Utah Senate advances wide set of bills on health, environment and education; teen cancer survivor welcomed to chamber

The Utah State Senate on Feb. 25 advanced a broad package of bills spanning health care, environment, education and administrative reform and formally welcomed Wesley Murdoch, a 16-year-old leukemia patient in remission, to the chamber.

Senators unanimously adopted the rules committee's assignments and then moved through a long second- and third-reading calendar. Major floor actions included passage or advancement of bills on organ-donation outreach, ambulance reimbursement reform (tabled on third for fiscal impact), replacement of two-stroke landscaping equipment at state facilities, and a requirement for earlier school-board packet notice for parents.

The session began with a rules committee report read by Senator Lincoln Fillmore, after which President Adams directed that the listed bills be sent to the committees assigned. Later in the morning, Senator Wilson introduced Wesley Murdoch and his family from Lehi, saying, "I'm very, very proud and honored to have Wesley Murdoch with me today," and invited the chamber to recognize them.

On the floor, Senator Harper spoke for first substitute HB105 (child-welfare revisions), and the…