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Utah Senate passes package of bills March 1, including school-trust, tax, and public-safety measures
Summary
The Utah State Senate on March 1, 2000 considered a long second-reading calendar, approving a series of House and Senate measures — including changes to the School Trust Lands investment policy, income-tax form language connecting revenues to public education, and several public-safety and administrative bills — and returned them to the House for enrollment or further consideration.
The Utah State Senate on March 1 approved a slate of bills and conference reports after an evening floor session that ran into the night.
Among measures the Senate approved and returned to the House: the second substitute to House Bill 3 (Supplemental Appropriations Act 2) as amended; House Bill 137 (impact-fee amendments); House Bill 88 (income-tax instructions noting income-tax revenues fund public education); and substitute House Bill 77 (controlled-substances amendments limiting listed drugs to GHB and ketamine). The Senate also concurred with House amendments to a number of Senate bills and adopted conference committee reports on several other items.
Several roll-call tallies were recorded in open session. The Senate returned SJR 9 (resolution on funding the arts and public schools) to the House after recording 25 aye votes and four absences. Senate Bill 226 (Accountancy Practice Act) passed concurrence with the House amendments, the clerk recorded 27 ayes and two absences. Senate returned SB50 (health care benefits grievance review) to the House after 28 ayes and one absence. Substitute House Bill 77 passed unanimously with 29 aye votes, and House Bill 137 passed unanimously and will be signed for enrollment.
Votes at a glance
- SJR 9 (funding arts & public schools): concurred with House; recorded 25 ayes, 0 nays, 4 absent (returned to House). Provenance: transcript read-in and concurrence discussion in the opening minutes of the session.
- SB 226 (Accountancy Practice Act): Senate concurred with House amendment to permit compilation reports and returned the bill to the House (roll call: 27 ayes, 0 nays, 2 absent).
- SB 50 (Health care benefits grievance review): conference committee report adopted and returned to House (28 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent).
- HB 137 (impact-fee amendments): unanimous passage (29 ayes, 0 nays) and referred to the House for enrollment.
- HB 77 (controlled-substances amendments): substitute passed unanimously (29 ayes); returned to House.
What passed and what to watch
Several noncontroversial or largely agreed bills advanced with little floor debate; several other measures drew extended discussion and multiple amendments. Notable items that drew sustained attention included HB3 (supplemental appropriations, described below in a separate article), HB102 (child-welfare interviews and parental-notification rules), and an amendment package that shifted higher-education funds by drawing $1.5 million from the Centennial Highway fund to shore up salary adjustments — a tradeoff that several senators flagged as consequential for rural road projects.
The session also included multiple conference reports where the Senate either adopted or assigned conference committees to negotiate House–Senate differences, and several bills were signed by the president on the floor and returned to the House for enrollment.
Next steps
Bills returned to the House will be enrolled and forwarded according to procedure; a number of items the Senate debated late in the evening had accompanying amendments that the House will now consider. The supplemental-appropriations act and the child-welfare bill were among measures senators identified for further oversight as they move through enrollment or implementation.
