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House committee advances HB88 after hours of public testimony on immigration and benefits
Summary
After hours of testimony for and against, the House Law Enforcement Committee adopted Substitute 5 to HB88 — a bill that ties some public‑assistance eligibility to immigration status — and voted to send the substitute to the floor (7–3). Testimony highlighted health, fiscal, and operational impacts for schools and food pantries.
Representative Trevor Lee, sponsor of HB88, framed the bill as a fiscal and rule‑of‑law measure, opening his presentation with the line, “Compassion stops at the door of irresponsibility.” He told the committee he relied on national and state estimates to argue the measure would reduce costs to Utah taxpayers by clarifying who is eligible for state funds.
Committee members pressed the sponsor on legal and fiscal implications. Representative Griffin Stoddard asked whether the bill would shift decisions away from juries and questioned the private right of action and potential liabilities to local governments. The sponsor described changes in the…
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