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Better Utah Position Bill

H.B. 101 - Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements

Requires law enforcement agencies provide annual reports to the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice on the number of firearms that were lawfully seized from restricted persons, the types of those firearms, information on where those firearms were obtained by the restricted person, and the reasons those individuals were restricted persons.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 119 - School Employee Firearm Possession Amendments

Creates the “Educator-Protector Program” to incentivize school teachers to responsibly secure or carry firearms on school grounds by waiving liability for civil damages or penalties for harm caused by use of the firearm if they attend an annual free “classroom response training” on how to defend classrooms against active threats.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 269 - Public School History Curricula Amendments

Includes the Ten Commandments and Magna Carta in a list of historical documents and principles that teachers may use in school curricula and activities to teach American history and government.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 285 - Public Sector Labor Organizations Amendments

Prohibits public employers from providing payroll deduction of labor organization dues for employees unless an employee affirmatively opts-in every year; requires “recertification” every years for a labor organization to represent employees with the employer; requires a labor organization to report to the employer or state auditor the number of members in the organization and particular bargaining unit; and imposes unclear limits on labor organizations to access and use public property.

Passed in House Committee

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H.B. 29 - Sensitive Materials Review Amendments

Streamlines and standardizes the review process that school districts and charter schools must undertake to investigate and possibly ban school materials if they are found to contain “criminally indecent or pornographic” material; allows for the statewide ban of books determined to contain “objective sensitive material” by three school districts or at least two school districts and five charter schools, but allows the State Board of Education to vote to override the ban within 60 days in a public hearing.

Passed in House and Senate

Signed by Governor Cox 3/12/24

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H.B. 298 - Homelessness Services Amendments

Revamps the Utah Homelessness Council, replacing the 29-member council with a 9-member Utah Homeless Services Board, and tasking it with updating the state’s plan for reducing homelessness, recommending best practices for administering services, and developing metrics measuring the effectiveness of services and goals to reduce homelessness; requires more detailed data gathering on homelessness and progress toward eliminating homelessness in certain categories; and removes limitations on unsanctioned champing enforcement during a Code Blue Alert, even if no shelter beds are available.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 303 - School Curriculum Requirements

Prohibits teachers and school staff from using their position through instruction, materials, or the display of symbols, images, or language to promote, endorse, or disparage political viewpoints or viewpoints regarding sexual orientation or gender identity; allows the wearing of religious clothing and display of personal photographs or certain national or state flags.

Failed in House

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H.B. 305 - Firearm Data Amendments

Requires law enforcement agencies to provide annual reports to the State Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice on the number of crimes reported to or investigated by the law enforcement agency in which a lost or stolen firearm was used in the commission of the crime, as well as the disposition of firearms in the law enforcement agency’s custody.

Failed in House Committee

H.B. 326 - Firearm Safety Incentives

Creates a one-time nonrefundable income tax credit for the purchase of a firearm safety or storage device.

Passed in House; Failed in Senate Committee

H.B. 355 - Residential Rental Modifications

Requires landlords to provide at least 60-days notice of rent increases to tenants.

Passed in House; Failed in Senate Committee

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H.B. 421 - Homelessness and Vulnerable Populations Amendments

Prioritizes access for overnight shelter beds, including unsheltered Utahns who have been discharged from the Utah State Hospital and, for family shelters, Utahns who qualify for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; requires homeless shelters to comply with these prioritization standards to receive funds from the Office of Homeless Services; prohibits municipalities from receiving mitigation funds unless they enforce prohibitions on camping and panhandling, and demonstrate improvement in reducing such conduct; increases the temperature for a Code Blue Alert from 15 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit; and establishes the HOME court pilot program to provide for comprehensive and individualized, court-supervised treatment and services to individuals with mental illness.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 429 - State Employment Revisions

Except for POST-certified positions and independent state entities that choose not to participate, ends state civil service protections for new state employees beginning January 1, 2025.

