Votes at a glance: Utah House adopts resolutions honoring Major Gen. Tarbot, passes multiple Senate bills

The Utah House cleared a series of bills and resolutions on Feb. 20, 2013, adopting a concurrent resolution honoring Major General (ret.) Brian Tarbot and approving multiple Senate bills placed on the third‑reading calendar.

Honoring Major General Brian Tarbot: The House amended HCR 3 to correct the number of service years (an amendment replacing 42 with 39 years) and then unanimously adopted the concurrent resolution honoring Major General Brian Tarbot for his decades of service to the state and for his leadership of the Utah National Guard. Representative Val Peterson introduced the resolution and members on both sides of the aisle praised Tarbot’s leadership, deployment support and work for families of service members. Voting: HCR 3 passed the House 72–0 and will be transmitted to the Senate.

Key bills passed and votes at a glance (house sponsor listed where given): - Senate Bill 45 (workers’ compensation — officers/directors exclusion for very small businesses): Passed the House 71–0 after brief comment by the sponsor. Representative Last acted as house sponsor. - Senate Bill 30 (water and irrigation amendments; beneficial‑use cleanup): Passed the House 71–0. Representative Wilcox described several modest cleanup changes to streamline state engineer procedures and prove beneficial use. - Senate Bill 115 (state water development commission appointment terms; staggered 4‑year terms): Passed the House 71–0; Representative Grover noted the measure staggers terms to preserve institutional continuity. - SCR 3 (prairie dog damage and management plan pilot for Iron County): Sponsor Representative Westwood said the resolution urges the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to allow a five‑year management pilot; concerns were raised about funding sources. Voting: SCR 3 passed 69–1 and will be returned to the Senate. - Senate Bill 13 (ignition interlock amendment for out‑of‑state drivers): Passed the House 72–0; the bill clarifies device requirements so out‑of‑state drivers can complete reinstatement procedures. - Senate Bill 111 (electronic filing of traffic citations and accident reports): Passed the House (vote recorded as 68–0); the bill extends a compliance deadline for the small number of agencies not yet filing electronically. - Senate Bill 123 (runaway vehicle ramp use restriction): Passed the House 71–0; the bill prohibits non‑emergency uses of runaway ramps. - Senate Bill 129 (Office of State Debt Collection — administrative garnishment): Members raised questions about exemptions and the bill was temporarily circled for further clarification rather than passed that day. - Senate Bill 140 (service area board trustees — proportional representation): Passed the House 71–0 to allow proportional representation on boards when interlocal agencies convert to special service districts. - Senate Bill 28 (boards and commissions cleanup): Passed as amended after lawmakers reinsered one board and accepted a last‑minute friendly amendment to retain a motorcycle education advisory board; vote 72–0. - Senate Bill 106 (unemployment tax amendment): Passed the House 71–0 to keep the employer unemployment tax rate at 0.004 for one year, preventing the scheduled increase to 0.005.

Other procedural actions: The House adopted multiple committee reports and moved certain bills (for example, House Bill 33 on expungement process amendments) back to the Senate for technical corrections. Several bills were placed on appropriate standing calendars or the consent calendar for further action.

What representatives said: Representative Val Peterson said the Tarbot resolution was intended as “an opportunity for us as citizens of the state of Utah to thank Major General Tarbot for his example and for his legacy.” Representative Westwood noted that SCR 3 would rely on existing Division of Wildlife Resources funds proposed to be transferred for county management if the pilot proceeds, and other members asked follow‑up questions about funding and implementation.

Next steps: Bills passed by the House will be returned to the Senate as required for further action or enrollment; the House adjourned and reconvened on Feb. 21, 2013.