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Utah House rejects amendment to raise aspects of teen driving restrictions; SB93 fails after amendment debate
Summary
After an amendment to align nighttime driving limits and add limited affirmative defenses passed, House members debated enforcement and scope; Senate Bill 93 failed on final passage, 32-39.
The Utah House debated and rejected Senate Bill 93, a measure to amend the state's graduated driver's license provisions.
Representative Donnie Bush moved to uncircle SB93 and place it before the House. Representative Ferri offered Amendment No. 1 to make the bill consistent with last year's nighttime driving restrictions and to add an affirmative-defense carve-out allowing young drivers to travel to and from employment, religiously sponsored activities and farm assignments.
Ferri said the amendment was intended to make the code more "rural friendly," explaining that the change would "include the same restrictions that were included in the nighttime driving" bill passed last year and would allow driving "to and from one's employment, to and from one's religious sponsored activity, and ... if you are on an assignment for a rancher or farmer engaged in an agriculture operation." Representative Bush, the bill sponsor, said he and the sponsor "are agreeable to this amendment" and that it "helps the bill quite a bit." The House adopted the amendment.
Opponents raised enforcement and fairness concerns. Representative Walsh asked whether the measure "effectively raises the dating age in this state to 16.5," a concern echoed by other members. Representative Steiler and others questioned how law enforcement could reliably distinguish lawful trips (for example, to "a school dance") from unpermitted trips (for example, to a movie), saying such distinctions could create enforcement problems. Representative Ure invoked a broader principle about parental responsibility, quoting Benjamin Franklin: "they that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporal safety deserve neither liberty nor safety," and said he opposed the bill.
Supporters argued the bill was a modest safety step. Representative Arant said there are statistics showing risk to young drivers and called the proposal "a very small step that we can take to save lives." Representative Beck described outreach to teen constituents and said "the kids support this legislation."
After extended debate and the adoption of amendments, the House voted on SB93; the measure failed on final passage, 32 yes to 39 no, and was filed.
