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Utah Senate — March 4 floor highlights: dozens of bills advanced; SSB122 tabled pending fiscal note
Summary
The Senate passed multiple bills on March 4, 2020 — including medical-billing reforms (SB155), expanded professional-licensing pathways (SB201), tightened background-check rules for school employees (SB195) and consumer alcohol purchasing changes (SB103) — set HB101 as time-certain and tabled SSB122 for a fiscal note; several bills were circled or uncircled for substitute work.
The Utah Senate spent its March 4 floor session advancing a broad slate of measures across health care, education, professional licensing and public safety, and scheduling several items for later consideration.
Among the bills that cleared the Senate and were transmitted to the House were third substitute SB155 (medical billing amendments), which the sponsor described as technical but aimed at reducing surprise emergency-room bills and which the floor recorded as passing with 28 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent. Second substitute SB31 (safety inspections for sighted vehicles) passed the Senate in a recorded vote, 19 yeas, 9 nays, 1 absent. Second substitute SB103 (consumer alcoholic beverage purchasing, as amended) passed with 27 yeas, 0 nays, 2 absent.
The Senate set House Bill 101 (distracted driver amendments) as time-certain at 3 p.m. and scheduled first substitute HCR15 (a concurrent resolution urging a state funeral for the last World War II Medal of Honor recipient) for 2:30 p.m. Senators also moved a batch of committee-recommended bills to the second-reading calendar.
A few items drew more extended floor debate. Second substitute SSB122 (housing loss mitigation) was debated after substitution; an opponent argued the bill could act like a hidden earmark within transportation funds and increase costs. The Senate ultimately lifted and tabled SSB122 on third reading until a fiscal note for the substituted language is produced.
Other voted measures advanced on the floor included: SSB183 (non-judicial foreclosure amendments) which passed and restricts non-judicial foreclosure on small HOA assessments; SSB195 (background checks for minor employees) limiting which school employees must undergo background reviews; and several retirement and education-related substitutes (HB173 firefighter retirement amendment, HB221 municipal office residency cleanup and HB225 phased retirement options for public safety) which were scheduled or advanced as shown on the calendar.
Procedural notes: the chamber heard ceremonial remarks and a musical performance by 14-year-old violinist Ezekiel Sokolov; several bills were circled or substituted for additional work; the Senate recessed to caucus and planned to reconvene at 2:00 p.m.
Next steps: bills that passed the Senate will be sent to the Utah House for consideration; SSB122 remains tabled on third until a fiscal note is produced.
