House passes broad emergency‑response code rewrite creating disaster recovery coordinator

House Bill 302, a sweeping consolidation of Utah’s emergency‑management statutes, passed the Utah House on Feb. 19 after adoption of Amendment No. 1.

Sponsor Rep. Greenwood said the bill merges two decades‑old code sections into a single, clearer chapter and corrects inconsistent definitions for ‘‘disaster’’ and ‘‘emergency responder.’’ The bill is roughly 95 pages because it consolidates existing law rather than creating large amounts of new law, Greenwood said. Amendment No. 1 added references to local districts and relocated an expense‑reimbursement clause to the appropriate subsection; the sponsor said these were technical and clarity fixes.

The legislation also creates a statutory responsibility for a disaster recovery coordinating officer who would coordinate state and federal activities after a presidential disaster declaration; the sponsor emphasized that the change does not create a new full‑time equivalent position (FTE). Greenwood said the change formalizes coordination with FEMA and federal counterparts when a disaster is declared.

The House agreed to the amendment and passed HB302 by voice/vote with a recorded tally of 69 yes, 0 no; the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.