Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legislation Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utah House passes several Senate-transmitted bills including pharmacy and dental-hygienist changes
Summary
On March 10 the Utah House approved unanimous and near-unanimous measures sent from the Senate, including pharmacy board technical updates (SB 158), dental-hygienist practice expansion (SB 177, amended), judicial compensation clarifications (SB 183) and assault-offenses amendments (SB 115); most measures were passed and returned to the Senate.
The Utah House on March 10 cleared a package of Senate-transmitted measures ranging from technical updates to changes in professional practice and criminal-code clarifications.
First substitute Senate Bill 158, described as the annual pharmacy-board update, was presented as three technical fixes: a rewrite of repackaging definitions, an expansion (with DOPL consultation) of emergency dispensing authority when pharmacies are closed to allow some rural-hospital provisions to apply in certain urban situations, and authorization for pharmacists to designate pharmacy interns in writing to access the controlled-substance database for duties at the practice site. Representative Standard presented the bill; summation was waived and the House passed the first substitute 74–0.
Representative Snow sponsored the second substitute of SB 177 (dental hygienist practice amendments) and moved Amendment #1 to clarify the hygienist’s scope under the bill. Snow said the bill allows hygienists operating under an agreement with a Utah-licensed dentist to provide preventive dental services to specified underserved populations, including homebound patients, school-based programs (notably those with about 50 percent free/reduced-price lunch), nursing homes, assisted-living and community health centers. The amendment was adopted and the House passed the bill as amended 74–0.
Senate Bill 183, described by Representative Wilson as technical statutory clarifications about how judges’ salaries are set by the annual appropriations act and which income forms qualify under the constitution, does not raise judges’ pay; the House passed the bill 74–0.
Representative Hutchings moved to 'uncircle' Senate Bill 115 (assault-offenses amendments) to bring it forward and explained the motion tightens the definition of assault to require a show of force so nonviolent acts (for example, slamming a door) are not misapplied as assault. The House carried the motion and later approved SB 115, returning it to the Senate (74–0).
After floor action on these bills, the House adjourned until 9 a.m. March 11.
