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House floor roundup: licensing for duct cleaners, sign adjustments, expert-witness fee ban and other actions
Summary
On Feb. 27 the House passed a package of bills under suspension of rules and third-reading items: duct-cleaning licensing (SB234), outdoor advertising sign adjustment (SB222), and a ban on contingent fees for expert witnesses (SB103), among others; the House also circled and recalled several items for later work.
The Utah House on Feb. 27 handled a series of bills on the third-reading calendar and by suspension of the rules, voting on several measures and taking procedural steps on others.
Licensing for duct cleaners: The chamber approved Senate Bill 234 to place servicing of heating and cooling duct systems under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act so the state can set specifications for thorough duct cleaning. Sponsor Representative Steve Clark said duct cleaning requires specialized equipment and standards; the bill passed with 52 yes and 7 no votes.
Outdoor advertising signs: Senate Bill 222, offered to provide a mechanism to relocate or otherwise address outdoor advertising signs when state property transfers reduce a sign's visibility or value, passed 56–6. Sponsor Representative Ehrklecht said the change would affect about 13 signs across the state and was designed to avoid inverse-condemnation claims.
Expert witnesses and contingent fees: First Substitute Senate Bill 103 would prohibit contingent-fee payments to expert witnesses after they are qualified as experts, reducing incentives that could call testimony into question. Representative Wyatt said the proposal aims to preserve impartiality and passed 58–1.
Other procedural actions: The House circled First Substitute Senate Bill 127 (vacating or changing subdivision plats) for further consideration to resolve concerns about the public-hearing requirement in certain scenarios; the House also voted to recall HB4 from Legislative Research and General Counsel for the purposes of placing an amendment.
Votes at a glance (floor summary reported): SB234 passed 52–7; SB222 passed 56–6; SB103 passed 58–1; SB268 and SB37 outcomes are reported in separate articles.
