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Senate passes multiple bills on Day 11 including workforce-services reauthorization and Medicaid emergency-department provisions
Summary
On Day 11 the Utah Senate passed a slate of House and Senate bills: HB 19 and HB 23 on insurance measures, HB 21 reauthorizing the Department of Workforce Services, First Substitute HB 31 (natural gas/civil penalties), HJR 1 on performance notes, and HB 28 on Medicaid emergency-department utilization; votes and tallies recorded on the floor.
The Utah Senate completed a busy Day 11 of its session, passing a series of House and Senate measures across insurance, workforce, utilities and health policy.
Key floor actions
- House Bill 19 (insurance comparison tables): Sponsor Senator Bramble said the bill preserves statutory insurance-comparison tables; the Senate roll call recorded 26 'yea' votes, 0 'nay' votes and 3 absences. The President signed the bill in open session for transmission to the House.
- House Bill 23 (insurance licensee amendments): Sponsor described technical amendments required as a result of the Affordable Care Act; the Senate voted 26 'yea', 0 'nay', 3 absent and the bill was signed for transmission.
- First Substitute House Bill 31 (natural gas amendments): Sponsor Senator Van Tassel said the bill updates civil penalties in the public utilities code and requires interstate pipeline operators to maintain an inspection plan. Senator Henderson questioned the larger per-day penalties (about 10x increases) and the raised maximum; the sponsor said the adjustments bring penalties closer to federal rates and intend to help the program be self-funding. The roll call recorded 19 'yea', 5 'nay', 5 absent.
- House Bill 21 (Department of Workforce Services reauthorization): Senator Osman explained the bill removes a current repealer and permanently reauthorizes the Department of Workforce Services as currently constituted. The Senate voted 23 'yea', 1 'nay', 5 absent.
- HJR 1 (Joint Rules Resolution on Performance Notes): Senator Escamilla introduced a rules change to allow the Legislative Fiscal Analyst Office to determine within one day whether a bill requires a performance note, to accelerate information in the 45-day session. Senator Dayton voiced concern about imposing additional constraints on analysts but the resolution passed 24 'yea', 1 'nay', 4 absent.
- House Bill 28 (Medicaid Management of Emergency Department Utilization): Senator Shiozawa described the bill as establishing definitions (including a 'super utilizer' definition) and setting up citizen and provider committees to encourage appropriate access points outside emergency departments, such as primary care. Senator Dayton spoke strongly in favor of the measure, citing ER misuse. The bill passed on roll call, 25 'yea', 0 'nay', 4 absent.
Other business
- Consent calendar items included Senate Bill 75 (Elementary Arts Learning Program amendments) and a first-substitute to Senate Bill 65 to clarify tuition-and-fee waiver language for children of fallen public safety officers. Several introductions of new Senate bills were read for the first time and referred to rules.
Procedural notes and next steps: Passed bills were recorded for signature by the President and transmission to the House where required. The Senate adjourned until 11 a.m. the following day.
