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House advances a slate of bills; key floor votes include HB289, HB32 and HB267
Summary
The Utah House on Feb. 21, 1997, adopted committee reports and passed a number of bills on the floor, including HB289 (wildlife damage compensation, 69–1), HB32 (recreation impact fees, 65–2) and HB267 (Council on Excellence in Government, 57–12). Several other bills were read and referred to committees.
The Utah House convened Feb. 21 and moved a broad set of measures forward, adopting committee reports, reading bills for referral and approving several bills on final or consent calendars.
House Bill 289, a measure to reimburse livestock owners for losses verified as the result of cougar or bear depredation, passed the House 69–1 after debate over eligible animals and documentation requirements. Representative Evans, the sponsor, said the bill creates a verification process and “allows for $350,000 to be appropriated” to reimburse verified losses.
House Bill 32, addressing recreational impact fees, was uncircled for floor action, amended to remove references to “repair and operating costs” and “motor vehicles” from an eligibility line, and then approved 65–2. Sponsors argued the amendment preserved the fund for extraordinary, unanticipated costs.
House Bill 267, establishing a Council on Excellence in Government modeled on Malcolm Baldrige criteria, drew extended debate on scope and cost. The fiscal note presented to members was $3,500 for administrative costs; members debated whether the state should codify a quality‑award structure. The House approved the measure 57–12.
Other measures were assigned to committees or placed on the consent calendar during the session. Committee reports adopted on the floor included recommendations on bills covering education, utilities, health and human services, and revenues. The House adjourned for the week with a reminder from the Speaker to limit commemorations in the final days of the session.
The bills above will be transmitted to the Senate as part of the normal enrolling and signature process; specific effective dates or implementing rules were not specified on the floor.
