House honors late Rep. Kurt E. Osterson, renames children’s organ transplant fund and passes related bill

The Utah House of Representatives on the floor paid tribute to the late Rep. Kurt E. Osterson and approved two formal measures honoring his service. The chamber adopted House Concurrent Resolution 5 commemorating Osterson's life and later passed House Bill 258 to rename and strengthen the Children's Organ Transplant Committee and its voluntary tax check-off fund in his honor.

The clerk read HCR 5 aloud and the House then voted. The Speaker announced, “ACR No. 5, resolution recognizing the life of 1 of our members, Kurt Oskarsen, passed this body with 71 votes, yes and no votes,” recording unanimous adoption and entrusting the resolution to the Senate for concurrence. Members presented Osterson’s family with a flag that had flown at half-staff over the Capitol and a certificate signed by the governor and lieutenant governor.

Representative Dean Davis, sponsor of HB258, described the proposal as a technical and substantive update: renaming the existing children’s organ transplant committee to carry Osterson’s name, removing the bill’s sunset date and increasing emphasis on organ-donor awareness. Davis said the fund had collected an average of about $52,000 annually through the voluntary income-tax check-off. The Speaker then opened the vote on HB258, and the House recorded that “HB258, having received 71 yes votes and 0 no votes, passed this House and will be referred to the Senate.”

After passage, Representative James Valentine requested leave to be added as a cosponsor; the House then voted under suspension of the rules to add all members as cosponsors unless an individual preferred otherwise. The Speaker recorded the motion as carried.

What happens next: HB258 will be transmitted to the Utah Senate for further consideration; the concurrent resolution will also be forwarded to the Senate and the governor for final concurrence or acknowledgment.