Here is an update on the bills I have been working on.
This week, I presented two of my bills that had been passed by the House to the Senate Committees to which they were assigned. They were HB 205 Students With Disabilities Amendments and HJR 6 Joint Resolution on the Benefits of Therapy Animals.
I am very excited that HB 205 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee and is now on the Senate Reading Calendar. This bill makes the formula for counting the number of students with disabilities in school districts more accurate. Currently, there is a two year lag embedded in the formula; this bill changes that to one year, helping to ensure that we are providing school districts with the funding they need to educate the special education students they are currently serving, not the number they were serving two years ago.
HJR 6 did not pass out of committee. That was a bit disappointing on the one hand, but I was impressed with the issues that members of the committee brought up. Some felt that there needed to be a definition in statute of what a therapy animal was so that there would not be confusion or misuse of the term. I see their point–I didn’t know what a therapy animal was until a constituent explained it to me. To be clear, therapy animals are NOT emotional support or service animals and have no rights under the law. To find out more, click here..
This week, I will be presenting two more bills to House Committees: HB 211 Renter Expenses Disclosure Requirements and 288 Prosecutor Data Collection Amendments.
HB 211 requires landlords to disclose the actual costs the renter will be required to pay before the renter submits an application fee. Disclosing fees up front is best practice, but, unfortunately, there are many landlords that are either very vague or that neglect to tell prospective renters about fees that will add to their monthly rent. The renter pays the application fee based on what they have been led to believe their rent will be, only to find out at the lease signing that undisclosed fees have increased their rent payments to an amount they might not be able to afford. Currently, the renter’s choices are to sign the lease anyway, or walk away and lose their application fee and any deposit they might have paid. If HB 211 passes, renters that choose not to sign the lease because of undisclosed fees will get the application fee and any deposits back.
I have a lot more to say about this, but my explanation is too long already. I will say that while this practice of not disclosing fees is inconvenient and frustrating for middle and higher income renters, it is devastating to low income families and individuals.
HB 288 is a transparency bill that, in my opinion, is long overdue. It would require prosecutorial agencies, county jails, and the Courts to collect data and provide it to the state so that we can better understand what is going on in our judicial system and make data driven decisions. This bill came about because I was trying to find some data about prosecutions in the state and found out that there wasn’t any. Each county and state agency keeps records, but you can’t search or aggregate any of it in a meaningful way. This bill also requires that prosecutor offices make certain policies available to the public. You can read an article from the Daily Herald about this bill here.
HB 324 Conviction Integrity Units is in Rules Committee and I am waiting for it to be assigned to a committee. I will hopefully have more to say about this one next week.
You can watch my Friday Facebook Live here. Each Friday, I discuss several of the bills we voted on during the week in more depth than I do in my emails.
Some fun stuff from this week
One of the perks of being a legislator is meeting amazing people up on the hill. Xireen Delarea is one of my constituents who is a grad student at UVU. She came up with other university students to learn more about civic engagement.
My granddaughter and her class from Meadow Brook Elementary in Springville visited and I was able to hang out with her for a little bit.
It was great hearing the Dixon Middle School Jazz Band play in the Rotunda! They sounded excellent!! Kudos to Christy Giblon, their director!
Amelia Earhart Elementary and Dixon Middle School students were able to attend a ceremony honoring Jose’ Valdez, a true hero and Utah Medal of Honor recipient from WWII. These students were presented with a painting of Valdez to hang in their schools and were able to meet a veteran who had served in both WWII and the Korean War.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know! If you make your way up to the Capitol in the next few weeks, I would love to have you join me on the House Floor.
Bills passed last week.
