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Senate backs measure to create dedicated account for concealed‑weapons processing after debate on fees
Summary
House Bill 39 sets up a two‑year dedicated credit to let the Bureau of Criminal Investigation track concealed‑weapons fee revenue and operations; senators debated backlog, out‑of‑state permit holders and possible fee adjustments before passing the bill for third reading.
The Senate moved forward on House Bill 39, legislation to create a dedicated credit within the Department of Public Safety to fund concealed‑weapons permits and to address processing backlogs at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
Senator Christiansen, the bill sponsor, said Utah processes roughly 16,000 concealed‑weapon permits annually and that the program’s fees and appropriations have fallen behind administrative costs. "House bill 39 creates a dedicated credit within the Department of Public Safety for 2 years so that they can get a hold on the actual numbers that this is doing," he told the chamber.
Lawmakers discussed options including raising fees for out‑of‑state permit applicants, lowering in‑state fees, or a combination of adjustments to better reflect the program’s costs. Several senators emphasized that the work volume includes many types of background checks (not only permits) and that recent legislative additions have increased demand on the office.
Senator Wadups and others supported the bill as a way to stabilize funding and to allow a two‑year period for the Department to audit operations and assess needed fee changes. The bill passed the third‑reading calendar with broad support and will proceed in the legislative process for final action; sponsors also discussed a planned performance audit after the two‑year period.
