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Senate passes package of education, public-safety and administrative bills; honors retiring chief justice
Summary
On Jan. 25 the Utah Senate passed multiple bills on third reading — including measures on school uniforms (SB 15), education-technology funding (SB 21), enhanced DUI penalties with minors (SB 3 as amended), and several consent bills — and adopted a commemorative resolution honoring retired Chief Justice Gordon R. Hall.
The Utah Senate spent much of its Jan. 25 session taking up the third'reading calendar and passed a series of bills spanning education, public safety, workplace policy and administrative updates.
School uniforms and related procedures: The Senate passed Senate Bill 15 after extended floor debate. Sponsor Senator Howard Stevenson described the bill as a process to allow school boards or school governing councils to adopt uniform policies after public hearings and, if necessary, a parent vote. Senators questioned enforcement and whether fee waivers would be required; legal counsel indicated fee waivers would not be required unless uniforms imposed costs greater than typical clothing. The bill passed on roll call, 19 ayes, 6 nays and 4 absent, and was transmitted to the House.
Education-technology funding: Senate Bill 21, which permits school districts to allocate up to 25% of certain funding for in-service technology use, was called for a question and passed by the Senate (24 ayes, 0 nays; 5 absent).
DUI penalties when minors present: Senate Bill 3, enhancing penalties for driving under the influence when transporting minors, was presented by Senator Wynne Richards. After floor discussion the body adopted an amendment increasing the protected passenger age from 14 to 16 and placed the bill on the third'reading calendar (24 ayes, 5 absent).
Consent and other third'reading items: The Senate also considered many bills on consent or with short floor presentations and passed them to the House, including: - SB 24 (boiler safety amendment) — passed (22 ayes, 7 absent). - SB 37 (insurance investment amendment) — passed (23 ayes, 6 absent). - SB 38 (penalty for damaging school property) — passed (24 ayes, 5 absent). - SB 44 (school fee waiver amendment) — passed (25 ayes, 4 absent). - SB 12 (death benefit for public-safety employee spouses) — passed (25 ayes). - SB 23 (retirement service credit amendment) — passed (23 ayes, 6 absent). - SB 11 (extension of ID card for persons with disability) — passed (23 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent). - SB 25 (used oil management amendment) — passed (23 ayes, no nays reported).
Employment and staff matters: The Senate took procedural steps to lift SJR 8 (joint resolution compensation for in'session employees) from rules and place it high on the second'reading calendar; the related item was placed on the third reading calendar pending a fiscal note.
Tribute to Chief Justice Gordon R. Hall: The Senate adopted a commemorative resolution honoring retired Chief Justice Gordon R. Hall for his years of service on the Utah Supreme Court and his civic contributions. Chief Justice Hall accepted the honor and several senators delivered tributes recounting his leadership and judicial service.
Other actions and adjournment: The body circled (deferred) SB 32 (radiology technician licensing amendments) at Senator Stewart's request and made several calendar-management motions. Senators also noted a Science & Tech fair in the rotunda and a commission-on-youth luncheon. The Senate adjourned until 10 a.m. the next day.
Votes at a glance: The floor record shows the passage tallies noted above; most third'reading items passed on voice or roll-call votes and were transmitted to the House for further action.
What's next: Many of the bills passed today advance to the House for action; SJR 1 (the exclusionary-rule amendment) remains on the Senate third-reading calendar for further votes that could send it to the ballot.
