House narrowly approves drug- and alcohol-testing requirement for state contractors

Senate Bill 13, which ties alcohol and drug-testing requirements to state construction contracts and assigns the state procurement office rulemaking responsibilities, passed the Utah House Wednesday after a divided floor vote.

House sponsor Representative Jenny Brown described the bill as part of a legislative package this year addressing workplace drug testing and said the measure ensures contractors awarded state work must comply with testing policies to help maintain safe workplaces. "Essentially, what this bill says is that if someone is awarded the state contract, then there's a procedure that they have to go through which will be dealt with by the procurement office in mandating that alcohol and drug tests are done on state contracts," Brown told colleagues.

Supporters argued the bill closes enforcement gaps and clarifies exemptions and monitoring procedures; the measure also includes language that relieves the state of liability for aspects of the testing program and directs the procurement office to write rules. Opponents questioned mandates and the scope of enforcement.

The Clerk called the roll: the transcript records the House vote on SB13 as 40 yes and 31 no. The Speaker announced passage and said the bill would be returned to the Senate for signature and enrollment.

Next steps: SB13 returns to the Senate for further action. Proponents framed the change as a worker-safety and procurement oversight measure; opponents cited concerns about mandates and implementation details that the procurement office must now resolve by rule.