Live blog: Key bills passed in busy final day of 2017 Utah legislative session

By Carter Williams | Posted - Mar. 9, 2017 at 11:58 p.m.

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — It's the 45th and final day for the 2017 Legislative Session and Utah lawmakers are busy wrapping up any loose ends Thursday.

All sorts of laws covering health, education, taxes and more will be discussed.

Updates will be made throughout until meetings are adjourned.

Friday, 12:02am

2017 Session ends

We've hit midnight and thus this 45-day session is in the books! Gov. Gary Herbert has three weeks to pass each bill into law. A record 535 bills were passed during the session.

"You deserve an A grade" @GovHerbert tells House representatives. "You are why Utah is a leader in the nation" @KSL5TV @KSLcom #utpol #utleg

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) March 10, 2017

535 bills later, the Utah's 2017 Legislative Session has come to a close #utpol pic.twitter.com/tPs4tXbKmL

— Carter Williams (@cwilliamsKSL) March 10, 2017

And that's a wrap! #utpol #utleg pic.twitter.com/6FUG5HRzqV

— Katie McKellar (@KatieMcKellar1) March 10, 2017

WATCH: 2017 Utah Legislative Session comes to a close at midnight. @KSL5TV @KSLcom @kslnewsradio #utpol pic.twitter.com/582gkttmDS

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) March 10, 2017

Packed House floor listens to @GovHerbert thank lawmakers for efforts to fund homeless programs. @KSL5TV #utpol pic.twitter.com/PEYhghqNjf

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) March 10, 2017

Thursday, 11:39pm

HB99 passes barely passes Senate vote

HB99, a bill that would strengthen penalties for bigamy whenever it's tied to child abuse, fraud, domestic abuse, sexual abuse or certain other crimes, passed the Senate minutes before the session ended at midnight. After a passionate debate, it passed with a 15-14 vote. It will be off to be signed by the House speaker

Henderson: I fear that a bill like this really misses the mark by harming the people we are intending to help. #utpol #utleg #HB99

— UT Political Capitol (@utpolcapitol) March 10, 2017

.@JimDabakis: if ever there was a time when we were in need of the Creator's wisdom, it's now in deciding #HB99 #utleg #utpol

— Utah Senate (@utahsenate) March 10, 2017

Thursday, 11:27pm

Bill to allow insurance for search and rescue passes House

SB272, a bill that would allow persons to pay for a search and rescue insurance policy instead of having to pay for search and rescue costs if needed, passed the House late Thursday night. Rep. Carl Albrecht, the floor sponsor of the bill said this would not include any reckless behavior that leads to needing a search and rescue team. The bill passed the House with a 64-7 vote. It returns to the Senate to be signed by the Senate president.

Thursday, 10:44pm

New alcohol law update

Thursday, 10:14pm

Burning some midnight oil

We're still holding strong at the House of Representatives, though it has concluded its last appropriations bill about 25 minutes ago. It voted 68-3 in favor of SB3, which finishes off a balanced $16.2 billion budget. It was voted on 28-0 in the Senate two hours ago. Remaining bills are not related to appropriations.

Thursday, 08:35pm

DPS releases statement on bill to end vehicle safety inspections

Utah's Dept of Public safety says it approves of bill to END vehicle safety inspections @KSL5TV @UtahDPS #utpol https://t.co/dKptPcze2V pic.twitter.com/ERUVhcBDJx

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) March 10, 2017

Thursday, 08:19pm

Food truck bill passes through House

SB250, a bill that would allow food trucks that have complied with statewide standards of safety and fire inspections to be eligible to purchase licensure in multiple cities without having to jump through the same hoops in those cities, passed through the House Thursday with a 73-0 vote. Michael Melendez, Libertas Institute director of policy, released a statement on the bill passing through the House to be signed by the Senate president. "Utahns love food trucks, but few are aware of the significant financial and regulatory burden they have had to work through, which has put some entrepreneurs out of business. We are very excited that the Legislature passed Senate Bill 250, making Utah the first state in the nation to free up the market for food trucks so comprehensively. In the coming year we will be spreading word of our success to other states, encouraging them to adopt this model legislation."

