Week Two is now behind us, and I have plenty of good news to report. Committee work is moving bills along, and this Session is flowing smoothly. We have passed a number of bills that ensure our core beliefs, including our commitment to funding education, and ensuring Utah remains economically strong and vibrant.We’ve passed a number of base budgets, including public and higher education. We can now look at adding new money into some programs including public education, thanks to the growth of Utah’s strengthening economy. I will continue to work hard to ensure the success of our kids, and the prosperity of the state.
I’ve heard from a number of you regarding different bills and issues, and this is a great benefit for me. It’s wonderful to be able to work with you and help you voice your concerns at the Legislature. It helps our process work.
I’ve met with everyone from college students to business leaders, and it’s great to hear from constituents as well. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
This week was officially the last time to request bills, so I thought you might like to see some of the workload we’re dealing with at the Capitol.
As of February 2nd, here are some facts about the number of bills so far this session:
Bill requests- 1,106
Passed by full Legislature- 33
Highlights for Week 2: Jan 30-February 3.
These are the bills that passed the House this week. (clicking the title of the bill, will take you to the text of the full version)
- H.B. 1- Public Education Base Budget Amendments- This bill appropriates $1,114,454,100 to public education for the next fiscal year.
- H.B. 15- Statewide Adaptive Test- Students can now take state tests (U-PASS) online, rather than traditional “bubble sheets”.
- H.B. 85 – Forensic Phlebotomy- This bill closes a loophole that now allows EMT’s to draw blood in order to test for blood alcohol content.
- H.B. 4, 5, 6- These are base budgets passed by the Legislature, for Higher Education, Natural Resources, and Retirement and Independent Entities, respectively.
- H.B. 55- Health Care Associated Infections- This bill requires health care facilities to share and release reports on health care associated infections.
- H.B. 44- Theft Amendments. This bill adds some penalties for those convicted of stealing multiple times, and also allows a business owner to prohibit an individual from entering the business’s premise if they have been convicted of shoplifting from that property.