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Votes at a glance: House third‑reading actions Feb. 18, 2015
Summary
On Feb. 18 the Utah House approved multiple Senate and House measures on third reading (motion picture licensing, utilities, retirement revisions, tuition for fallen officers, tax code cleanup, license-plate clarifications, veterans definition, unclaimed insurance benefits and others) and rejected a task‑force bill on voter participation.
The Utah House on Feb. 18 took final or procedural action on a broad set of third‑reading items. Below are the measures acted on, the brief purpose listed on the floor and the House outcome.
- SB 123 — Motion picture licensing amendments: Sponsor Representative DeCaro said the bill repeals an obsolete trade‑screening requirement for films. Passed 70–1.
- SB 61 (second substitute) — Medicaid audit amendments: Sponsor Representative Red said the changes limit extrapolation in audits, restrict contingency fee arrangements for audit contractors and clarify procedures for the Utah Department of Health. Passed 72–0 (substituted and passed).
- SJR 1 — Joint resolution urging interstate sharing of putative‑father registry information: Sponsor said it encourages participating states to share registry data and urges Congressional action; opponents said it could inject uncertainty into adoptions. Passed 38–34.
- SB 88 — Public utilities amendments (service territory gap): Sponsor Representative Ivory said SB 88 speeds agreements allowing customers to be served by an adjacent utility if providers agree and the Public Service Commission approves. Passed 70–0.
- SB 110 — Public utility modifications (net‑metering wording correction): Sponsor Representative Chu said the bill corrects wording to ensure consistency with the net‑metering statute. Passed 70–0.
- SB 11 — Utah Retirement Systems revisions (technical changes to tier‑2): Sponsor Representative Powell said the changes are technical and have no fiscal impact. Passed 70–0.
- SB 65 (first substitute) — In‑state tuition for families of fallen public safety officers: Sponsor Representative Mikkel said the amendment clarifies tuition coverage also includes fees and removes a means test. Passed 72–0.
- SB 144 — Modifications to income tax (expired credits transparency): Sponsor Representative Hall said the bill requires the Tax Commission to publish expired tax credits on its website. Passed 72–0.
- HB 200 — Task force on voter participation: Sponsor Representative Arrant proposed a legislative task force to study declining turnout; members debated cost and efficacy of task forces; fiscal note clarified to $104,000. Failed 30–42.
- HB 234 — Lobbyist disclosure and regulation act modifications: Sponsor Representative McHale said the bill updates allowable values for publications and permits disposal/donation of legislative publications; passed 70–0.
- HB 238 — License plate obstruction amendments (uncircle, substitute): Sponsor Representative Red said clarifications accommodate trailer hitches, wheelchair lifts, bicycle racks and similar cargo devices; passed 72–0.
- HB 36 (first substitute) — Veterans definition: Sponsor Representative Paul Ray said the bill creates a uniform statutory definition for 'veteran' (e.g., 180 days active duty or service‑related injury) and clarifies it does not confer benefit eligibility; passed 72–0.
- HB 168 (first substitute) — Unclaimed life insurance and annuity benefits: Sponsor Representative Dunnigan said insurers would search the Social Security death master file to match policyholders and beneficiaries and notify or escheat funds appropriately; passed 74–0.
- HB 197 — Educator‑licensing amendments: After extended debate the House passed the bill 43–30; see separate coverage for details.
Several measures were transmitted to the Senate for further consideration or signature, and procedural rules and committee referrals were recorded on the floor.
