Senate Business and Labor committee advances seven bills, adopts amendments

The Senate Business and Labor Standing Committee met Feb. 24 and favorably recommended several bills to the full Senate, adopting one amendment and placing one bill on consent.

Representative Lisonbee opened the session by sponsoring House Bill 23, which would require the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code to publish Disability Law Center contact information and explanatory material about service animals and public-accommodation law. "We want to clarify the law for people and have a convenient place for them to look and see what the law actually is," Representative Lisonbee said. Nate Krippas of the Disability Law Center told the committee that "almost all" denials of service animals that his office handled were resolved once businesses received information on the law. The committee voted to favorably recommend HB 23 by unanimous voice vote.

Representative DeFe’s House Bill 306, a substitute on reinvestment-fee treatment for homeowners associations, was amended and advanced. The bill preserves a 0.5% cap for higher-amenity or master-plan HOAs, creates a definition for low-amenity HOAs, requires that for certain non-master-plan HOAs 50% of a reinvestment fee be deposited into reserve funds, and requires fee/transparency postings on the Department of Commerce registry so buyers know transfer costs in advance. Senator Musselman moved to adopt House amendment #1; the committee approved the amendment and then favorably recommended HB 306 as amended (recorded 5–0).

The committee also advanced business and licensing bills. Representative Tusher’s HB 382 would adopt a Uniform Law Commission approach to assignments for the benefit of creditors (a state alternative to bankruptcy procedures); the committee recommended the bill unanimously (6–0). Representative Peterson’s HB 374 consolidates audiology and speech-language-pathology licensing under the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing with a five‑year phase-in for renewals; the committee recommended the substitute bill unanimously. Representative Dunnegan’s HB 414 would allow dental hygienists to practice without general dentist supervision in hospitals; the committee recommended the bill and put it on consent (0 fiscal note).

Representative Saint Peterson brought HB 41, which adopts the 2024 International Wildland‑Urban Interface code to replace Utah’s 2006 code, clarifies how local jurisdictions can request mapping changes with Forestry, Fire and State Lands, and removes residential sprinkler requirements in the WUI consistent with Utah’s existing IRC amendments. Stakeholders including the Utah Home Builders Association and the Utah State Fire Chiefs Association testified in support. The committee favorably recommended HB 41 (6–0).

House Bill 380, sponsored by Representative Hall, would extend a 2024 workplace‑violence enhancement sunset from 2027 to 2032 and require hospitals to report workplace‑violence incidents to the Department of Health and Human Services so policymakers can analyze trends. "We want to get a handle on is it rising? Is it ebbing?" Hall said. Nurses and physician groups supported the bill; the committee recommended HB 380 (recorded 5–0).

Votes at a glance
• HB 23 — Service-animal amendments: favorably recommended (unanimous voice vote)
• HB 306 (sub.) — HOA reinvestment fee amendments: amendment adopted; favorably recommended as amended (5–0)
• HB 382 — Uniform assignment for benefit of creditors: favorably recommended (6–0)
• HB 374 (sub.) — Audiology/SLP licensing consolidation: favorably recommended (6–0)
• HB 41 (2nd sub.) — WUI code adoption: favorably recommended (6–0)
• HB 414 — Dental hygienist amendments: favorably recommended and placed on consent (6–0)
• HB 380 — Hospital workplace-violence reporting and sunset extension: favorably recommended (5–0)

What’s next
Most of the bills recommended by the committee will proceed to the Senate floor for further consideration. HB 255 on health‑share ministry disclosures was not advanced and was placed at the top of tomorrow’s agenda so sponsors and stakeholders can work on amendment language.

Sources: Committee hearing transcript, Feb. 24, 2026; on-the-record testimony from Disability Law Center, HOA stakeholders, health-care-sharing ministries, home builders, fire chiefs, hospital and nursing organizations.