Senate approves MITA changes, narrows labor definition; passes wide package of bills

The Utah Senate on Friday approved amendments to the Military Installation Development Authority (MITA), refined the state's public-sector labor organization definition and advanced a large group of bills across policy areas, including housing, childcare and consumer protections.

Senators passed first substitute Senate Bill 316, a package of changes to MITA and other development-zone rules, and later approved second substitute Senate Bill 327, which narrows the statutory definition of public-sector labor-organizing activity after debate on unintended consequences for government operations.

The MITA measure and the labor-definition bill were among a slate of measures the Senate moved during its floor session; many other bills were approved with limited debate. The floor session also included committee assignment announcements and sponsor presentations on bills ranging from child care registration to ticketing delivery rules.

Senate action on MITA (SB316)

Senator Curt Stevenson, sponsor of SB316, told the Senate the bill clarifies how revenues tied to military-related projects may be spent and how certain projects can be treated for environmental review. "Midas has been an extraordinary economic development tool for the state of Utah," Stevenson said, adding that the change "determines how revenues from a National Guard project may be spent" and that it "would tell how we can distribute the money, from the sales tax collected on those materials."

Stevenson said the bill would allow MITA to serve as the lead agency on environmental reviews when multiple entities are involved, but stressed the change does not remove any environmental requirements: "It doesn't mean that they bypassed anything ... No. Absolutely no. Nothing in bypass." The bill also clarifies…