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Committee adopts substitute to extend employer liability protections for hiring people reentering workforce
Summary
The Judiciary Committee adopted a first substitute and favorably recommended HB 24, extending and clarifying liability limits for employers who hire people reentering the workforce while carving out certain vehicle-related offenses.
Representative Coeffort presented HB 24, a committee bill that removes the sunset and refines liability limits for employers hiring people reentering the workforce.
"This was a committee bill over interim to address the sunset clause and to extend the limitations of liability for employers who are hiring people reentering our workforce," Representative Coeffort said, describing added definitions and guardrails to help employers make hiring decisions.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the scope of vehicle-related offenses carved out from liability protection. Representative Thompson asked whether the employer liability exception for vehicle-related crimes applied to misdemeanors or felonies; Representative Coeffort and other committee members answered that the carve-out is intended to be narrow and to apply to felony-level offenses, including felony DUI and similar severe offenses. Representative Abbott noted the substitute language also includes a limited carve-out for repeated reckless-driving misdemeanors (three counts).
Public testimony included the Utah Department of Corrections, represented by Glenn Mills, who said the department supports the bill as striking a balance between public safety and reentry opportunities; Dan Strong of the Sentencing Commission similarly said the bill "strikes that balance well," and Kate Bradshaw of the Utah Food Industry Association and Utah Retail Merchants Association said the associations support the substitute.
Representative Lou Bey moved to adopt the first substitute for HB 24, and the committee adopted it by voice vote. Representative Labbe then moved to favorably recommend the first substitute to the House floor; the committee took a voice vote and the chair announced adoption of the substitute and favorable recommendation.
Sponsors and stakeholders described the measure as intended to help address workforce shortages by giving employers more certainty while preserving narrow exceptions for public-safety concerns.
