Senate approves hazardous-waste fee hike, then briefly holds bill for legal review

Salt Lake City — On Feb. 24, 1992, the Utah Senate voted to concur with House amendments to Substitute Senate Bill 25, a hazardous-waste measure that raises the state hazardous-waste fee and directs the additional revenue to training for emergency responders in rural areas.

Senator Reese, the bill’s floor sponsor, said the amendments resolved committee and floor concerns and moved immediately to concur with House changes. "This is the hazardous waste fee bill," Reese said, describing an amendment that increased the fee to $35 immediately and estimated the additional revenue would generate approximately $500,000 to create an emergency training program for rural first responders.

The Senate’s presiding officer reported the initial tally as 21 ayes, no nays and eight absent, and declared the bill passed and to be sent to the House for final action. Shortly after the passage announcement, Senator Reese asked the body to hold the bill for a few minutes so legal staff could review a potential problem in one of the bill’s funding mechanisms; the Senate agreed to the brief hold.

The motion to concur and the subsequent roll call were recorded on the floor, and senators agreed to pause while staff checked the statutory or funding language. The transcript reflects the Senate taking that precaution rather than completing immediate transmittal.

Next steps: The bill had been reported passed by the Senate pending the legal confirmation requested by the sponsor. If the legal staff clears the funding mechanism, the Senate’s action will stand and the bill will be sent on for final action by the House.