Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legislation Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate advances business-entity, licensing, health and family-law bills; many pass on consent
Summary
On its eighth 2018 day the Utah Senate placed multiple bills on the calendar and passed a series of measures on first, second or third reading, including business-entity changes, license-hold waivers for military service, special-needs trust amendments, alimony clarifications and child-support definitions.
The Utah Senate advanced a slate of bills on the eighth day of the 2018 session, approving measures on a mix of consent-calendar items and readings that will be transmitted to the House for further consideration.
On the consent/first-reading calendar the chamber read and passed Senate Bill 39 (business-entity amendments), which renames a state 'letter of good standing' as a 'certificate of existence' to avoid implying state endorsement; the clerk recorded 26 yeas, 0 nays and 3 absent. Senators also approved a license-fee waiver for servicemembers in Senate Bill 60 and First Substitute Senate Bill 68, which clarifies statutory authority allowing physician assistants to sign death certificates.
On later readings senators passed Senate Bill 51 to clarify when alimony terminates (29–0), and Senate Bill 79 — a judiciary bill with an Amendment 1 (dated Jan. 29, 11:08 AM) to allow extended plea-in-abeyance periods under certain conditions — which passed after sponsor explanation (29–0). Senate Bill 89, a Board of Pardons and Parole bill to permit three-member panels for routine cases, was ordered read a third time and passed. The chamber also passed Senate Bill 93 to broaden the statutory definition of health insurance for child-support calculations (28–0, 1 absent).
Votes at a glance:
- SB 39 (business entity amendments): Passed — 26 yea, 0 nay, 3 absent.
- SB 60 (military license fee waiver): Passed — unanimous recorded vote; sponsor explained fee waiver for license holds while on military service.
- 1st Sub SB 68 (physician assistant authority for death certificates): Passed — recorded as unanimous/29 yeas.
- SB 49 (special-needs trust amendments): Sponsor explained alignment with federal law to allow individuals to establish special-needs trusts; no separate roll-call result recorded in provided transcript excerpt.
- SB 51 (alimony termination clarification): Passed — 29 yea, 0 nay.
- SB 79 (judiciary amendments; plea-in-abeyance length): Amendment 1 moved (Jan 29, 11:08 AM); passed — 29 yea, 0 nay.
- SB 89 (Board of Pardons and Parole; three-person panels): Passed — 29 yeas recorded.
- SB 93 (Child Support Act amendments; definition of health insurance): Passed — 28 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent.
The Senate also set a time certain for a House concurrent resolution hearing (HCR3) on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at 11:45 a.m., and adjourned until 11:00 a.m. on the next schedule.
