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House approves bill letting consumers pursue motor‑vehicle warranty claims and covering leased vehicles
Summary
House Bill 77, sponsored by Rep. Grant V. Proxman, was approved by the House and referred to the Senate; the bill extends warranty protections to leased vehicles and allows consumers to pursue private enforcement after a division investigation. Sponsor cited enforcement data (795 cases since 1985; 26 unresolved).
The Utah House passed House Bill 77, a measure to expand enforcement under the motor‑vehicle warranty chapter and to extend warranty rights to leased vehicles. Representative Grant V. Proxman, the bill sponsor, told the House the bill was designed to preserve consumers’ ability to pursue claims when the attorney general's office is overworked and to allow private counsel to bring actions after an investigation by the Division of Consumer Protection.
Proxman described the bill as a compromise between manufacturers and consumers that preserves the Division's enforcement role while creating a private enforcement avenue. He said the division "still shall enforce" the chapter and that the amended fiscal note and language ensure the division retains responsibility. He told members that, since April 1985, "there have been 795 total cases brought" and that only "26" remained unresolved, using those figures to show the division's workload and the bill's safeguards.
Representative Lewis and others questioned whether consumers would be forced into private suits if the division were too slow; the sponsor said the statute explicitly retains the division's duty and that the bill carefully balances access and oversight. Representative Joe Jensen expressed support, calling the bill a satisfactory resolution of prior problems.
The motion to adopt the committee report and proceed to final action carried, and the House recorded the vote on HB77 as "16 affirmative and no negative votes." The bill passed the House and was transmitted to the Senate for further action.
