Senate Advances Multiple Bills; HJR2 and Several House Bills Passed

The Utah Senate on Jan. 26, 1995 advanced and, in many cases, passed a slate of bills spanning bill-printing procedures, library modernization, tax technical fixes, and regulatory changes.

HJR2 (Joint Rules — printing bill attachments): Carried for Representative Davis by Senator Peterson, HJR2 would place customary fiscal and legal notes on bill printings so that members have legal-counsel comments available when considering measures. The Senate moved under suspension of rules to read HJR2 for second and third readings and, after a roll call, placed the resolution for final passage and transmittal to the House.

HB 1 — State Library Division Amendments (Rep. Hayman): Reported favorably by the Human Services Committee (Nathan C. Tanner, chair), HB1 updates the State Library Division’s duties to account for electronic-era work, adding language to "cooperate with other agencies to facilitate public access to government information to electronic networks or other means." Senator Hall asked whether the change would allow instantaneous retrieval of public records; sponsors said it applies only to public documents and would not expose confidential records. The President announced HB1 passed third reading with 26 ayes, no nays and 3 absent.

HB 139 — Corporate Tax Technical Amendments (Rep. Valentine): Senator Hilliard said the bill deletes obsolete language and relocates the historic preservation credit to a more appropriate section of the tax code. The President announced HB139 passed third reading with 28 ayes and 1 absence.

Senate bills advanced on third reading: - SB60 (Sen. Holmgren) — statutory revision: passed (27 ayes, no nays, 2 absent). - SB33 (Sen. Watson) — repeal of transient vendors law: passed (27 ayes, no nays, 2 absent). - SB35 (Sen. Watson) — credit service organizations: technical change affecting eligibility (501(c)(3) no longer sole basis to qualify for exemption); passed (vote recorded, no nays, 2 absent reported). - SB53 (Sen. Mansfield) — aftermarket crash parts oversight moved from Department of Consumer Protection to Insurance Department: passed (25 ayes, no nays, 4 absent reported). - First Substitute SB16 (Sen. Steele) — guardianship amendment: passed third reading (28 ayes, 1 absent reported) and sent to the House. - SB30 (Sen. Steiner) — post-conviction statute of limitations: requires most prisoners to file for post-conviction relief within one year from accrual; supported by the Attorney General and the Statewide Association of Prosecutors; passed (27 ayes, no nays, 2 absent reported). - SB4 (Sen. Black) — tow truck and impound regulation amendments: passed (26 ayes, no nays, 3 absent reported). - SB40 (Sen. Mankey) — wholesale vehicle auctions paperwork streamlining: passed (27 ayes, no nays, 2 absent reported).

First Substitute SB9 (Sen. Stevenson) — procurement code application to entities seeking public debt — was circled (motion to delay for further negotiation). Members were invited to a 7:30 a.m. rules meeting to continue negotiations with auditors and stakeholders; the motion to circle passed.

Several measures were handled with brief floor statements or technical corrections and then called for the question. Where roll-call tallies were given in the record, they are included above. Many bills were returned to the House for its consideration after passage on third reading.

What happens next: Bills passed for transmittal will proceed to the House or to enrollment/processing per legislative rules; SB9 will be subject to further negotiation in committee.