to look further into who the individual is."

Wilson said Utah's state registry is not currently part of the national registry and expressed concern that predators aware of that gap "may target our youth here in Utah." The sponsor framed the bill as a tool to "enable parents" and "try and protect our children."

With no substantive floor debate recorded, the Senate moved to final passage under suspension of the rules. The clerk recorded 27 yea votes, 0 nay votes and 2 absent. The bill will be transmitted to the House for consideration.

The next procedural step is House consideration; the Senate did not record amendments or a separate committee referral during the floor action reported here.