Utah House approves temporary-disability expansion for peace officers, 40-32

The Utah House passed substitute House Bill 250 on Feb. 21, 1992, sending the measure to the Senate after a 40-32 vote. The bill expands temporary disability and leave-of-absence benefits for peace officers injured in the line of duty, limits long-term coverage to certain state officers, and requires offsetting of payments by employer-provided benefits.

Sponsor amendments adopted on the House floor changed two key points. The first amendment requires that “compensation and benefits paid under this section shall be offset by any amount payable through employer provided benefits or insurance program,” language added to prevent the stacking of benefits. The second amendment reinserts the phrase “or its political subdivision” to extend the temporary-disability provision to peace officers employed by local jurisdictions.

The bill’s sponsor told the chamber the measure is narrowly focused on officers injured by criminal acts and will not apply to ordinary workplace accidents such as slips or automobile collisions. The sponsor said workers’ compensation—described on the floor as equaling two-thirds of full compensation—and existing long-term disability coverage would remain in place and that the new benefit would make up the difference until long-term disability begins.

Representative Howard objected to the bill on the House floor as an unfunded mandate on cities and counties, saying local governments would be required to provide benefits without state funding. “We’re not gonna send any money,” Howard said, arguing the requirement could strain small jurisdictions’ budgets and affect their ability to staff law enforcement.

Representative Hayes Hunter, responding to questions about municipal input, said the League of Cities and Towns had been sent copies and “did not object to this,” characterizing the change as a small, narrow mandate and noting that municipalities already provide workers’ compensation and long-term disability for officers.

A member on the floor recounted meeting an officer in a wheelchair who could not work after a line-of-duty injury and urged colleagues to support the bill on humanitarian grounds. Floor proponents emphasized the bill applies only when an officer is injured by a criminal act against the person and not for routine on-the-job accidents.

After adopting the two amendments, the House called for the final vote. The clerk announced that substitute House Bill 250 had received 40 yes votes and 32 no votes, and the measure was referred to the Senate. The House recessed until 2 p.m.

What happens next: the bill will proceed to the Senate for committee referral and further consideration. The House-recorded vote was a simple tally; roll-call vote details were not specified in the transcript.