Affordable housing, distracted driving among the topics at Utah Capitol Monday

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill seeking $35 million for affordable housing programs is starting its journey through the Utah House of Representatives on Monday.

The House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee is scheduled to discuss SB39 first thing in the morning. Although the idea of combatting homelessness through the creation of more homes and apartments that cost less has been pushed by advocates and backed by many political leaders, state lawmakers have been hesitant to fund the efforts.

And while the bill made its way through the Senate last week, its sponsor is still uncertain that funding will come through. A similar bill was approved last year but was stripped of money to pay for it.

Other bills of note in committee include:

• The Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee will discuss HB101, which prohibits using a handheld wireless communication device while driving. It passed the House last week on a 40-32 vote.

• Members of the Senate Business and Labor Committee are hearing SB200, compromise legislation introduced last week that amends Proposition 4, which passed in 2018 and created the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission to combat political gerrymandering in legislative and congressional districts when they are redrawn every 10 years.

• The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will consider HB207, which calls for an incentive for health benefit plans to reduce the required copayments for insulin and directs the Utah Insurance Department to conduct a study on insulin pricing. It would also direct the Public Employees’ Benefit and Insurance Program to purchase insulin at discounted prices and allow Utahns to buy the lower cost insulin.

The same committee is also scheduled to hear HB116, which would create the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+ Task Force. The task force, which has a $40,000 budget request, would look at underlying factors that explain why disproportionately high levels of violence occur against indigenous women, girls and the LGBTQ community. It would also identify gaps in local, state and federal law enforcement agency data collection in such cases.

• Members of the Senate Education Committee are hearing SB198, which requires a substitute teacher hired through an employment agency to undergo the district’s sensitivity training, including a code of ethics or a code of conduct for teachers, before they can enter the classroom.

Related topics