Senate advances a slate of transportation, insurance and public-safety technical bills; multiple measures placed on third-reading

The Senate on Feb. 3, 1994 approved committee reports and placed several transportation, insurance and public-safety measures on the third-reading calendar after largely technical debate.

Senate Bill 80 (wholesale motor-vehicle auctions) was introduced as a paperwork-reduction measure. The sponsor said the bill’s purpose is “to eliminate the excessive and unnecessary paperwork that is involved in the paper trail on the motor vehicle title,” and to differentiate wholesale auctions from regular auctions so a consignor may transfer directly to a licensed dealer or dismantler. Under suspension of the rules the bill was read for the third time and the clerk reported the vote as 25 ayes, 1 nay, 3 absent.

Senate Bill 84, a commercial vehicle-registration amendment, was presented with a committee report from the Transportation and Public Safety Committee (David Steele). The bill aligns Utah’s registration thresholds with the International Registration Plan (IRP), replacing an older Utah weight threshold and renumbering statutory paragraphs; the report was adopted and the bill placed on the third-reading calendar (the clerk reported 23 ayes).

Senate Bill 95, described as a technical cleanup to motor-vehicle insurance requirements, clarifies that operating an unregistered vehicle on a highway is covered by the uninsured-motorist provisions. Committee sponsor David Steele said penalties are addressed in separate legislation; the Senate recorded 27 ayes on the motion to move forward.

Senate Bill 115 would designate concealed-weapon permit records as protected and includes an exemption affecting whether a permitted concealed weapon may be carried loaded under some conditions. The Transportation and Public Safety Committee reported the bill favorably and the motion to consider the bill was carried.

House Bill 15 (personal-injury protection amendments) and House Bill 24 (port-of-entry DUI testing authority for commercial-driver screening) were both reported favorably and placed on the third-reading calendar (HB15 recorded as 24 ayes; HB24 recorded as 26 ayes). HB15 clarifies portions of PIP coverage, including $3,000 medical provisions and a change from the term “permanent disability” to “permanent impairment.” HB24 authorizes trained port-of-entry staff to administer DUI tests with specialized equipment for commercial drivers; sponsors said the measure does not change employees’ classification beyond the testing authority.

Senate Bill 97 (soil conservation district reporting requirements) drew detailed questions about the number of districts, funding sources and whether reporting would impose audit or certification costs. The sponsor said intent language adopted in the Appropriations Committee was moved into statute and that reporting frequency was reduced from quarterly to semiannual to provide oversight; the bill passed with a recorded vote (21 ayes, 5 nays, 3 absent).

The Senate also dissolved into Committee of the Whole to receive representatives of Utah State University and recognize the 1993 football team with a commemorative resolution; Coach Charlie Weatherbee, President George Emmert and student-athletes were invited to the floor and the resolution was adopted by the body.

Most measures reported favorably were placed on the third-reading calendar for later floor votes or transmittal to the House; recorded tallies were read into the record by the clerk as reported above.