Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Internships topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate advances bill to clarify liability for unpaid student interns
Summary
The Utah Senate voted to move SB 28, a bill allowing employers who host unpaid student interns to cover interns' medical costs through workers' compensation, to the third-reading calendar after lawmakers described it as a way to expand business–education partnerships and reduce liability concerns.
The Utah State Senate on Jan. 30 advanced Senate Bill 28, which would clarify liability and workers' compensation coverage for unpaid student internships, sending the measure to third reading with a unanimous recorded vote at second reading.
Senator Hilliard, the bill's sponsor, said the measure grew out of a decade of cooperation between education and business, including a partnership that previously directed more than $60,000,000 to technology and computer literacy programs. He told colleagues the bill would require a participating employer to provide workers' compensation coverage for an unpaid intern's medical expenses while the student is performing the internship.
Hilliard said the Partnership for Education and Business and higher-education partners reviewed the proposal and consulted Val Finlayson, the Partnership's executive director, and Joyce Sewell of the Employment Department before drafting the bill. He acknowledged that employers would face some cost where medical claims occur but said the change would address business concerns about potential liability and make internships more widely available.
Senators adopted the Education Committee's favorable report and, after no further questions, the President called a roll; SB 28 passed second reading with 27 aye votes, no nays and two senators absent and was placed at the bottom of the third-reading calendar.
The Senate did not amend the bill on the floor at second reading. The next formal step is third reading, when senators may offer final debate or amendments before a final passage vote.
