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Utah Senate confirms judge, advances water-banking, public-waters and other bills in Jan. 21 session
Summary
On Jan. 21 the Utah Senate confirmed Jeremiah Humes to the Seventh District Court and approved or advanced multiple measures — including water-banking legislation, court-resource reallocation, public-waters access changes, and vehicle and aviation code updates — sending them on for further consideration.
The Utah State Senate on Jan. 21 confirmed Jeremiah Humes to the Seventh District Court and moved a batch of bills forward after brief floor consideration and roll-call votes.
Jeremiah Humes, introduced by Senator Weiler, was confirmed in a roll-call vote the clerk recorded as 25 'yay' votes and 4 absent. After the vote, Humes thanked the governor and the confirmation committee and said he would "follow the law and decide impartially." Senator Weiler told colleagues the confirmation committee had met and "voted unanimously to recommend him to the senate for confirmation" (remarks on the floor).
On legislation, the Senate recorded these outcomes and procedural steps (sponsor and vote tally shown where recorded): - First Substitute Senate Bill 45 (Uniform Fiduciary Income and Principle Act Amendments), sponsored by Senator Hilliard: passed on third reading, recorded as 22 'yay', 0 'nay', 7 absent. The sponsor described the measure as a narrowly targeted update to unit-trust rules used in fiduciary practice. - Senate Bill 66 (Court Resources Reallocation Amendments), sponsored by Senator Weiler: passed, recorded as 26 'yay', 0 'nay', with senators told the bill reallocates judicial resources by not filling an upcoming juvenile court vacancy in the Third District and using those resources to fund a district court position in the Fifth District (Washington County). - Senate Bill 26 (Water Banking Amendments), sponsored by Senator Iwamoto: passed, recorded as 26 'yay', 0 'nay'. Iwamoto described the bill as the result of a three-year collaborative effort "vetted by the water community" to provide a tool to facilitate certain transfers and to help sustain agricultural water needs. - Second Substitute Senate Bill 63 (Recreational Activities Related to Public Waters), sponsored by Senator Sandahl: the Senate approved reading the bill for a third time, recorded as 25 'yay', 0 'nay'; Sandahl gave an extended floor history of litigation and said the bill defines the access area and the permitted activities while not affecting title to the land beneath the water. - Senate Bill 55 (Vehicle Registration Revisions), sponsored by Senator Andurig: the sponsor said the bill corrects omitted code sections from prior "fix-it" legislation; a fiscal note estimates potential revenue reductions for cities (sponsor cited an approximate $50,000 statewide effect, and possible reductions in citation counts of 4,000–5,000 in the first year). The bill recorded 28 'yay' votes on final action noted on the floor. - First Substitute Senate Bill 49 (Aviation Amendments), sponsored by Senator Harper: the Senate substituted and approved a first substitute; recorded as 26 'yay', 0 'nay' for third-reading action. The sponsor said the substitute updates billing codes for aircraft hangars, designates certain aerial quarters as part of the state transportation system, and defines abandoned-aircraft procedures.
Several committee reports and introductory items were also adopted and placed on calendars. The Senate adjourned until 11 a.m. Monday.
What happens next: bills that passed the Senate on final action will be transmitted to the House for its consideration; measures approved for third reading will proceed through the Senate calendar per legislative rules.
Source: floor proceedings, Utah State Senate, Jan. 21, 2020.
