State Affairs committee reports slate of election, public-safety bills to full Senate

The Committee on State Affairs voted to report favorably a slate of bills to the full Senate, moving measures on election administration, political advertising, petition procedures and criminal penalties out of committee.

The actions included bills to: restrict certain political subdivisions from placing conflicting measures on the same ballot; narrow when petition-related measures appear in certain filings; expand confidentiality protections for the personal information of election officials and employees; clarify technical reporting requirements for polling location reports; and increase criminal penalties related to masked participation in riots and election fraud. Senator Bettencourt moved many of the committee recommendations; several bills were accompanied by committee substitutes explained by authors or by staff during the hearing.

Why it matters: Several bills affect election administration and campaign activity, and others raise criminal penalties that, if enacted, would change state enforcement options. A number of the measures were recommended for placement on the local and uncontested calendar, meaning the committee determined they were eligible for expedited consideration on the floor.

Key bills and committee action

- Senate Bill 1183 — Reported favorably to the full Senate (recommendation that it do pass and be printed). Motion moved by Senator Bettencourt. Vote tally recorded in committee: 9 ayes, 1 nay. (Bill text: not specified in transcript.)

- Senate Bill 506 (committee substitute) — Substitute explained by Senator Bettencourt. The substitute allows a city one attempt to rewrite a proposition the Secretary of State (SOS) office finds misleading, and adds language banning political subdivisions from placing measures on the same ballot when they would conflict; it also removes petition-related measures from a specified filing version (as requested by committee staff). The substitute was adopted; the bill was reported favorably to the full Senate with 10 ayes, 0 nays. Senator Bettencourt moved the substitute; the committee recommended certification for the local and uncontested calendar.

- Senate Bill 2742 (committee substitute on unlawful use of public funds for political advertising/electioneering) — Committee substitute adopted and SB 2742 reported favorably to the full Senate. Motion moved by Senator Bettencourt. Vote: 9 ayes, 1 nay.

- Senate Bill 1540 (confidentiality of personal information of election officials and employees) — Moved and reported favorably to the full Senate. Motion moved in committee by Senator Bettencourt. Vote: 10 ayes, 0 nays. The committee recommended certification for placement on the local and uncontested calendar.

- Senate Bill 2225 (creation of a spirit cooler certificate) — Reported favorably to the full Senate. Motion moved by Senator Hall. Vote: 9 ayes, 1 nay.

- Senate Bill 2284 (regulation of air guns, archery equipment, etc.) — Reported favorably to the full Senate and recommended certified for local and uncontested. Motion moved by Senator Parker. Vote: 10 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 2382 — No committee substitute available at the time of the meeting; set aside by the committee.

- Senate Bill 2487 — Committee was still awaiting the substitute at the time of the hearing.

- Senate Bill 2595 (committee substitute regarding masks and identity concealment) — Committee substitute explained by Senator Middleton. The substitute converts listed exemptions (health, weather, religious reasons) from a defense to an affirmative defense and adds the word "primarily" to clarify the mask must be worn chiefly for one of those reasons. Substitute adopted; SB 2595 reported favorably to the full Senate and recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. Vote: 10 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 2753 (election procedures; committee substitute) — Committee substitute adopted; SB 2753 reported favorably to the full Senate. Vote recorded in committee: 8 ayes, 1 nay, 1 present not voting.

- Senate Bill 3031 (aggravated assault offense changes) — Reported favorably to the full Senate. Vote: 9 ayes, 1 nay.

- Senate Bill 2217 (committee substitute addressing the central accumulator and polling location reporting) — Committee substitute deletes language requiring that polling location reports come from the "central accumulator," clarifying reports must come from the system but need not originate from a central accumulator; substitute adopted and reported favorably. Vote: 10 ayes, 0 nays. The committee recommended certification for placement on the local and uncontested calendar.

- Senate Bill 2514 (committee substitute incorporating Department of Public Safety language and raising a penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony) — Committee substitute adopted; SB 2514 reported favorably to the full Senate. Vote: 10 ayes, 0 nays. The fiscal note was eliminated per the substitute.

- Senate Bill 2876 (increasing criminal penalty for participating in a riot while wearing a mask or face covering) — Reported favorably to the full Senate; committee recommended certification for the local and uncontested calendar. Vote: 10 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 2877 (increasing the penalty for election fraud) — Reported favorably to the full Senate. Vote: 9 ayes, 1 nay.

Other process notes

- A number of items were reported with committee substitutes; committee authors summarized technical or substantive changes on the floor (for example, clarifying report sourcing for polling location reports and language requested by the Department of Public Safety). Several bills were certified for the local and uncontested calendar following committee action.

- Items for which substitutes were not yet available (for example, SB 2382 and SB 2487) were set aside or held pending the substitute.

The committee adjourned "subject to the call of the chair," concluding the meeting with appreciation for committee and Senate staff.