Senate advances bill to create Attorney General document‑fraud unit with $275,000 fiscal note

First Substitute House Bill 95, as presented by Senator Matt Hilliard, would establish a document‑fraud and identity‑theft unit within the Office of the Attorney General and staff it with one attorney and one investigator.

"What it does is it creates a document fraud, identity theft unit within the Office of the Attorney General to prosecute identity theft and identity fraud, provide staffing for the unit for 1 attorney and 1 investigator and has a fiscal note of $275,000," Senator Matt Hilliard said during floor remarks.

Supporters said the unit would address a growing problem: Hilliard cited state data showing that in a recent quarter employers reported wages tied to Social Security numbers belonging to children and said the problem of identity misuse in Utah is widespread. The bill was read for a third time after a roll‑call vote (26 yeas, 0 nays, 3 absent).

The measure does not itself appropriate the full amount at final passage; Senate consideration included only the authorization language and the cited fiscal note. Senators asked no substantive follow‑up questions on the floor presentation and placed the bill on the third‑reading calendar for later disposition.

The next procedural step is enrollment and final processing by staff; the clerk recorded the third‑reading vote and the bill will await final fiscal reconciliation before being acted on further.