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Senate approves SB60 requiring Department of Health abortion reporting; sponsor apologized for earlier remarks
Summary
Senate Bill 60, which requires the Utah Department of Health to prepare an annual report on abortion information and adds some data elements, passed after sponsor Senator Dayton apologized for an earlier presentation; recorded vote was 23 yeas and 5 nays.
Senator Dayton presented Senate Bill 60 on the floor and offered an apology for his presentation the prior day. "For any part of my presentation that was offensive, I apologize," he said, then explained the bill requires the Department of Health to prepare an annual report on abortion-related information and that most of the data are already collected at the federal level.
Dayton told the Senate the form at issue is completed by the provider who asks questions of the patient and that the change was designed to ensure the state retains the ability to collect and report this information should federal reporting shift. The sponsor said there was no fiscal note because the Department of Health already collects most of the information on which the report would be based.
The bill drew several questions and discussion but no substitutes or friendly amendments were recorded on the floor. The roll-call recorded 23 yeas, 5 nays and 1 absent; the clerk noted the bill passed and would be sent to the House for its consideration.
Next steps: SB60 will proceed to the House as recorded. The Department of Health is named as the implementing agency; staff or outside parties seeking data on the form’s elements should consult the Department for access and privacy protocols.
