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House roundup: several bills pass, including drug scheduling, Medicaid dental pilot and jail-bed funding
Summary
On March 1–2, 2018 the Utah House approved a set of bills and committee actions. Notable floor votes: Controlled Substance scheduling amendments passed 64–4; a Medicaid dental-benefits pilot passed 69–0; a jail-bed funding amendment passed 68–0; and a controlled-substance prescriber-counseling bill passed 60–11.
The Utah House of Representatives adopted a range of committee reports and passed multiple bills during floor sessions on March 1–2, 2018.
Votes at a glance: HB 434 (Controlled Substance Act Amendments) — Passed 64–4 and transmitted to the Senate. The bill, presented by Representative Ray, adds several synthetic opioids and a synthetic cannabinoid to Schedule I and was described by the sponsor as targeting fentanyl-type substances with high overdose risk.
HB 435 (First substitute, Medicaid Dental Benefits) — Passed 69–0 and transmitted to the Senate. Representative Eliason said the measure formalizes a pilot run by the University of Utah School of Dentistry, with the school covering the state's Medicaid match and committee testimony reporting improved treatment completion, employment at discharge and reductions in homelessness for program participants.
HB 400 (First substitute, Controlled Substance Abuse Amendments — prescriber counseling) — Passed 60–11 and transmitted to the Senate. Representative Eliason described this as an upstream education requirement: prescribers must counsel patients about addiction risks, safe storage/disposal and alternatives; the bill does not require documentation in the medical record.
HB 458 (Jail Beds Amendments) — Passed 68–0 and transmitted to the Senate. Representative Noel described current contract-bed capacity (approximately 1,400–1,500 beds in 21 locations), and the bill’s amendments add funding for treatment beds and expand contracted bed capacity under existing daily-rate structures.
Other procedural actions: the House adopted multiple committee reports and placed several bills on third-reading or consent calendars. The House also moved the enacting clause out of House Bill 379 and referred that bill to the Rules Committee after debate, and several first readings and committee assignments were announced by the clerk.
The House did not record the final tally for the second substitute House Bill 395 (Technology Innovation Amendments) in the segments provided. Several bills were ‘‘circled’’ (set aside) for further stakeholder work.
