Committee approves HB 381 second substitute to regulate high‑powered e‑devices and clarify safety and insurance issues
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Summary
HB 381's second substitute clarifies device definitions, removes tampering language, addresses labeling and insurance concerns, and adds safety provisions for higher-powered devices; the committee adopted the substitute and recommended the bill favorably unanimously after stakeholder engagement.
Representative Cutler presented the second substitute to HB 381 and opened with a video demonstrating a Bountiful police officer chasing what looked like a youth on a fast electric motorcycle to underscore public-safety concerns. He said stakeholder feedback led to multiple changes: removal of tampering language, clarified definitions to capture devices that go faster than allowed limits even if below a watt threshold, limiting labeling requirements to devices that meet the e-motorcycle definition, and clarifying that the bill does not change existing insurance requirements for devices that cannot be registered as motorcycles.
Dr. Jonathan Nickel, an emergency physician at Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful, testified in support on safety grounds. David Spadafore, representing the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, urged support noting officers encounter these devices frequently and sometimes see dangerous behavior. Keegan Martineau, representing the Utah Association for Justice, raised a concern that classifying certain high-powered devices as motorcycles could create gaps in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage because many such policies have a motorcycle exclusion for UM/UIM, and asked the sponsor to refine language to avoid leaving riders without coverage.
Representative Cutler said he believed bill language (transcript reference) preserved liability rules and that he had referred the insurance question to the insurance commissioner; he pledged to continue working on language as needed. The committee adopted the second substitute and voted unanimously to recommend HB 381 favorably after members complimented the sponsor and requested minor clarifications about retail-seller disclosure language and helmet/training rules for higher-powered devices.
Representative Cutler said the bill aims to enable safer independent riding for children and provide clearer guidance to parents and sellers about which devices are appropriate.