House amends Injured Worker Reemployment Act to clarify voluntary nature, aiming to reduce reporting burden

On Jan. 29 the Utah House considered House Bill 10, the Utah Injured Worker Reemployment Act, and adopted Amendment No. 1 to clarify that reemployment provisions are voluntary and to reduce reporting burdens described by staff.

Representative Dunnegan, who moved to uncircle the bill and sponsor the amendment, said the amendment "clarifies the voluntary nature of the reemployment act" and fixes a drafting error where the word "shall" had been used instead of the intended language (SEG 204–212). He told members that advisory‑board review found some reporting requirements onerous and that the Division of Labor reported many filings were simply "put in a drawer" and not used for enforcement (SEG 236–246). Dunnegan said the bill does not extend the statute’s sunset; rather, it moves relevant language to a different subsection of the workers' compensation code and eliminates unneeded regulatory burden (SEG 249–265).

The amendment was adopted by voice vote when summation was waived, and the House proceeded to open voting on the bill. The sponsor asked for an affirmative vote after explaining the bill aimed to streamline requirements and place reemployment language in a more appropriate section of the code.

The transcript records the amendment adoption on the floor; the House had voting on the bill open during the same floor period. The bill sponsor said he was "open to an affirmative vote" after describing the bill's intent to reduce unnecessary reporting requirements.

Next steps for HB 10 were to continue through the legislative calendar as usual.