House adopts conference committee report for First Substitute Senate Bill 250 on class actions tied to state tax and fee disputes

The Utah House voted 51–14 to adopt a conference committee report for First Substitute Senate Bill 250, a measure addressing class-action suits tied to taxes or fees administered by the State Tax Commission. The vote closes House consideration and returns the measure to the Senate for further action.

The conference committee, the reading clerk reported, comprises Senators Valentine, Brandville and Allen and Representatives Christians, Sunfahren and Daniels. The recommendation was presented "by Senator Jay Ballantine with amendments," according to the clerk’s announcement. A representative moved to adopt the report and yielded time for explanation before the vote.

An attending representative who spoke in favor of the report said the bill addresses a concern raised during prior floor debate: that one provision could have effectively foreclosed most class actions. The presenter explained that tax and fee disputes are subject to administrative remedies; "the House had removed the provision that a claimant exhaust all administrative remedies," the speaker said, but the conference committee had restored that requirement while "streamlin[ing] the process whereby those administrative remedies may be exhausted." The speaker called the approach "a great compromise" and urged colleagues to support adoption.

The presiding officer closed debate and announced the tally: 51 yes, 14 no. With the vote recorded, the measure will return to the Senate for further consideration.

The transcript records the conference committee membership, the recommendation from Senator Jay Ballantine, and the House vote; no amendment text or changes to statutory language were read into the record during this floor sequence. Next steps are for the Senate to consider the House’s action and any further adjustments from the conference committee report.