Utah Senate advances a wave of House bills; key debates on trust investments, water reuse, peyote law and probate loophole

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on Feb. 9 moved a broad package of House bills toward final consideration while spending concentrated floor time on several high‑profile policy matters.

Senators voted to read many bills for a third time after short sponsor presentations and roll‑call votes. In floor debate, supporters of House Bill 78 argued the permanent land grant trust — the public fund that benefits Utah’s public schools — should be removed from short‑term State Money Management Act rules and governed under longer‑term fiduciary standards. “This trust…has grown in the last 10 years from, from under a hundred million dollars to over $600,000,000,” Senator Orrin Hatch said, adding that “last year, the fund on investments made over a hundred million dollars in gains.” He told colleagues the change would allow more diversification and potentially improve long‑term performance; no questions were raised and the chamber advanced the bill to third reading.

Water reuse drew sustained attention. Senator Hatch told the Senate House Bill 38 establishes…