Click on the link to read the text and see the status. They have to be passed in the House and in the Senate and then by signed by the governor
| HB 83, 1st Sub Expungement Amendments HB 142, 1st Sub Criminal Proceeding Amendments HB 159, 2nd Sub Insurance Coverage Revisions HB 169 Exemptions Amendments HB 179 Recycling Market Development Zone Tax Credit Amendments HB 200 Addition to Income Revisions HB 134 Raw Milk Products Amendments HB 228 Livestock Predators Removal Amendments HB 67, 1st Sub Local Education Agency Financial Information Systems HB 68, 1st Sub Apprenticeship and Work-based Learning Amendments HB 205 Students with Disabilities Amendments HB 222, 1st Sub Start Smart Utah Breakfast Program HB 214, 1st Sub Insurance Coverage Modifications HB 162 Securities Amendments HB 244, 1st Sub Fetal Exposure Reporting and Treatment Amendments HB 243, 1st Sub Warning Labels Amendments HB 105 Water Facilities Amendments HB 197, 1st Sub Fishing and Hunting Restrictions for Nonpayment of Child Support HB 116, 2nd Sub Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls, and LGBTQ+ Task Force HB 213, 1st Sub Consent Language Amendments HB 127 Motorcycle Right-of-way Amendments HB 183, 2nd Sub Driver License Record Amendments SB 72 Revisor’s Technical Corrections to Utah Code HB 60 Corporate Income Tax Credit Amendments HB 33, 1st Sub Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Proceedings Amendments HB 64, 2nd Sub Custody and Visitation Rights Amendments HB 292 Internet Voting Study SB 72 Revisor’s Technical Corrections to Utah Code SJR 7, 2nd Sub Joint Resolution Authorizing Pay of In-session Employees SB 54 Mobile Home Amendments HB 161, 1st Sub Audiology and Speech-language Pathology Interstate Compact HB 208 Alcohol Education Amendments HB 174 Rural County Health Care Facilities Tax Amendments HB 96 Water Forfeiture Amendments SB 47 Public Document Signature Classification SB 48 Corrections Officer Certification Pilot ExtensionHB 202 Local Government Nuisance Ordinance Reform HB 66, 3rd Sub Wildland Fire Planning and Cost Recovery Amendments SCR 3 Concurrent Resolution Honoring Watura Misaka HB 212 Vehicle Sales Tax Exemption Modifications SB 50 Clean Energy Act Amendments HB 192, 1st Sub Property Tax Assessment Amendments HB 268 Property Tax Notice Amendments HB 198 Eminent Domain Limitations HB 225 Phased Retirement Amendments HB 58, 1st Sub Electronic Cigarettes in Schools Amendments HB 32, 2nd Sub Crisis Services Amendments HB 219 Mental Health Amendments HB 285 Utah Professionals Health Program HB 139, 1st Sub DUI Liability Amendments HB 220 Hepatitis C Outreach Pilot Program HB 238, 1st Sub Crime Enhancement Amendments HB 291, 1st Sub Human Trafficking Amendments HB 92, 1st Sub Fire Amendments HB 130 Water Use Amendments HB 233, 2nd Sub Natural Resources Legacy Funding Amendments |
| HB 202 Local Government Nuisance Ordinance Reform HB 66, 3rd Sub Wildland Fire Planning and Cost Recovery Amendments SCR 3 Concurrent Resolution Honoring Watura Misaka HB 212 Vehicle Sales Tax Exemption Modifications SB 50 Clean Energy Act Amendments HB 192, 1st Sub Property Tax Assessment Amendments HB 268 Property Tax Notice Amendments HB 198 Eminent Domain Limitations HB 225 Phased Retirement Amendments HB 58, 1st Sub Electronic Cigarettes in Schools Amendments HB 32, 2nd Sub Crisis Services Amendments HB 219 Mental Health Amendments HB 285 Utah Professionals Health Program HB 139, 1st Sub DUI Liability Amendments HB 220 Hepatitis C Outreach Pilot Program HB 238, 1st Sub Crime Enhancement Amendments HB 291, 1st Sub Human Trafficking Amendments HB 92, 1st Sub Fire Amendments HB 130 Water Use Amendments HB 233, 2nd Sub Natural Resources Legacy Funding Amendments |