Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Occupational Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utah House revives licensing review panel, requires committee exam before most new occupational licenses
Summary
The House approved a second substitute to HB 75 to reestablish a mandatory occupational licensing review committee and set criteria focused on public health, safety and welfare; an amendment adding 'welfare' to the standard was adopted on the floor. The bill passed 71‑0 and will go to the Senate.
Representative Green presented a second substitute to HB 75 to revive an occupational and professional licensing review panel (often called the Sunrise Committee) and require that most licensing proposals under Title 58 go through that committee for initial review.
Green said the measure was drafted to respond to a federal court ruling that struck down how state cosmetology rules had been applied to hair braiding, arguing the state should avoid regulations that unnecessarily burden the 'right to work.' As Green put it on the floor, 'the right to work for a living in common occupations of the community is of the very essence of personal freedom and opportunity that the Constitution was designed to protect.'
The bill makes committee review mandatory for new licensing proposals under Title 58 and lays out criteria the committee must use, including whether a proposed regulation advances public health and safety and whether it imposes an unnecessary burden on the right to work. Representative Lisonbee and others asked whether professions such as CPAs, attorneys or insurance agents would be affected; the sponsor said the bill applies to Title 58 occupations and not to professions regulated outside that title.
Representative Nielsen moved and the House adopted an amendment to change the statutory standard to 'protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public,' expanding the committee's guidance. Green stressed the committee's role is advisory — it reviews and recommends to the Legislature; it cannot bind a future Legislature and a subsequent legislator could exempt a proposal from committee review by including explicit language in the bill.
Supporters, including members of the Business and Labor Committee, said the change offers more due diligence than brief committee floor time. Representative Peterson and others praised the bill as a tool to screen licensing requests and return recommendations to the Legislature.
The House adopted the amendment and approved the second substitute, recording a 71‑0 vote. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
