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Senate advances implements-of-husbandry bill after debate over 'special' language
Summary
The Utah Senate on Feb. 9, 1995 moved House Bill 80 (implements of husbandry on highways) to the third-reading calendar after members debated amendments about reinstating the word 'special' and explicit references to pedestrians; final tally reported 24 ayes, 2 nays, 3 absent.
The Utah Senate moved House Bill 80, which governs the movement of agricultural implements on public highways, to the bottom of the third-reading calendar after extended debate about safety language and the scope of permitted equipment.
Supporters said the bill was the product of two years of interim study involving Farm Bureau representatives, implement dealers and the Utah Department of Transportation, and that the interim committee’s original language better balanced farmers’ need to move large equipment with public-safety concerns. “My motion will be to reinstate the word ‘special’ after you delete the word ‘unusual’ and reinstate the language ‘pedestrians, or other traffic,’” an unnamed senator moving the change told colleagues.
Opponents cautioned against listing specific examples of hazards in statute. “What we’re doing here is that you could be if you begin to list things that we have to watch for on the highway, you got the animals and … there’s just no end of things that you can end up listing,” Senator Holmgren said, arguing that operators already have an obligation to move safely and that prescribing particular categories risked unintended consequences.
Other senators who worked on the interim study emphasized the practical need to include pedestrians and “other traffic” so the statute would clearly protect people walking near changing traffic patterns, school routes and developing areas. Several lawmakers reminded the chamber that the bill had been revised in the House; some members urged returning to the interim committee’s recommended language to respect stakeholder input.
After debate, senators voted on the amendment and later on final disposition of the bill. The clerk reported that House Bill 80 received 24 aye votes, 2 nay votes, and 3 absent; the measure was placed on the third-reading calendar for further consideration.
The Senate’s action keeps the legislation moving forward. Lawmakers indicated additional technical amendments could follow as they refine language to address both agricultural mobility and pedestrian safety.
