Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recreation And Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House passes OHV bill expanding parks board sizing authority, raising supervision age
Summary
The House approved HB237 to expand the State Parks and Recreation Board’s rulemaking authority to size off-highway vehicles for young riders (covering up to age 10) and to require adult supervisors to be 21 for riders under 12; supporters cited family recreation and regulated licensing, opponents raised safety and ER-statistic concerns.
The Utah House on Feb. 20 passed first substitute House Bill 237, changing off-highway-vehicle (OHV) rules to expand the State Parks and Recreation Board’s ability to set size limits for youth machines and to raise the age of required adult supervision from 18 to 21 for riders under 12.
Sponsor Representative Tilton described amendment #4 as two changes: authorizing the Parks and Recreation Board to size machines for children (expanded to cover ages up to 10) and changing the adult-supervision threshold from 18 to 21 for riders under 12. "We're allowing the board to now say anybody that's 10 or under they have to have an appropriately sized machine," Tilton said on the floor, emphasizing the change is intended to improve safety through rulemaking rather than a blanket ban.
Opponents pressed safety concerns during floor debate. Representative Johnson warned that the bill as drafted could allow young riders on public roadways and cited emergency-room injury statistics, noting, "There are 30,000 children ... treated in emergency rooms annually for ATV accidents," and urged that language distinguishing paved roads from dirt or dual‑use roads be clarified. Sponsor Tilton responded that many rural roads are dual‑purpose and that related statutory coordination across bills governs where OHVs may operate.
The fiscal note was discussed: sponsors said an expected registration increase would generate modest fee revenue (the State Board used an estimate of roughly 300 additional registrations per year, yielding an estimated $5,600 in revenue per year in one table referenced on the floor). Supporters framed the bill as modest regulation aimed at family recreation safety, while opponents sought tighter limits on street operation and clearer data on risks.
After debate and adoption of amendment #4, the House passed HB237 as amended by a recorded tally of 40 yes votes, 0 no, and 6 absent; the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
Next steps: HB237 moves to the Senate; the Parks and Recreation Board will have rulemaking authority to implement sizing standards if the bill becomes law.
