Utah Senate advances a slate of bills on first day, suspends several rules

The Utah State Senate on Jan. 21 suspended standard timing rules for the day and moved dozens of bills forward, approving a broad package of measures ranging from tourism board reauthorization to election-code changes.

Senate President Adams opened the afternoon session by recognizing procedural motions and allowing the body to dispense with some routine timing requirements so multiple bills could be considered the same day. "I move that the senate spend the rule requiring bills be on the calendar for 1 day for the remainder of the day," Senator McKell said when offering the first motion to accelerate the schedule, and the body approved the change. The Senate also voted to suspend the constitution's three-reading requirement for bills on the second-reading calendar so they could be passed on the floor the same day.

Why it matters: The votes let the Senate move a broad set of bills quickly to the House for consideration while some measures were held for further work. Several items generated brief technical questions from senators; a few bills were "circled" for further work or substitution instead of a final vote.

Most bills were considered under suspension of rules after short sponsor presentations and limited floor discussion. Sponsors stressed the bills were vetted in interim or standing committees; several senators urged colleagues to request a bill be moved to third reading if it required more scrutiny.

Votes at a glance - Senate Bill 12, "Board of Tourism Development Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Plumb): extends sunset and makes technical changes; Plumb said the board helped advertise campaigns that she said have "generated an estimated $14,400,000,000 in travel revenue and $2,100,000,000 in state and local revenue over the last 5 years." Outcome: passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 13, "Property Tax Reimbursement Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Fillmore): allows heavy-equipment lessors to charge a recovery fee that is exempt from sales tax to address taxation of leased equipment across state lines. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 26 yay, 0 nay, 3 absent. - Senate Bill 15, "Certified Public Accountant Licensing Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Vickers): changes education/licensure pathways so candidates with specified business/accounting degrees and hour thresholds may sit for the CPA exam and creates clearer endorsement paths for out-of-state CPAs. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 24 yay, 0 nay, 5 absent. - Senate Bill 16, "Property Tax Notice Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Fillmore): requires county treasurers/assessors to include notice on property tax statements that homeowners age 75 or older may be eligible to defer property taxes and to contact county offices for details. Fillmore said the measure was drafted with the Utah Association of Counties and noted an earlier $8,000,000 hold-harmless appropriation tied to the original program. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 17, 1st substitute, "Services for Department of Defense Civilian Employees" (sponsor: Senator Milner): sponsor described the substitute as a coordination clause aligning the bill with a House bill; members discussed committee-note effects when a substitute replaces a committee bill. Outcome: 1st substitute passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 18, "Election Fundraising Amendments" (sponsor: Senator McKay): exempts candidates running for federal office from the state fundraising prohibition during session if they comply with federal election law standards; McKay clarified the change does not alter restrictions about soliciting donations on the Capitol grounds. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 24 yay, 0 nay, 5 absent. - Senate Bill 19, "Utah Retirement Systems Amendments for Military Personnel" (sponsor: Senator Baldry): allows service members and spouses to vest earlier in some retirement accounts when ordered to relocate out of state. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 24 yay, 0 nay, 5 absent. - Senate Bill 23, "First Home Investment Zone Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Harper): technical corrections to definitions and formulas to ensure the zones can be used as intended. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 23 yay, 2 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 25, "Post-Retirement Reemployment for Emergency Services Workers" (sponsor: Senator Harper): adjusts the allowable post-retirement earnings threshold for affiliated volunteer emergency workers from $500 to $15,000, aligning them with other classes of retirees. Outcome: passed; tally not specified in transcript roll-call notice. - Senate Bill 26, "Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Harper): clarified undefined terms and limited the number of phases within a zone. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 22 yay, 3 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 28, "Livestock Brand Board Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Sandahl): extends the Brand Board for another 10 years. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 29, "Charter School Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Fillmore): authorizes the State Board of Education to make short-term bridge loans from retained, already-appropriated charter funds to new or expanding charter schools when enrollment projections are significantly off, then repay the retained funds on true-up. Sponsor said the funds are already appropriated accounts for charter schools. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 24 yay, 0 nay, 5 absent. - Senate Bill 30, "Forest Fire Resources Compact Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Owens): authorizes Utah to join the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact to facilitate mutual aid and coordination among states for wildfire prevention and response; sponsors discussed the ability to withdraw and insurance obligations for responding states. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 24 yay, 0 nay, 5 absent. - Senate Bill 33, "Water Rights Recording Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Vickers): clarifies electronic-signature options so grantors may sign water-related deeds electronically. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 22 yay, 0 nay, 7 absent. - Senate Bill 34, "Mineral Surety Study" (sponsor: Senator Owens): directs the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining to study surety (financial assurance) practices for reclamation and to report back; sponsor said the study addresses the risk of operators abandoning reclamation costs. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 23 yay, 0 nay, 6 absent. - Senate Bill 36, "Water Quality Board Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Weiler): sponsor asked to circle the bill to seek broader stakeholder consensus and indicated a substitute was likely; the bill was circled for further work. - Senate Bill 38, "Manufacturing Modernization Grant Sunset Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Milner): extends program deadlines to complete previously awarded manufacturing modernization grants; sponsor noted third-party program evaluations and that unspent grant awards need time to be used. The Senate voted to read the bill a third time; recorded notice: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent for the third-reading motion. - Senate Bill 40, "Sales and Use Tax Act Amendments" (sponsor: Senator McKay): initially circled; later uncircled and passed with clarifying language to guide retailers on amnesty periods and to preserve controlling court interpretations during recodification. Outcome after uncircling: passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 41 (sponsor: Senator Grover) and Senate Bill 43 (sponsor: Senator McKay) were circled earlier; SB 43 was later uncircled and passed: SB 43, which adjusts the income tax credit review cycle and formalizes Legislative Auditor General audits of tax credits, passed with a recorded result of 26 yay, 0 nay, 3 absent. - Senate Bill 45, "Juvenile Court Procedures Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Wyler): clarifies coordination where both district (divorce) courts and juvenile courts may have jurisdiction over the same children and requires juvenile courts, in some circumstances, to notify and direct filing in the district court so both courts’ records align. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 26 yay, 0 nay, 3 absent. - Senate Bill 46, "Youth Electronic Cigarette, Marijuana and Other Drug Prevention" (sponsor: Senator Vickers): sunset review and prioritization of tax-funded prevention and enforcement programs created by earlier legislation; sponsor described a prioritization list for how limited revenues will be allocated. Outcome: passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 51, "State Resource Management Plan Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Stratton): sponsor described the 2025 iteration of the state resource management plan and emphasized coordination with federal land-management actions; after a roll-call recount the bill passed with a recorded result of 25 yay, 0 nay, 4 absent. - Senate Bill 53, "Election Code Amendments" (sponsor: Senator Musselman): clarifies timelines and procedures for incorporations, petition timelines, and signature-gatherer requirements to better align standalone incorporations with regular election schedules; outcome: passed; recorded result: 25 yay, 1 nay, 3 absent.

