[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322736,"mediaKeyId","2346670-a59f901787c60b664447f8d175ada1fc","parentId",2346670,"title","Committee approves first substitute to tighten residential solar sales and connectivity rules","audioSeconds",311,"startMs",4838000,"endMs",5149000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346670-a59f901787c60b664447f8d175ada1fc&start=4838&end=5149","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346670-a59f901787c60b664447f8d175ada1fc/thumbnail_4838000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322736/Utah/Committee-approves-first-substitute-to-tighten-residential-solar-sales-and-connectivity-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322736-f7d081c8a5e3817fd9994ab884200510/orig.mp4?Expires=1771026170&Signature=V1dIihATqwL5J05t1wekfg-4WrSQREACsrhgJpiHjvISh6gcQrneUq6wtX22Q24Cm5Laz2HvD1-FOseeZqLI2buFWgqCPw-a74vGQXBfOUE5s7eP~zvRfJ9V0KuDOQvUMvgh0wUiGjqg4EHCBuILStVs~jcCS1wcSXMOEMHkwdICXt4JU7RgrgtrmjOZZucmZ0r1jqJlLk0eB-NGDd6uQ7uViHtCHvFFT1Pxd~nu5ett~YTa9UxQWXWj9OP9hMf-xAaLZQWzOTao8YcSD-GslddkMcYMvwU2KcRxPhHU9XmGaeWJYJJMen8~vEyTkdufTqkW4cPn03AISaSeJ58j5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Utah State Legislature","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Colin Jack, sponsor of HB 57, told the Public Utilities and Energy Committee the first substitute focuses on clarifying consumer protections for residential solar customers and addressing recurring complaints about sales tactics, unmet production promises and long delays before grid connection. ‘‘We put some restrictions that as they make promises to how much the energy these will produce, that that it comes within a a reasonable percentage of that,’’ Jack said.

Director Katie Haas of the Utah Division of Consumer Protection described a long-running pattern of complaints involving door-to-door sales, inaccurate production estimates, companies going dark before completing work, and extended waits for utility interconnection. ‘‘There are some really good solar companies in the state of Utah. I do not want to act like the entire industry is fraught with peril. However, there are some really bad actors in this space as well,’’ Haas told the committee.

Key provisions in the first substitute described at the hearing include a requirement that sales representatives be W-2 employees of the installing company (rather than independent 1099 contractors), a supplier registry and bonding requirement, clarified production-disclosure language to limit deceptive performance claims, and a staged payment schedule that ties a portion of contractor payment to final interconnection and system operation. Jack said the staged schedule mirrors standard construction progress payments and is intended to prevent customers from paying for systems that are never energized.

Industry witnesses and utilities generally supported the bill’s consumer-protection goals but warned of unintended business consequences from the payment schedule tied to interconnection. Jordan Garn of the Solar Energy Industry Association and Ryan Stuckey, CEO of Smartwave Solar, said grid-interconnection timelines — which can be affected by utility processing, municipal inspections and meter work — can extend from weeks to months and that forcing installers to carry large amounts of unpaid capital could impose severe cash-flow burdens. Stuckey estimated the current draft could require up to $2 million in working capital to maintain current volumes; other installers reported similar concerns.

Public power and cooperatives — including a statement from Nathaniel Johnson, executive director of the Utah Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and Brian Dial, energy director for the City of St. George — said utilities generally support clearer customer information and noted interconnection delays are a shared problem that often involves city permitting and utility procedures.

Several local businesses in the solar industry said they want to work with the sponsor to refine payment and registration language so the bill protects consumers without causing viable local companies to fail. Industry representatives also asked the committee to align registration and contractor requirements with existing contractor-registration processes and to allow reasonable flexibility for installers that serve new-construction projects.

Committee action: the committee adopted the first substitute and then voted unanimously to recommend HB 57 (first substitute) favorably out of committee. Sponsor Jack said he expects to offer technical fixes on the floor to address specific concerns raised by lenders and installers.

What to watch next: sponsors said they will work with utilities, installers and financial institutions on payment-timing language and bank underwriting concerns before floor action. Director Haas said the Division of Consumer Protection receives frequent complaints about solar and that the bill aims to distinguish credible local businesses from bad actors.