Passed in House; Failed in Senate Committee

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H.B. 465 - Housing Affordability Revisions

Allows city redevelopment agencies to use funding to help construct income targeted homes (those at 120% of area median income) to increase the supply of owner-occupied homes; encourages the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority to increase supply of affordable housing through the use of its land use authority.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 477 - School Employee Conduct Amendments

Hijacked an unrelated bill to prohibit the display of certain flags, including Pride flags, on or in a public school by a school official or employee, and establish standing for parents of school students to file a civil action to enforce the law.

Failed in Senate

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H.B. 514 - School Chaplain Amendments

Allows local school districts and charter schools to develop policies, guidelines, and requirements to permit volunteer chaplains to provide opt-in chaplain services within their schools.

Passed in House; Failed in Senate

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H.B. 97 - Gun Safety Amendments

Creates a five-day waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a firearm.

Failed in House Committee

H.B. 98 - Firearm Access Amendments

Requires firearm owners to securely store firearms or render them inoperable with a locking device; imposes civil fines if the firearm is accessed by a restricted person, minor, or at-risk individual, or if they use the firearm in the commission of a crime or cause injury to someone else with the firearm.

Failed in House Committee

S.B. 176 - Child Care Services Amendments

Establishes the Child Care Capacity Expansion program to allow obsolete state buildings to be retrofitted and utilized for child care programs, with private sector employees helping to fund access to the child care program for their own employees and contracting with certified quality childcare providers to run the programs.

Passed in Senate; Failed in House

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S.B. 208 - Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone Amendments

Increases the housing affordability requirement of a housing and transit reinvestment zone from 10% affordable to 12% affordable, and requires that up to 9% must be affordable at less than or equal to 80% AMI, and at least 3% must be affordable at less than or equal to 60% AMI; requires housing and transit reinvestment zone proposal to include a housing affordability plan, which may include deed restricted units, to ensure maintained affordability throughout the entire zone term; promotes and encourages owner-occupied housing to the objectives of a housing and transit reinvestment zone.

Passed in Senate and House

Better Utah Position Bill

H.B. 131 - Vaccine Passport Prohibition

Creates a new “protected class” based on a person’s “immunity status,” such that public accomodations may not discriminate against people based on their immunity status or not having taken a vaccine; prohibits government and private businesses, with certain exceptions, from requiring proof of immunity or requiring vaccines.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 167 - State Child Care Amendments

Allows state agencies to contract for on-site child care services.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 199 - Voluntary Firearm Safekeeping Amendments

Prohibits returning a firearm that has been voluntarily committed for safekeeping to a law enforcement agency if the person is a restricted person or has been arrested for committing a domestic violence offense.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 215 - Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities

Gives teachers a salary raise that’s dependant on the implementation and funding of a “Utah Fits All Scholarship Program,” which would provide $8,000 vouchers for students to attend private schools or pay for homeschool expenses.

Status: Passed; Signed by Governor 1/28

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H.B. 219 - Firearms Regulations

Declares that the state and its political subdivisions will not enforce federal laws that purport to restrict or ban certain firearms, ammunition, or firearms accessories, in violation of the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 243 - Public Transit Employee Collective Bargaining Amendments

Excludes managerial and supervisory employees in public transit districts from organizing and collectively bargaining.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 29 - Mental Health Support and Law Enforcement Co-Response

Creates a grant program to fund appropriate response to individuals experiencing mental health crisis through new or expanded crisis intervention or mobile crisis outreach teams.

Passed in House; Passed in Senate on Second Reading but failed sine die

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H.B. 300 - Voluntary Firearm Restrictions Amendments

Creates a voluntary firearm restricted list that allows an individual to request to be restricted from purchasing or possessing firearms indefinitely, which can be removed from the list 90 days after request, and allows an individual seeking to be placed on a voluntary firearm restricted list to direct the indivdiual’s health care provider to deliver the indivdiual’s form for inclusion on the list.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 316 - Residential Rental Amendments

Requires rental unit owners to clearly and conspicuously disclose all fees, fines, assessments, and other costs; in addition to requiring them to provide notice of rental increase at least 60 days before end of lease.

