Committee advances SB 242 after towing fixes and clarifications on Salt Lake City provisions

A Utah House committee voted to favorably recommend Senate Bill 242 (third substitute) after adopting three amendments that sponsors and agencies said resolve towing-industry concerns and clarify how state and local agencies will coordinate on Salt Lake City street projects.

The committee approved the bill as amended by a 9–1 roll-call vote, with Representative Romero casting the only no vote. Members adopted Senate Amendment 1 to address towing provisions, a House amendment carving out several road projects for further review, and a House Amendment 3 that narrows language about when buses may enter bike lanes.

The bill’s sponsor told the committee the changes bring the proposal to a point where stakeholders can work together. "This bill puts Salt Lake City in a much better position than where we sit without the bill," the sponsor said, noting the legislation is intended to bring stakeholders to the table and not to remove existing safety improvements.

Salt Lake City Mayor Mendenhall, appearing online, said she and city leaders negotiated changes and supported the revised bill. "SB 242 ... are a better bill for Salt Lake City than where we are with SB 195 from the 2025 legislative session," she said, and thanked the bill sponsors for accepting the city's requested amendments and for focusing on safety for all modes of travel.

Industry and agency witnesses described compromises that resolved prior disputes. Brett Reeder, vice president of the Utah Professional Towing Alliance, thanked sponsors for listening and working with the industry. Colonel Greg Holly of the Utah Highway Patrol said he was satisfied that the towing provisions now allow use of third-party vendors to tow or dispatch trucks, which he said speeds response times.

Several members of the public urged the committee to preserve local control over city streets. Curt Fisher, a Salt Lake City resident, characterized the bill as part of a pattern of state preemption and urged tabling of the Salt Lake City transportation provisions to examine constitutional implications. "The legislature has continually and inappropriately preempted Salt Lake City municipal authority," Fisher said.

Representative Thurston led a successful clarification to restore a requirement that buses be in bike lanes only when loading or unloading passengers or making a time-point adjustment on the vehicle’s planned route or schedule. Paul Ray of the Utah Transit Authority explained the change was meant to allow a bus that gets ahead of schedule to wait at a stop rather than to permit a vehicle to drive along an entire bike lane.

UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras told the committee the department intends to partner with Salt Lake City rather than take over local decisions. "We're not stepping in to make decisions for Salt Lake City. We are gonna be partners with Salt Lake City," he said, adding UDOT's role is to provide technical expertise to improve mobility and safety.

Representative Romero said she could not support the bill because of its message to Salt Lake City voters about state involvement in local street decisions. After debate, the committee took a roll-call vote and reported the motion to favorably recommend SB 242 as amended passed 9–1, with Romero voting no.

The committee also adopted a motion to remove language from the prior session’s SB 195 provisions as part of the package; sponsors and some local officials said the current measure is intended to correct and improve the earlier law, not to reintroduce its most controversial elements.

The committee sent the bill forward with the adopted amendments for further consideration by the full Legislature. The committee adjourned after completing the vote.