Utah Senate approves a slate of bills, clears a $5.5 million settlement and honors retiring staff

The Utah State Senate opened Day 31 with an invocation from the Right Reverend Scott Hayashi, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Senator Scott Jenkins. The chamber confirmed a quorum and moved quickly through committee reports and a long consent calendar, approving a series of bills for transmission to the House and several measures on final passage.

Senator Hilliard described a negotiated payout in longstanding litigation that the Senate voted to approve as Senate Joint Resolution 19. "There's been litigation going on in the State of Utah for a long period of time," Hilliard said, and the negotiated settlement is "about $5,500,000" covering more than 1,000 people with awards "the lowest will be about $1,800 and the highest will be about $100,000." He said the amount requires legislative approval because it exceeds $1,000,000. The chamber approved the resolution by voice and roll call votes.

On the consent calendar and in third reading the Senate passed an array of policy items. Measures approved included Senate Bill 160 (Federal Funds Procedures Act amendment) to bring certain federal grants under legislative review; Senate Bill 172 (political-subdivision administration amendments); first substitute Senate Bill 226…