Senate advances wide package of bills on Day 35 of the 2025 Utah Legislature

Day 35 of the 2025 Utah Legislature saw the Utah Senate pass a wide set of bills across education, tax, health care and public safety policy while also receiving a large number of transmitted House measures.

Why it matters: The measures the Senate advanced include technical cleanups, funding and regulatory changes that will go to the Utah House for further consideration. A handful of bills drew sustained questions or narrower margins and are likely to attract further attention as they move to the House.

Most significant outcomes at a glance (selected bills and recorded final tallies; all votes recorded by the clerk):

- House Bill 174 (water rights restricted account): Passed in the Senate on a roll call recorded as 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent; sent to the House with the president's signature.

- First Substitute Senate Joint Resolution 7 (state authority in election governance): Passed the Senate 20 yeas, 4 nays, 5 absent; will be sent to the House.

- Senate Bill 249 (Student Integration Amendments): Passed the Senate, recorded as 22 yeas, 0 nays, 7 absent; will proceed to the House.

- Senate Bill 128 (Assisted Reproduction Amendments): Passed the Senate 22 yeas, 0 nays, 7 absent; will be transmitted to the House.

- Senate Bill 275 (Placental Tissue Amendments): Passed the Senate 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent; will be sent to the House.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 276 (Utah Horse Racing Commission amendments): Passed 22 yeas, 0 nays, 7 absent.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 255 (Line-of-Duty Death Benefit Amendments): Passed 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent; changes how certain benefits and costs are allocated for surviving spouses and children of public safety officers.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 219 (Financial Institution Tax Amendments): Passed 22 yeas, 0 nays, 7 absent; sponsor described this as an apportionment change intended to keep banking jobs and investment in Utah.

- Senate Bill 256 (General Government and Appropriations Amendments): Passed 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent; described as staff-driven cleanup and fiscal-responsibility items from the new appropriations committee.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 295 (Property Tax Modifications): Passed 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent; includes a 5-year option for some taxing entities and directs revenue for a multi-county assessing and collecting tool (MCAT).

- Senate Bill 264 (Higher Education Certification Amendments; childcare certification pilot at Utah State University): Passed 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent; sponsor described it as a small pilot to train providers in business skills and licensing requirements.

- Senate Bill 279 (High School Rodeo excused absences): Passed 23 yeas, 1 nay, 5 absent.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 223 (Public Education Bullying Amendments): Un-circled and passed 25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent; sponsors said the bill clarifies definitions used across districts.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 282 (Higher Education Hiring Amendments): Passed 24 yeas, 1 nay, 4 absent; sponsor said it maintains privacy for applicants and does not change search-committee composition.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 214 (Health Insurance Coverage Amendments): Passed the Senate with a recorded 17 yeas, 8 nays, 4 absent; the measure expands which licensed practitioners may diagnose autism spectrum disorder for insurance purposes and generated discussion about the fiscal note and backlog estimates.

- Second Substitute Senate Bill 240 (Congregate Care Modifications): Passed the Senate 21 yeas, 3 nays, 5 absent; sponsor and several senators discussed licensing, appeals, inspection processes and protections for vulnerable clients — debate included at least one recorded no vote based on concern about limiting admissions.

- Second Substitute Senate Bill 144 (Crimes / child sexual abuse material definitions and prosecution updates): Advanced to third reading with a recorded 18 yeas, 5 nays, 6 absent; sponsor said the bill harmonizes state law with federal intent-to-view language, updates definitions for new technology and helps prosecutions involving livestreams and cloud storage.

- Senate Bill 284 (Medicaid doula services): Passed the Senate 25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent; sponsor framed the bill as expanding evidence-based supports for maternal health with cost-effectiveness benefits.

- Senate Bill 39 (Education Testing Amendments): Passed 25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent; sponsor said the bill would extend a single test across grades 3–10 (writing excepted), likely expanding the RISE assessment into upper grades.

- First Substitute Senate Bill 283 (Funds Amendments, annual cleanup): Passed 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent; technical cleanup to internal service and non-internal service fund charge authority.

Process notes from the day

- Several bills were placed on the consent calendar and were circled and moved without extended floor debate.

- Multiple bills were circled and later uncircled for third reading during the session (a procedural pattern shown repeatedly in the transcript).

- Committee reports from Business & Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education were adopted and several replaced or amended house bills were recommended favorably to the Senate.

What to watch in the House

Most Senate-passed measures will be transmitted to the House for consideration; items that drew substantive floor debate (for example, congregate care modifications, health insurance coverage for autism diagnosis, and the CSAM definition updates) are likely to receive further scrutiny and potential amendment in the House.

Speakers (selected): President Adams; Senators Owens, Kwan, McKay, Escamilla, McCall, Plumb, Milner, Wilson, Cullimore, Brammer, Stratton, Wyler, McKell, Pitcher, Vickers, Stevenson.

Ending: The Senate recessed for lunch and committee meetings, to reconvene later in the session.