Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Floor Actions Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
At-a-glance: several education, tax and land bills move forward in Utah Senate
Summary
During the same floor session the Senate approved a constitutional session-start resolution (SJR 12), moved SB 62 (tuition tax credit) and SB 81 (homeschool/extracurricular amendments) to third reading, passed SB 183 (wetlands limitation) to the house, circled several bills including SB 243 (midwife amendments) and SB 130 (municipal code), and took other procedural actions.
Several other measures moved on the Utah Senate floor alongside the honoree presentations and the SB 49 debate.
Senate Joint Resolution 12: SJR 12 — a constitutional amendment to start the legislative session one week later in January to avoid conflicts with Martin Luther King Day and related calendar issues — was considered under suspension of the rules and passed the Senate by recorded vote (29 yes, 0 no). The resolution will be transmitted to the House for consideration.
Senate Bill 62: SB 62 (college and university tuition tax credit) was presented by Senator Bell as a refundable credit intended to make higher education more affordable; the sponsor cited a fiscal note near $9 million and estimated roughly 30,000 student beneficiaries at program scale. The Senate voted to read SB 62 for a third time: the clerk reported 24 yea, 2 nay and 3 absent.
Senate Bill 81: SB 81 (homeschool and extracurricular activity amendments) was presented with a substitute that restored an affidavit requirement for homeschool exemptions and clarified charter‑school participation language. Senators debated verification, possible loopholes for students who leave school for work or other reasons, and athletic-eligibility safeguards; the Senate voted to read the first substitute for the third time (reported 24 yea, 3 nay, 2 absent).
Senate Bill 183: SB 183 (restrictions on municipal or county designation of wetlands) was carried across under suspension of the rules; roll call recorded 23 ayes, 4 nays and 2 absent and the bill was referred to the House.
Other procedural actions: Senators moved to circle SB 243 (direct-entry midwife amendments) to allow more work on amendments and to lift SB 130 (municipal code amendments) to the top of the second-reading calendar before circling it. Several standing committee reports and house concurrence notifications were adopted and placed on the consent calendar as announced by the reading clerk.
These items collectively show an active floor session handling ceremonial recognitions, several education initiatives, tax-credit proposals, land-use limits, and a number of procedural motions that affect the flow of legislation during the 2007 session.