Thursday, 07:49pm

Medicaid, Outdoor Retailer, education and more: Hughes addresses media on final day

Utah Speaker of the House Greg Hughes met with members of the media Thursday night to break down how he felt the 2017 Legislative Session went. Hughes said he was pleased with how smoothly the session went this year. Here are some of the issues that Hughes spoke about during a 20-minute meeting held inside his office. Medicaid: Hughes said he hasn’t heard much regarding the recent health care plan rolled out by national Republicans as his time has been spent focusing on passing bills in Utah. He said he hoped that all state legislatures will be caught up to speed on the changes quickly. “We were informed that it could very well be the case that if Republican Congress and even the Republican Administration wanted to get control of spending these 90 percent reimbursements could come down,” he said. “It was one of the biggest reasons and one of the biggest risks that we were worried about when we ultimately didn’t pass Medicaid expansion. “I like where Utah is where we’re not exposed to a risk like that where we would have provided health care that we would be taking away very quickly that people have come to depend on. We’ve wanted to do it like I describe our budget. Give us certainty, give us a number, let actuaries tell us what something will cost and let us find the dollars for that. We need that budget certainty because we have to balance our budget. We were not given that under the (Affordable Care Act) in terms of expansion. Let’s hope Congress and the Administration do create some certainty.” Education: Hughes said another important portion of the session was increasing the education budget, putting money to school supplies. “I think you’ll hear uniformity when it comes to Senate, House, executive branch, even stakeholders,” he said. “I’ve been really happy with the work we’ve done in that front, which is satisfying obviously for us as House members and legislatures.” He said one aspect he was pleased most with was a grant toward teachers in some of the more tougher schools, so they could afford more resources. “It’s tough to be an educator and they do it for the right reasons. It’s not to get rich but if we could help, I think that the grants that we in that bill were important,” he said. Outdoors: Hughes said he was happy with the Bears Ears resolution getting passed and the dialogue that has come about it. He said he met with the speaker of the Navajo Assembly, although he was disappointed he was unable to schedule a meeting with the Trump Administration regarding the issue. “I think if we can continue that dialogue as stakeholders, as residents of Utah, as those who care about these areas and how best to preserve areas of antiquity but doing it together, I think that dialogue that started with the resolution that we ran and I think there’s a better solution out there for us.” Hughes said he was surprised to see Outdoor Retailer leave Utah, which is announced last month. The tradeshow did so in response to Utah’s passage of the resolution. The decision caught many in Utah politics off guard, but Hughes stated that Utah leaders are still optimistic that Outdoor Retailer can return to Utah sometime soon. “(I) didn’t know that our great Outdoor Retailer show we enjoy coming here twice a year had a lot of conditions to it,” he said. “As public servants, I didn’t know I had a litmus test I had to fill necessarily. That was an interesting experience but I’m not giving up on the Outdoor Retailer’s show actually leaving.” Homelessness: Despite some challenges in the process, Hughes said he was happy of how Utah pushed across homeless initiatives during the session. “I think we have successfully defined this as a state issue. I think the bill you have seen being passed into law, the appropriations that we’ve made are a significant portion of our state budget,” he said. “I think it highlights the fact that we have embraced our homelessness crisis as a state issue and I’m very proud of my colleagues.” Tax reform: Hughes said he was disappointed that not enough was done during the session in regards to tax reform. However, he added that came from the math not exactly matching up just yet. “We weren’t satisfied that the reform measures that we were looking at were going to have the desired impact,” he said. “We tried to reduce volatility. We’re trying to have a more predictable revenue stream and we know we’re a fast-growing state. Ultimately if we don’t see some of this reform or change with the way our economy is changing, we’re going to see the revenue we collect is not going to keep pace with the growth of this state.” That said, he said legislatures now have a head start in background information heading into future sessions. “I’m glad we have the political will to do it,” he said. Hughes also discussed briefly a law that would lower the BAC level for drunk driving to .05%

VIDEO: @GHughes51 says "worried" about bill to lower Utah's DUI blood alcohol level. @KSL5TV @KSLcom #utpol @kslnewsradio pic.twitter.com/7gYlTVVXbd

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) March 10, 2017

Thursday, 05:51pm

Recess!

Thursday, 04:33pm

New alcohol reform bill passes through Senate

A bill that would repeal the Alcohol Beverage Control Commission’s authority to grant a variance to a restaurant’s proximity requirement was passed by the Senate Thursday. “The Alcohol Beverage Control can no longer issue any variance,” Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, said. “That’s really what this bill does. It’s fairly short and concise.” The Senate amended HB442 yesterday, which forced it back to the House for another vote. Among the most significant changes from the previous version of that bill was reducing to 300 feet the distance restaurants that serve alcohol may be located from churches, schools and parks. Stevenson said SB279 would grandfather restaurants that serve alcohol if a community location is built within that 300-foot proximity after the grandfathered date of May 4. The bill passed 20-4 and was passed on to the House for a vote.

