Senate advances and decides a slate of bills on disability hiring, indigent counsel, taxes and Real ID opt-out

The Utah State Senate spent floor time on a range of bills addressing employment for people with disabilities, juvenile indigent counsel, tobacco taxation, Real ID opt-out, and other matters. Several measures received final roll-call action.

House Bill 17 (amendments to programs for people with disabilities) was debated at length. Sponsor Senator Lillianquist described the measure as creating an option for departments to hire a person with a disability through an ‘‘on the job examination’’ and a six-month appointment intended to allow agencies to evaluate candidates who cannot complete standard computer-based testing. "It says a position can be filled through a department approved on the job examination intended to appoint a qualified person with a disability," Senator Lillianquist said. Supporters described the change as an alternate path for qualified applicants; critics asked whether the bill would create an unfair hiring preference or conflict with federal standards. Senator Greiner pressed whether the federal government encouraged bypassing regular hiring procedures and asked whether that could be discriminatory; the sponsor responded the process is intended to accommodate applicants (for example, those who are blind) who cannot complete…