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Votes at a glance: key measures the Utah Senate moved on Feb. 8
Summary
The Senate moved multiple bills toward final consideration (and passed several) on third reading or by recorded vote, including tobacco and e-cigarette measures, regulatory-sandbox clarifications, education and public-safety bills; several bills were circled for further review.
The Utah Senate’s floor session advanced a slate of bills and resolutions, with recorded votes on multiple third‑reading items and several bills circled for further consideration.
Key outcomes recorded on the floor:
• First Substitute House Bill 33 (cigarette and tobacco amendments) — Sponsor: Senator Bramble. The Senate passed the bill (roll-call reported in the transcript as 24 yea, 0 nay, 5 absent). The bill will be returned to the House for further consideration.
• House Bill 91 (regulatory sandbox / regulatory relief) — Sponsor: Senator Bramble. The Senate passed the bill (transcript reports 25 yea, 0 nay, 4 absent).
• House Bill 74 (utility relocation cost sharing) — Sponsor: Senator Harper. The Senate recorded passage and clerical reports indicate the bill passed and will be sent to the House for the Speaker’s signature; the transcript contains an anomalous tally line ('2,078 votes') that appears to be a clerical error in the clerk’s oral report and is not treated here as an authoritative numeric count.
• Senate Bill 133 (electronic cigarette and nicotine product amendments) — Sponsor: Senator Bramble. The Senate moved the bill to third reading and recorded passage in the transcript (27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent reported).
• First Substitute Senate Bill 44 (Carson Smith scholarship consolidation) — Sponsor: Senator Fillmore. The Senate advanced the bill to third reading; transcript recorded a roll-call result and the sponsor noted that the consolidation makes no policy changes, only administrative alignment.
• Second Substitute Senate Bill 135 (Advanced Air Mobility and aeronautics) — Sponsor: Senator Harper. The Senate substituted and advanced the measure; sponsor said stakeholders were consulted and the bill narrows prohibitions on certain foreign-made drones to operations over critical infrastructure.
• Several bills were circled (set aside for later consideration), including First Substitute House Bill 11 (water-efficient landscaping) and First Substitute House Bill 47 (Utah Seismic Safety Commission amendments) after substitution.
• A joint rules resolution (SJR 8) proposing committee assignment changes failed on a recorded vote (transcript reports 10 yea, 15 nay, 4 absent).
Why it matters: the slate includes consumer protection and public-health items (tobacco/e-cigarette amendments), regulatory relief for startups, transportation/utility clarifications, and bills that address education and public safety. Multiple measures will be returned to the House or recalled for further consideration per legislative process.
Next steps: Passed bills will be returned to the House as indicated in the clerk’s communications; circled bills will be reconsidered on the calendar when sponsors bring them back for action.