Items circled or substituted for further work - A small number of bills were "circled" for further drafting or substituted for coordination clauses (for example, SB 14, SB 36 and SB 41 were circled; SB 17 was replaced by a first substitute as a coordination clause). Senators on the floor noted that substitutions can remove a committee note and that any senator may move a bill to third reading if they want more committee-level review.

Notable floor exchanges and clarifications - On SB 16 (property-tax notices), Senator Fillmore said the bill was drafted with the Utah Association of Counties and that an earlier $8 million appropriation had been set aside to hold counties and cities harmless under the original deferral program. - On SB 17 (first substitute), several senators questioned whether substituting a coordination clause removes a committee endorsement; Senate staff and other senators explained substitution removes the committee note but does not prevent the bill from advancing and that any senator could move to place a bill on third reading for further examination. - On SB 18 (election fundraising), Senator McKay said the state exemption does not alter rules that limit solicitation locations at the Capitol: "It would not exempt them from that [location] restriction," McKay said. - On SB 29 (charter-school bridging), Senator Fillmore clarified the short-term funds would come from "already appropriated accounts for charter schools," calling the mechanism a temporary bridge until enrollment true-ups occur. - On SB 30 (fire-compact), senators discussed how a state could withdraw from the interstate compact and confirmed that the compact’s structure does not force a state to remain if it chooses to withdraw; sponsors emphasized the compact’s mutual-aid planning benefits.

Summary and next steps Most bills advanced to the Utah House for consideration. Senate leaders noted that the accelerated schedule was used because many items had been vetted in interim committees; however, senators were reminded that any member may request additional committee review or move a bill to third reading if it requires more scrutiny. The Senate adjourned with plans to reconvene at 11 a.m. the next day.

Ending note: During the session the body paused to welcome a visiting Peruvian legislator, Freddie Lopez Urena, president of the Committee on Economy, Banking, Finance and Financial Intelligence of the Congress of Peru; Senator Escamilla introduced him and thanked him for the visit.