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House advances wide package of bills, including tax-credit and public-safety measures
Summary
The Utah House on Feb. 25, 2004 approved a broad set of bills and resolutions — from an earned‑income tax credit and vehicle-safety language to changes in campaign and tobacco rules — forwarding most measures to the Senate. Several measures passed unanimously; others passed on closer votes.
The Utah House of Representatives spent its Feb. 25 floor session adopting committee reports, hearing sponsor explanations and approving a slate of bills that it sent to the Senate for further consideration.
Major measures passed included House Bill 345, a refundable state earned income tax credit aimed at low- and moderate-income working families, which passed 64–5 after the sponsor acknowledged a sizable fiscal note; House Bill 308, clarifying responsibilities for vehicles with deployed airbags, passed 73–0; and House Bill 292, vehicle franchise amendments, passed 69–0. The House also adopted House Bill 289 (alcohol-possession language for juveniles) 71–0 and House Bill 279 (counterfeit tobacco products, as amended) 65–0. House Bill 302 (Voluntary Contributions Act) passed after amendment, 42–29, and House Bill 150 (workers’ compensation provisions for firefighters) passed 47–25.
Committee chairs reported favorable recommendations on many additional items and placed several bills on the consent calendar. The body also approved resolutions including HCR 10, recognizing the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Salt Lake City, and HJR 17, urging review of issues arising under the Utah Enabling Act and federal land-management practices; HJR 17 passed 67–0.
Votes recorded on the floor matched the tallies announced by the reading clerk and were entered for transmission to the Senate. Several bills were circled for later consideration on the third‑reading calendar or substituted with second‑substitute versions before being circled for further review.