Failed in House Committee

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H.B. 354 - Firearm Access Amendments

Requires firearms to be securely stored or rendered inoperable by a locking device and provides that if an at-risk person, restricted person, or a minor gains access to a firearm, the owner may be fined.

Failed in House Committee

H.B. 477 - Full-Day Kindergarten Amendments

Provides funding through the weighted pupil unit (WPU) to give every school district the ability to provide optional full-day kindergarten.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 481 - Firearm Safety and Suicide Prevention Education Requirements

Requires a school to provide suicide prevention materials and information, including information on firearm safety, to a parent of a child who has threatened suicide or has been involved in an incident of bullying or other abusive behavior.

Passed in House and Senate

H.B. 499 - Homeless Services Amendments

Requires more counties to convene winter response task forces to create plans for winter shelters, particularly during “Code Blue” days where the temperatures fall below 15 degrees, and requires that cities with anti-camping ordinances enforce those laws or else risk losing mitigation funds, which were also expanded.

Passed in House and Senate

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H.B. 86 - Firearm Reporting Requirements

Requires the Bureau of Criminal Identification to collect statistics on the source of firearms recovered from restricted persons.

Passed in House; Passed in Senate on Second Reading but failed sine die

S.B. 101 - Peace Officer Training Modifications

Requires law enforcement training to include training on identifying, responding to, and reporting criminal offenses that are motivated by certain personal attributes, aka hate crimes.

Passed in Senate and House

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S.B. 133 - Modifications to Medicaid Coverage

Expands Medicaid to cover the duration of postpartum care for 12 months.

Passed in Senate and House

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S.B. 195 - Medical Debt Relief

Requires the Department of Workforce Services to contract with one or more medical debt relief entities for the acquisition and relief of medical debt.

Failed in Senate

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S.B. 50 - Weapon Purchase Amendments

Creates a waiting period of ten days between the purchase of an assault weapon from a dealer and the delivery of the assault weapon to the purchaser.

Failed in Senate Committee

Better Utah Position Bill

H.B. 133 - Expanded Background Checks for Firearm Transfers

Requires individuals who are not federal firearms licensees to perform background checks when they sell or transfer firearms.

H.B. 182 - Local Health Department Order Amendments

Prohibits city mayors from exercising emergency powers in response to a pandemic or an epidemic.

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H.B. 193 - Full-Day Kindergarten

Provides for a limited expansion of optional full-day kindergarten.

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H.B. 21 - School and Child Care Center Water Testing Requirements

Provides funding to test for lead in water sources at all public schools and child care centers, and then requires that all sources of lead be replaced.

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H.B. 274 - Health Education Amendments

Requires the Utah State Board of Education to establish curriculum requirements that include instruction in sexual assault resource strategies and sexual violence behavior prevention.

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H.B. 331 - Hope Scholarship Program

Creates the “Hope Scholarship Program,” a voucher system for students to attend private schools or pay for homeschooling expenses with state funding.

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H.B. 428 - School Safety Amendments

Requires school districts to review information on and adopt plans for harassment- and discrimination-free learning; requires the Utah State Board of Education to provide training on antidiscrimination statutes; and requires USBE and school districts to report data on the demographics of victims of bullying, hazing, cyber-bullying, and retaliation.

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H.B. 60 - Vaccine Passport Amendments

Prohibits government entities, employers, and places of public accomodation from discriminating on the basis of a person’s “immunity status,” except for in number of specific cases such public school vaccination requirements.

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S.B. 100 - Paid Leave Modifications

Requires state employers to provide employees with paid parental leave upon the birth of the employee’s child, the adoption of a minor, or the appointment of legal guardianship of a minor or incapacitated adult.

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S.B. 115 - Firearm Preemption Amendments

Reaffirms the state’s complete preemption of firearm regulations over the authority of local government entities, including through contractors, except in the case of homeless shelters; and creates a private right of action for Utahns to sue state or local government entities they believe have violated the state’s preemption of firearm regulations.