Representative Snyder moved adoption of the first substitute and moved the recommendation out of committee; both motions carried unanimously.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Public Utilities and Energy Committee - February 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee unanimously adopted and recommended favorably for HB 57, a first substitute that creates consumer protections for residential solar purchases, including disclosure requirements, a contractor registry, employee-salesperson requirements and a staged payment schedule tied to system progress and grid interconnection.","taxTitle","2025 Utah Legislature, Utah Legislature, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",78171,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322740,"Committee advances bill to restore state-focused federalism tools, creates education and commission framework",246,2230000,2476000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2346670-a59f901787c60b664447f8d175ada1fc&start=2230&end=2476","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2346670-a59f901787c60b664447f8d175ada1fc/thumbnail_2230000.jpg","/articles/6322740/Utah/Committee-advances-bill-to-restore-state-focused-federalism-tools-creates-education-and-commission-framework","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322740-aecfebaafd1455959870c94970954d66/orig.mp4?Expires=1771026170&Signature=oG7f3HxL-zGUxz-MfsEzvHEbkESNmg3SpHgvGMdccfBirnIo-qf~ZKoYip1EQw4N0cMSfz~HVIWmAZNPOgUxqh88roQrp9iaPgTtRPfRd0ReA2~vcOOwI321MiaoU2nPVBq-WUCQAqHTS9F4wsvX3jTivOjdCxLBI7cuhCA6-T94lQIzYxI0Md93AjscVaEtf4l0z4ZS2BPgk-F7KDONQNlnyGLbtyPUv3C7o6BuyD5zpMgnl-QWBbqJCJEVwfVV2yoX3-OL6D3NYRVF5KgFVQs6F7fwptdsIb4QypS01~EdMqpPSXXRLgrOfa8A4tBXEao61OXUmE9-a3GkmBq17g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Ken Ivory, sponsor of HB 488, told the Public Utilities and Energy Committee on the morning the measure was intended to restore a balance between state and federal authority and educate officials and citizens about ‘‘the structure of our government.’’ The committee advanced the bill, as amended, by a 9–1 vote; Representative Dominguez cast the lone dissent.

Supporters said the bill would establish three pillars: a continuing-education program for state and local officials, a convening/summit effort to bring state leaders together across party lines, and a mechanism to coordinate a multi-state federalism commission. ‘‘This is the culmination of about 15 years of work,’’ Ivory told the committee, adding that the bill seeks a ‘‘returning to that structure where we celebrate diversity in the states and that self governing ability.’’

The bill’s proponents framed the effort as educational and structural rather than partisan. Representative Thompson, citing the bill’s three pillars, said continuing education would ‘‘prepare us to wean ourselves off of federal influence and take more power and control back to the states.’’ Former Utah governor Gary R. Herbert, who joined the hearing online, said the initiative should focus on the relationship between states and the federal government and quoted James Madison in describing state powers as ‘‘numerous and indefinite.’’ Troy Smith, a professor at Utah Valley University, described a proposal for a state-supported, multi-state commission modeled on the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (1959–1996) to monitor congressional proposals for unfunded mandates, preemptions and other federal measures.

Supporters included nonvoting members of the proposed commission and representatives of education and policy groups. Jim Moss, former chair of the Utah State Board of Education, said state officials are ‘‘the heroes of federalism’’ and described agency-level regulatory burdens the proposed effort would review. Public witnesses who spoke in favor included Mary Anne Christiansen of Utah Legislative Watch and Rick Larson of the Sutherland Institute, both of whom urged committee approval.

A brief committee discussion touched on preemption and local government impacts. Representative Dominguez asked how the bill would affect state–local relationships and social services; Ivory replied that the statutes and court doctrine treat states and the federal government as supreme in their separate spheres and that the bill was intended to restore clarity and delegation.

Committee action: the committee first approved House Amendment No. 1 (motion by Representative Albrecht) and then voted to pass the amended HB 488 out of committee with a favorable recommendation by voice roll-call, 9 in favor and 1 opposed. The committee made clear supporters view the bill primarily as an education and coordination measure intended to reestablish institutional capacity for states to respond to federal actions.

What the bill would do: the sponsors described the measure as creating an ongoing education program for state officials, organizing a national summit to engage state leaders from across the political spectrum, and organizing a multi-state commission to monitor federal proposals and coordinate negotiation or litigation where necessary. Troy Smith said a state-funded, multi-state commission could ‘‘serve as a watchdog’’ to identify federal overreach and promote coordinated responses by the states.

The committee record shows support from the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office and academic partners; sponsors said they would continue outreach across partisan lines. No fiscal note or specific appropriation language was presented at the hearing. The committee did not adopt any amendments that change the bill’s stated core functions during the hearing beyond the adoption of the one amendment it voted to incorporate.

The bill now moves from committee with a favorable recommendation.

Documents and context cited to committee members included the Utah Constitution (Article I, Section 27) and references to the Federalist Papers and Federalist No. 45 during floor presentations. Proponents repeatedly framed the proposal as ‘‘structure, not politics.’’","The Utah Public Utilities and Energy Committee voted 9–1 to advance HB 488, the Federalism Amendments, which would establish a continuing-education program on federalism, pursue a national-state commission model and expand a state-level federalism effort. Supporters said the bill emphasizes state authority and education; one member dissented.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee approves first substitute to tighten residential solar sales and connectivity rules

Committee advances bill to restore state-focused federalism tools, creates education and commission framework