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Senate rejects motion to lift LGBT nondiscrimination bill from rules after floor debate
Summary
A motion to remove SB 148 (an LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill) from the Rules Committee and send it to Business & Labor failed on the Senate floor (7‑21). Senator McAdams urged a public hearing and framed the measure as a healing conversation; opponents defended the rules process.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate voted down a motion to lift Senate Bill 148 from the Rules Committee and send it to the Business & Labor Committee for a public hearing. The roll call ended 7 yeas, 21 nays, with one senator absent.
Senator McAdams, who sponsored the effort, urged colleagues to begin a statewide dialogue and argued that protections for housing and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity should be considered in the legislature. “This legislation is important because discrimination is real,” McAdams said on the floor, calling the measure balanced and willing to accept changes to protect religious liberties.
Opponents and several senators who spoke against lifting the bill said they were unwilling to override the Rules Committee’s process without seeing the underlying data and testimony. Senator Dayton said the rules committee exists to sift bills and that limited committee time requires following the agreed process. Senator Stephenson explained his no vote by saying he had not seen the data but would be open to review if provided.
With the motion defeated, SB 148 remains in the Rules Committee. Senators who urged a public hearing said they would continue to press for committee consideration in the coming days.
