House passes multiple routine third‑reading bills, including highway and certification measures

The Utah House of Representatives processed and approved multiple third‑reading measures on Jan. 17, 2024, taking a mix of short presentations, brief floor discussion and unanimous votes.

Highlights of bills that received final‑stage approval and were transmitted to the Senate include:

- HB 46 (Veterans and Military Affairs Commission amendments): Sponsor Representative Burton said the bill "sends that sunset to 1 January of 2030." The House passed HB 46 with 72 yes, 0 no.

- HB 47 (Utah Seismic Safety Commission amendments): Representative Tom Peterson said the measure extends the commission’s sunset from 2025 to 2030 and praised its public‑education work following the Magna earthquake. HB 47 passed 71 yes, 0 no.

- HB 50 (State Highway Designation Amendments): Representative Karen Peterson said the bill designates the West Davis Corridor as State Route 177; members noted commute‑time savings. HB 50 passed 74 yes, 0 no.

- HB 53 (Multi‑County Appraisal Trust amendments): Representative Thurston said the bill allows rural counties to use a special appraisal fund for cross‑county appraisals to reduce costs. HB 53 passed 74 yes, 0 no.

- HB 54 (Coal Miner Certification Panel amendments): Representative Albrecht said the bill extends the panel’s sunset for 10 years to 07/01/2034 and described the panel’s role in administering mining certifications; HB 54 passed 73 yes, 0 no.

Other procedural actions included the rules committee placing many bills on the third reading calendar, the House suspending the one‑day rule to hear additional items, and approval of the rules committee report assigning bills to standing committees.

Most measures on the day were noncontroversial extensions or administrative changes; votes were recorded on the floor and the successful bills will proceed to the Senate for consideration.