Senate closes business day after passing a wave of bills on licensing, privacy, and public policy; votes at a glance

The Utah Senate completed a lengthy floor session on March 14, 2019, approving a broad set of measures across regulatory, criminal justice, licensing and administrative areas before adjourning. Below are selected, floor‑verified outcomes and brief descriptions drawn from the legislative transcript.

Votes at a glance (selected bills recorded on the Senate floor):

- First substitute House Bill 256 (Regulation of shell egg producers): defines "small" producers (3,000 chickens), requires labeling and packaging rules; passed under suspension of rules — 24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent.

- First substitute House Joint Resolution 15 (Daylight Act support): the Senate passed a resolution urging congressional action to allow states greater choice on daylight‑saving practices; passed 24 yea, 1 nay, 4 absent.

- First substitute House Bill 258 (Oriented business license amendments / conference report): conference committee report adopted and the bill passed (Senate announcement and roll call, SEG 555–637; 26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent reported for the motion to pass the first substitute, SEG 634–637).

- Second substitute Senate Bill 228 (Public Infrastructure District Act): Senate concurred with House amendments and passed.

- Fourth substitute Senate Bill 34 (Affordable housing modifications): Senate concurred after stripping funding language and passed — 23 yea, 3 nay, 3 absent.

- Fifth substitute House Bill 223 (Unlawful installation of a tracking device): conference committee reported a compromise that makes unauthorized installation of a tracking device a class A misdemeanor with exemptions for licensed private investigators and consent; Senate passed the fifth substitute — 18 yea, 9 nay, 2 absent.

- First substitute Senate Bill 156 (Construction trades licensing amendments): Senate adopted the agreed substitution clarifying certification requirements (one certified sprinkler fitter required per job) and passed the bill.

- Second substitute House Bill 411 (Community Renewable Energy Act): created an opt‑in mechanism for communities to seek "net 100%" renewable electricity with PSC oversight and opt‑out protections; passed 23 yea, 6 nay.

- Senate Bill 3 (Appropriations adjustments): major supplemental appropriations package described on the floor with listed priorities (education, air quality, Medicaid); passed 28 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent.

Other floor actions recorded in the transcript included passage of multiple technical and criminal justice bills (for example, changes to drug scheduling for tramadol, background check expansions, hit‑and‑run penalties, and various licensing or registry bills). Each passed bill was noted on the record and will be returned to the House as applicable; where the floor transcript omitted an explicit roll‑call tally the act was recorded as "passed" or "adopted" and will be verifiable in the printed journal and enrolled bill text.

Governor’s remarks and adjournment: After business concluded the governor addressed the Senate, congratulating members and staff on the session’s work — mentioning higher education investments, education funding increases, air quality funding and historic hate‑crimes legislation — and the Senate then adjourned sine die (Governor Herbert remarks, SEG 4093–4223; adjournment motion/announcement, SEG 4515–4530).

What reporters and civic watchers should follow next: enrolled bill text and the official Senate Journal (to reconcile any floor typographic errors), the House’s response or concurrence actions, and, for budget and energy items, subsequent administrative or regulatory filings at the Office of the Governor and the Utah Public Service Commission.