Senate advances third-substitute HB 245 to extend Utah Indoor Clean Air Act to e-cigarettes, grandfather hookah bars for five years

The Utah Senate advanced third-substitute House Bill 245, moving the measure to the third-reading calendar after a floor presentation and roll-call vote.

Presiding senator (identified in the transcript as President Wallops) told colleagues the measure would bring e-cigarettes under the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act while grandfathering a small number of existing hookah establishments for a five-year period to allow evaluation of the exemption. "It says that they fall under the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act, meaning, of course, that you can't use them in a public building," the sponsor said, explaining the bill does not outlaw e-cigarettes but treats their indoor use the same as traditional smoking.

Supporters noted committee review and proprietor input. Senator Reid told the Senate the committee had heard the bill at length and had voted to support it; proponents said owners of existing hookah bars had appeared at committee and endorsed the substitute. Senator Jones confirmed the bill’s grandfathering provision: existing hookah bars would operate for five years under the exemption but no new hookah bars would be authorized during that period.

Opponents did not sustain a recorded objection on final action in the floor debate. The third substitute was read for a third time and, after roll-call, the clerk recorded 26 yea votes and 0 nay votes with 3 senators absent; the measure was placed at the bottom of the third-reading calendar for final consideration.

If enacted, the change would clarify that the state’s indoor clean-air protections apply to e-cigarette vapor in public buildings and would temporarily preserve existing hookah venues while the Legislature and health experts evaluate public‑health and regulatory implications. The bill’s next formal step on the calendar is third reading, where the complete text and any remaining amendments would be taken up.