House floor roundup: key bills advanced Feb. 13, 2024

The Utah House advanced a broad set of bills on Feb. 13, 2024. Several measures were discussed briefly on the floor before recorded votes; others were acted on by unanimous voice vote or committee report. Key outcomes recorded on the floor include:

- HB332 (campus safety amendments): uncircled and passed 65-0; transmitted to the Senate. (floor announcement and vote)

- First substitute HB79 (initiatives & referendum; ADA-related signature protections): passed 65-0. (Rep. Daley Provo)

- First substitute HB203 (involuntary commitment amendments): passed 69-0; expands civil-commitment criteria for some defendants found incompetent to proceed and emphasizes least-restrictive treatment and caseworker follow-up. (Rep. Abbott)

- HB308 (crime victim amendments): passed 68-0; creates a point person in the Utah Office for Victims of Crime to guide families and improve complaint handling. (Rep. Clancy)

- HB334 (warning label amendments): passed 69-0; expands the scope of a 2021 warning-label law. (Rep. Brammer)

- Second substitute HB89 (tax refund amendments): amendment adopted and bill passed 71-0; changes interest treatment for unclaimed refunds and aligns rates with state-earnings for large unclaimed amounts. (Rep. Lisonbee)

- HB362 (juvenile justice revisions): first substitute passed 66-3; updates gang prevention funding, criminalizes solicitation of a minor to commit an offense, and clarifies school reporting and reintegration plans. (Rep. Lisonbee)

- HB366 (criminal justice amendments): second substitute passed 70-0; includes custodial chair requirement for criminal justice council and limits sole reliance on algorithmic risk scores for pretrial decisions. (Rep. Lisonbee)

- HB396 (workplace discrimination amendments): passed 70-0; aligns state law to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on religious-accommodation burdens. (Rep. Brammer)

Several committee reports were also presented and assigned to calendars, and the House adjourned to reconvene Feb. 14 at 10 a.m.

These results are drawn from floor announcements and recorded tallies as read by the clerk during the Feb. 13 session. Where on-the-floor debate was minimal, the summary presents the clerk’s action and the sponsor’s brief description; items that received extended floor debate (for example HB352) are covered in separate articles.