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Utah Senate clears consent calendar, advances Jessica's Law and other House measures
Summary
On Feb. 14 the Utah Senate adopted a broad consent calendar, approving a series of House bills (including Jessica's Law) and several other measures on third reading; votes were recorded for each item and passed measures were signed in open session for transmission to the House or returned for signature as appropriate.
The Utah Senate on Feb. 14 approved a slate of consent-calendar and third-reading items, signing several bills in open session and returning others to the House. The actions included technical tax cleanup, a Gold Star family license plate bill and a high-profile criminal-penalties measure known as Jessica's Law.
House Bill 251 (sales and use tax revisions) was presented by Senator Niederhauser as an annual technical cleanup. "HB51 is the annual cleanup technical amendments bill," Niederhauser said, and the Senate recorded a unanimous vote in favor (28 yes, 0 nay, 1 absent) and ordered it signed in open session.
Senator Walker explained House Bill 259 would refine eligibility for Gold Star Family license plates and remove restrictive qualifiers so families can work with the Tax Commission on plate design; that bill passed with the recorded consent of the Senate.
Jessica's Law (House Bill 256), presented by Senator Stevenson as a bill backed by the sentencing commission and the Crime Victims Council, moves to increase penalties for the most serious child-sex offenses. "It increases the penalty for the most serious child offenses ... to 5 years, 25 year minimum to life," Stevenson said in her floor explanation. The Senate passed HB256 with 27 yes votes and 0 nays and returned the bill to the speaker for his signature.
Other measures advanced included House Bill 73 (child care provider background checks, passed 26-1), House Bill 68 (educator relicensure amendments to ease re-entry for former teachers, passed unanimously), House Bill 82 (notice requirements for changes to the state Medicaid plan, passed 27-0) and House Bill 118 (honorary diplomas for World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans, passed 25-0). Where recorded, vote tallies are noted on the Senate floor and bills were taken to the President for signature or returned to the House as indicated.
The Senate then moved to a time-certain for Senate Bill 117, which drew extended floor debate and a recorded narrow passage later in the day.
Taken together, the consent calendar and the recorded votes show the Senate's routine processing of technical, veterans'focused and criminal-penalty legislation ahead of further House consideration and signatures.
