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House advances dozens of measures, including school capital overhaul and abandoned‑mines funding
Summary
On Feb. 26, 1996, the Utah House passed multiple Senate and House measures and sent several substitutes back to rules. Major items included a new school capital‑outlay formula, an appropriation for closing abandoned mines with a wildlife protection amendment, and a bill clarifying which boards require Senate advice and consent (including debate over Olympic appointments).
The Utah House of Representatives met on Feb. 26, 1996, and cleared a large batch of legislation, approving measures on education funding, mine reclamation, public‑safety communications and a range of technical code changes while sending several complex bills back to committee for further work.
Lawmakers approved a substitute for Senate Bill 46, a comprehensive overhaul of school capital‑outlay funding that sponsors said simplifies equalization and provides a stable revenue source while allowing districts to retain a local 0.0001 levy for their own use. Supporters said the plan is designed to direct funds based on need, effort and ability and that a fiscal note (recorded in debate) was already budgeted in the Education Sub‑Appropriations Committee.
The House also passed House Bill 361, an appropriation to address abandoned mines. Representatives debated public‑safety incidents tied to open mines and agreed to an amendment by Representative Tanner that prohibits using the appropriation to close mines that provide habitat for wildlife. Supporters cited examples — from bats to desert bighorn sheep — and framed the amendment as a narrowly targeted environmental safeguard; opponents warned of possible public‑safety tradeoffs.
Other measures advanced include concurrence with Senate amendments to HB300 (stalking law) and passage of bills to modernize professional practice statutes and public‑safety communications. The body placed numerous Senate bills on the third‑reading calendar and used circling and substitution to accommodate complex amendments and fiscal issues.
Votes at a glance: the House recorded roll or voice votes and signatures for many items during the session. For bills with explicit tallies in the record: the concurrence on HB300 passed 66–0; HB146 (conference committee report) was adopted by voice and then recorded as carried; HB361 passed after amendment (tallies recorded in the transcript for different steps during debate). Several other bills were passed or circled for further work as recorded on the floor.
What’s next: Several circled bills and substituted texts will return to rules or to the Senate for concurrence; other items will be taken up on the third‑reading calendar. Lawmakers used circling to allow technical fixes and to address fiscal concerns before final passage.
