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House expands who can seek post‑exposure disease testing for corrections workers
Summary
House passed HB212 (73–0) after a floor amendment removing language that would have made test results inadmissible in civil or criminal proceedings; sponsor said the bill simply expands who may use an existing judicial petition process under section 78B.
The Utah House unanimously passed House Bill 212 on Feb. 21, 2013 to expand an existing judicial petition process that allows certain workers exposed to a detainee's bodily fluids to seek testing of the detainee for communicable diseases. Representative Derek Brown, sponsor, said the process is currently in statute (section 78B) but applies narrowly to medical providers; HB212 extends that remedy to additional categories of corrections personnel such as transporters and prison guards.
Brown moved a voice amendment to delete lines 134–135, which had stated that test results are not admissible in civil or criminal proceedings; he and colleagues explained that statutory language risked unintentionally overriding civil and criminal procedural rules, so the provision was removed. Brown said the bill preserves prisoners' rights and that groups including the ACLU had reviewed the changes. The House passed HB212 by recorded vote, 73 yeas to 0 nays, and referred the bill to the Senate for consideration.
