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House advances wide consent calendar, sending dozens of bills to the Senate
Summary
On March 1–2, 2017 the Utah House approved a lengthy consent calendar that advanced bills ranging from child‑care hiring rules and construction licensing to public‑health and local‑government technical fixes; several measures passed unanimously while others drew substantive debate before passage.
The Utah House on March 1–2 moved a large consent calendar of bills to the Senate, approving a mix of technical fixes and policy changes that lawmakers said streamline operations or close statutory gaps.
Among the measures approved was first substitute House Bill 169, which expands the allowable look‑back period for state‑licensed child‑care providers assessing applicants with nonviolent felony records from five to 10 years. Representative Frower told colleagues the change "does 1 thing"—allowing providers discretion to hire individuals whose nonviolent felonies were removed from record 10 or more years earlier. The House recorded 59 yeas and 2 nays on the bill; it passed and will be transmitted to the Senate.
The body also approved first substitute H.B. 273 (construction trades licensing penalties), a bill that limits disciplinary look‑backs to a five‑year window and gives the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing discretion to treat related violations as a single offense. Representative Ray described the measure as an industry bill giving agencies greater practical discretion; the vote was 62‑0.
Other bills on the consent calendar that passed included S.B. 145 (nail salon venting rules, 65‑0), S.B. 231 (business entity reinstatement for entities on payment plans, 66‑0), H.B. 409 (charter school funding amendments, 67‑0), S.B. 108 (broadening the statutory definition of epinephrine auto‑injectors, returned to the Senate), and S.B. 219 (pharmaceutical product amendments clarifying cannabidiol’s future scheduling after FDA approval, 65‑0).
Lawmakers also passed bills affecting government administration and public safety: H.B. 386 requires the Attorney General’s annual report be made public online (67‑0); H.B. 425 tightened rules for qualifying agents at private security companies to ensure availability (67‑0); and H.B. 429 clarified tax remittance for newly incorporated areas such as Kearns and Magna (67‑0).
Sponsors routinely described these measures as technical, corrective, or aimed at improving operational clarity. The House frequently placed items on the consent calendar so that noncontroversial bills could move quickly, while high‑interest items were pulled for discussion. Each bill that passed on the consent calendar will be returned to the Senate for its concurrence or signature, per the usual legislative process.
The House recessed for the afternoon after completing the consent calendar and several third‑reading items.
