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Senate passes dozens of measures in late‑night session; key votes on budget, prison plan, e‑cigarettes and public‑safety bills
Summary
The Utah Senate finished its final day of the 2015 general session by passing a wide package of measures under suspension of rules, including appropriations adjustments (SB 3), a prison development package with a local option sales tax (second substitute HB 4 54), e‑cigarette regulation (fifth substitute HB 4 15), and multiple public‑safety bills. Several measures were sent to the House after roll‑call votes.
The Utah Senate concluded its business March 26, 2015, advancing a broad set of bills under suspension of the rules and by conference action.
Among the night's major outcomes, the chamber passed Senate Bill 3 (appropriations adjustments) after suspending the constitutional reading requirement; the President announced SB 3 "is passed with 27, 0 days and 2 being absent" and it will be sent to the House for further consideration. The final budget changes include both current‑year and next fiscal‑year adjustments; staff described approximately $96 million of adjustments during floor presentation.
The Senate also passed a second substitute to House Bill 4 54, the prison development/relocation measure, which cleared the chamber 19–10 after debate over a local option sales tax and a bonding mechanism. Opponents warned the new local option could raise sales tax by half a percent in host communities; supporters said the measure enables infrastructure investment and bonding to pay for large projects.
Public‑health and regulation measures moved quickly. The Senate approved the fifth substitute to House Bill 4 15 — statewide regulation of electronic cigarette products — by a unanimous 28–0 roll call. Sponsors said the substitute requires the Utah Department of Health to work with county health departments to establish statewide standards for labeling, packaging and nicotine content, with the statewide rules effective on July 1, 2016.
Other notable enactments included: - House Bill 2 92 (Emergency Medical Service Providers amendments), establishing a peer‑review board under the Department of Health (passed 27–0). - Third substitute House Bill 2 88, increasing line‑of‑duty death benefits for public safety personnel and establishing a smaller‑jurisdiction cost‑sharing pool (passed, recorded 26 yea votes in final tally). - House Bill 3 61 (investigation protocols for officer use of force), which requires outside investigators for officer‑involved critical incidents and uniform posted protocols (passed 22–0).
Many bills were handled under suspension of the rules or unanimous consent; several were circled earlier in the evening to allow staff to produce fiscal notes or substitution text. Where conference reports were required (for example HB 186 on state school board election changes), the Senate adopted the committee report and passed the related substitute.
The Senate’s passage list will be transmitted to the House for signatures or further conference work, and several items were explicitly noted as returning for additional House consideration. The President directed staff to prepare final certified and indexed copies of the day's proceedings before adjournment.
