Judiciary Committee advances a slate of bills; several held for follow-up

The Judiciary Committee met Friday, March 13, 2026, and moved a large set of bills through the docket, approving several items by roll call and placing a small number on hold for later action.

The meeting began with the chair reading vote lists and noting that Vote List 11 items were withdrawn by sponsors and placed on the consent calendar by unanimous consent. The committee then progressed through Vote List 10 and individual bills. The clerk recorded each roll call; several bills passed with unanimous or near-unanimous tallies reported to the panel.

Major outcomes at a glance (motion outcomes and committee tallies as announced by the clerk):
- House Bill 187 (criminal procedure: expungement) — passed (tally reported 16 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 310 (correctional services: restrictive housing for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities) — passed as amended (tally 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent reported).
- House Bill 324 (family law: child support assignment of rights) — passed (tally 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 634 (police training; LEHI Act of 2026) — committee approved an amendment adding training on intellectual and developmental disabilities and passed the bill as amended (tally 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 688 (intercepted communications penalty) — passed (tally 12 yes, 4 no, 0 abstain, 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 750 (criminal law: interference with access to religious facilities) — amendment to conform to the Senate cross-file was adopted and the bill passed as amended (tally 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 776 (juvenile law: mandatory child-in-need-of-supervision petition — Nikayla Strauder Memorial Act) — passed (tally 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 860 (petitions for emergency evaluation) — amendment limiting extensions to 30 days, requiring expiration time on petitions, and authorizing peace officers to use mobile crisis teams when practicable was adopted; the bill passed (tally 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 1005 (child abuse and neglect reporting: Survivor Reporting Reform Act) — amendment to include access-to-children information on the reporting form was adopted and the bill passed as amended (tally reported 16 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 1 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 1105 (statute of limitations for enforcement of local consumer protection codes) — sponsor amendment limiting the change to civil causes of action was adopted and the bill passed as amended (tally reported 16 yes, 1 no, 0 abstain, 1 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 1152 (Department of State Police special police officers study) — moved favorably as a study bill and approved (tally reported 17 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 1 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 1320 (victim notification request at time of charging) — passed (tally reported 16-0-0; 2 excused, 1 absent). Staff clarified that existing confidentiality protections for victim contact information remain in place.
- House Bill 1348 (human trafficking: reports to regional navigators and prosecution authorization) — passed (tally reported 17 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 1 excused, 1 absent).
- House Bill 752 (valuation and forgery of gift cards) — amendment to alter valuation determination was approved and the bill passed (tally reported 17 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain, 1 excused, 1 absent).

Several items were held for further work or clarification: House Bill 638 (follow-up requested by the chair), House Bill 1252 (amendment arrival and need to confirm conformity to the Senate file), and notably House Bill 1272 (kinship caregiver criteria) was held after extended debate over whether proposed screening language should reference allegations or findings and whether the clause was necessary given existing child-protective screening practices.

The committee chair closed the session after announcing subcommittee meeting times and thanking members for completing the voting session.