Thursday, 04:09pm

Computer glitch leads to brief recess

UPDATE: We're back in action after about a 20-minute break. --- There is a break in the action just before the Senate reached SB279, involving alcohol modifications. A computer glitch appears to have caused this recess. I guess it's worth noting that every bill that has been brought up in this afternoon senate session has been passed.

Thursday, 03:38pm

Concealed carry bill for 18- to 20-year-olds passes

A bill to allow concealed carry access to 18-to-20-year-old passed the Senate Thursday with a 23-6 vote. “A group of 18-to-20-year old women brought this bill idea to Rep. Karianne Lisonbee (R-Syracuse) — they wanted to be able to defend themselves. Because most colleges don’t allow open carry, any women 18 to 20 years old in Utah cannot carry a weapon on most Utah college campuses,” said Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross. Weiler said, citing a Department of Justice study, that 20 to 25 percent of college-age women will be victims to a completed or attempted forcible rape through their undergraduate career and that only 5 percent are reported. The bill, however, would not apply to 18-year-olds on high school campuses. The bill met some skepticism on the floor from senators noting that gun access likely wouldn’t affect cases of rape, which are often carried out by individuals the victim knows, one senator pointed out. There were also questions about teen suicide, which are often carried out by guns. The bill was sent to the House speaker to be signed.

Thursday, 03:08pm

Bill to speed up release of police bodycam footage passes Senate

A bill to speed the release process of police body camera footage passed through the Senate with a 28-0 vote. HB381 would allow direct appeals to district court if police or prosecutors reject a public records request for body camera footage because of pending criminal action. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said the bill has support from almost all sides, including law enforcement, district attorney's office and the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The bill was sent to the House for the speaker's signature.

Thursday, 02:42pm

Opioid bill passes Senate

HB50 passed through Utah Senate Thursday afternoon with a 28-0 vote. It will be sent to the Utah House speaker to be signed. The bill that would require Utah providers to check the statewide Controlled Substance Database prior to writing a narcotic prescription, and if the patient hasn't taken one in the past 90 days, the prescription would then be limited to a seven-day supply. Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City and floor sponsor of the bill, spoke in favor of the bill before it was passed, reminding the floor of Utah's opioid problem. He said the bill would help curb overprescribing opioid drugs. "At the very essence of what this bill does is, it helps physicians to maybe change or have a review of their prescribing practices — hopefully reducing the amount they're actually prescribing."

NOW: Senate passes Opioid Prescribing Regulations. HB50 heads back to House. @KSL5TV @KSLcom #utpol pic.twitter.com/IvHl5VxzN0

— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) March 9, 2017

Carter Williams

Live blog: Key bills passed in busy final day of 2017 Utah legislative session

By Carter Williams | Posted - Mar. 9, 2017 at 11:58 p.m.

2017 Session ends

HB99 passes barely passes Senate vote

Bill to allow insurance for search and rescue passes House

New alcohol law update

Burning some midnight oil

DPS releases statement on bill to end vehicle safety inspections

Food truck bill passes through House

Medicaid, Outdoor Retailer, education and more: Hughes addresses media on final day

Recess!

New alcohol reform bill passes through Senate

Computer glitch leads to brief recess

Concealed carry bill for 18- to 20-year-olds passes

Bill to speed up release of police bodycam footage passes Senate

Opioid bill passes Senate

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Live blog: Key bills passed in busy final day of 2017 Utah legislative session

By Carter Williams | Posted - Mar. 9, 2017 at 11:58 p.m.

2017 Session ends

HB99 passes barely passes Senate vote

Bill to allow insurance for search and rescue passes House

New alcohol law update

Burning some midnight oil

DPS releases statement on bill to end vehicle safety inspections

Food truck bill passes through House

Medicaid, Outdoor Retailer, education and more: Hughes addresses media on final day

Recess!

Senate passes informed consent abortion bill

New alcohol reform bill passes through Senate

Computer glitch leads to brief recess

Concealed carry bill for 18- to 20-year-olds passes

Bill to speed up release of police bodycam footage passes Senate

Opioid bill passes Senate

More stories you may be interested in

Winter storm moves into northern Utah, 'overpasses could become icy in a hurry'

Hard-hit culture and arts industries see hope after the COVID-19 pandemic

Double murder suspect in California also has charges pending in Utah

Most Viewed

SIGN UP FOR THE KSL.COM NEWSLETTER

KSL Weather Forecast