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Water-facility bill clarifies authority, civil remedies and definitions; passes Senate
Summary
First-substitute HB166 clarifies when a person has lawful authority over a water facility, cross-references the definition of 'knowingly' to existing criminal code, and clarifies that governmental entities are not 'persons' under this section; the bill passed third reading unanimously on the floor.
Senator Iwamoto presented first-substitute House Bill 166 to amend water-facility provisions in Utah Code Section 73-1-14 and related sections.
"It sets forth when there is or is not lawful authority in connection to a water facility," Senator Iwamoto said, explaining that the bill clarifies intent language and cross-references the term "knowingly" to an existing criminal statute (Section 76-2-103). The bill also clarifies that civil actions may award attorney fees and that the term "person" for the purpose of the section does not include governmental entities or political subdivisions such as UDOT.
Senators recorded their support and the first-substitute HB166 was read for a third time with a recorded result of 26 yeas, 0 nays, 3 absent. Sponsors said the bill resulted from stakeholder work with the Utah Water Task Force and the Utah Farm Bureau and had unanimous committee support before floor action.
Next steps: HB166 passed third reading and will be processed for enactment as provided by legislative procedures.
