Senate advances numerous bills; several tax and fiscal measures tabled for review

Salt Lake City — The Utah State Senate met Feb. 13 and placed a large number of bills on the third‑reading calendar, passing many measures by broad margins while tabling several tax- and budget-related bills for additional fiscal review.

The session included unanimous or near‑unanimous passage of memorials, corrections to state code, public‑safety and administrative cleanups, and designation of a memorial highway. Several bills addressing tax and fiscal matters were read for a third time but were then tabled on third reading for further fiscal analysis.

Why it matters: Many of the bills passed are housekeeping, technical or targeted policy changes that move quickly through the Legislature; the bills tabled for fiscal review may return with fiscal notes or amendments and could affect state revenue or administrative costs.

Votes at a glance (selected enacted bills and dispositions): - House Bill 146 (Mammography amendments) — Passed (26 Y, 0 N, 3 absent). The bill aligns state notification requirements with federal mammography notifications to avoid duplicative efforts. - Senate Joint Resolution 1 (Dissolve North Logan & Hyde Park justice courts) — Passed (26 Y, 0 N, 3 absent). Sponsors said the judicial council approved a planned closure effective 2025-04-01. - House Bill 26 (Road jurisdiction amendments) — Passed (26 Y, 0 N, 3 absent). Annual cleanup extending lane miles added into the state system in West Point, Vineyard and Draper; no road transfers this year. - House Bill 32 (Borgstrom Brothers Memorial Highway designation) — Passed under suspension of rules (26 Y, 0 N, 3 absent). Renames State Road 102 in Tremont and Thatcher to honor four brothers who died in World War II. - First substitute House Bill 25 (Retirement/retirement system amendments) — Passed after substitution (25 Y, 0 N, 4 absent). Sponsor said the substitute adds an actuarial study requirement to address any shortfalls. - House Bill 55 (County Office Amendments) — Passed (25 Y, 0 N, 4 absent). Clarifies meeting location authority for county officials. - House Bill 64 (Public official bonding amendments) — Passed (27 Y, 0 N, 2 absent). Replaces certain bond insurance with alternative risk insurance where appropriate. - Third substitute House Bill 69 (Government records/information amendments — narrowed to ballot information) — Passed (27 Y, 0 N, 2 absent). Substitute narrowed scope to prohibit misuse of ballot information (how an individual voted). - Fourth substitute House Bill 60 (State income tax amendments) — Read for third but then TABLED on third for fiscal impact (tabled; earlier read 26 Y, 0 N, 3 absent). - First substitute House Bill 61 (Tax withholding amendments — mining/production) — Read for third then TABLED on third for fiscal impact (tabled; earlier read 27 Y, 0 N, 2 absent). - House Bill 13 (Extortion amendments to cover counterfeit/AI-generated intimate images) — Passed (26 Y, 0 N, 3 absent). - House Bill 62 (Property tax application/deadline clarifications) — Passed (27 Y, 0 N, 2 absent). - House Bill 67 (Precious Metals Investment Administration amendments) — Read for third (26 Y, 1 N, 2 absent) then TABLED on third for fiscal impact. - House Bill 97 (Private postsecondary modifications; cancellation/fee rules) — Passed (28 Y, 0 N, 1 absent). - House Bill 108 (Fraudulent deed amendments cleanup) — Passed (27 Y, 0 N, 2 absent). - House Bill 200 (Outdoor Recreation amendments; includes USFWS lands in shutdown prioritization) — Passed (23 Y, 0 N, 6 absent). - House Bill 109 (Municipal election amendments; limits on lame‑duck changes to manager dismissal procedures) — Passed (23 Y, 0 N, 6 absent). - First substitute House Bill 124 (Education industry employee privacy) — Passed (18 Y, 4 N, 7 absent). Sponsors said the bill restricts distribution of work contact info and addresses privacy when employees use third‑party apps. - House Bill 46 (Water rights application reinstatement timing) — Passed (22 Y, 0 N, 7 absent). - First substitute House Bill 41 (State water policy amendments: groundwater focus, watershed monitoring councils) — Passed (23 Y, 0 N, 6 absent). - First substitute House Bill 66 (Ritual/ritualistic abuse amendments: training, aggravator for child victims) — Passed (21 Y, 0 N, 8 absent).

What was tabled: Following third‑reading actions, senators moved to table fiscal items for further review. Notable tablings on third reading: fourth substitute House Bill 60 (state income tax language/interest rules), first substitute House Bill 61 (withholding/mineral production), House Bill 67 (precious metals investment admin). Sponsors said the tablings were to allow additional fiscal analysis.

Key procedural notes: The Rules Committee report was adopted, sending many bills to committee; multiple bills were circled/uncircled at the request of sponsors during floor management. Several committee reports were read into the record and placed bills on second‑reading calendars.

Less‑controversial technical fixes and administrative cleanups made up a large share of the session’s activity; higher‑impact tax and investment items were paused for fiscal review and may return with fiscal notes or amendments.

Ending: The Senate adjourned to reconvene Friday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. (caucus lunch scheduled between sessions).