S.B. 126 - Officer Intervention and Reporting Amendments

Establishes minimum standards of police misconduct regarding use of excessive force, warrantless searches and seizures, and biased or discriminatory conduct; requires officers to intervene and report observed police misconduct; and prohibits retaliation against officers that report misconduct.

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S.B. 133 - Food Security Amendments

Creates the Food Security Council at Utah State University to coordinate state efforts in addressing food security.

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S.B. 185 - Children's Health Coverage Amendments

Expands Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to include all Utah children, including those who do not currently qualify.

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S.B. 238 - Homeless Services Modifications

Uses $55,000,000 from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to fund a grant program for deeply affordable housing coupled with homeless case management and services.

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S.B. 244 - Ethnic Studies Amendments

Creates the Ethnic Studies Commission to study the contributions of Utahns of diverse ethnicities and recommend to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) how to incorporate ethnic studies into core standards of Utah public schools; requires USBE to incorporate ethnic studies core standards; and requires school districts to adopt ethnic studies instructional materials and curriculum into regular school work for all K-12 students.

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S.J.R 3 - Joint Resolution to Terminate Public Health Orders Pertaining to Face Coverings

Terminates public health orders requiring wearing of masks in Salt Lake County, Summit County, and Salt Lake City.

Notes: As a joint resolution, Governor’s signature is not required.

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Better Utah Position Bill

H.B. 146 - Overdose Harm Reduction Working Group

Creates a working group to study harm reduction oriented strategies to reduce overdose injuries and deaths.

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H.B. 162 - Peace Officer Training

Requires annual police training to include modules on crisis intervention, mental health incidents, and de-escalation techniques.

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H.B. 168 - Sale of Sexual Assault Test Kits Prohibited

Prohibits selling or providing an over-the-counter sexual assault evidence kit.

H.B. 177 - Health Education Amendments

Adds consent, coercion, sexual violence behavior deterrence, and sexual assault mitigation strategies to the sex education curriculum.

H.B. 262 - Children's Health Insurance Amendments

Creates the Children’s Health Care Coverage Program with $172,500 on-going appropriations used to promote health care coverage for children.

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H.B. 264 - Law Enforcement Weapons Use Amendments

Requires a police officer to file a report every time they point a weapon at someone.

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H.B. 277 - Child Care Eligibility Amendments

Allows more working families to qualify for child care subsidies.

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H.B. 328 - Adult Learners Grant Program

Creates a program to provide financial assistance to students who are at least 26 years old, financially needy, and enrolled in an online program in a needed field.

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H.B. 422 - Political Subdivision Civil Liability Amendments

Disincentivizes de-escalation by making local governments liable if they direct police officers not to protect private property or individuals during a civil disturbance.

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H.B. 60 - Conceal Carry Firearms Amendments

Removes the permit requirement for concealed carry.

H.B. 68 - Rental Expenses Disclosure Requirements

Requires a landlord to make expense-related disclosures to a potential renter before accepting an application fee or any other payment.

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H.B. 74 - Municipal Police Oversight

Removes current restrictions on the creation and authority of civilian police review boards.

Vote: Motion to table (A “yes” vote is a vote to stop the bill from moving forward.) 

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H.B. 84 - Use of Force Reporting Requirements

Requires law enforcement agencies to compile data on use of force incidents by police officers.

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S.B. 106 - Use of Force Revisions

Requires the state’s police certification agency to establish statewide minimum use of force standards.

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S.B. 127 - Human Services Program Amendments

Provides improved restraint and seclusion policies, suicide prevention programs, and sex-based discrimination rules for congregate care facilities.

S.B. 128 - Family Planning Services Amendments

Requires the Medicaid program to apply for a waiver or a state plan amendment to extend family planning services to certain low-income individuals.

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S.B. 138 - Violence, Disorder, and Looting Enforcement Protection Act

Increases penalties for rioting and assaulting a police officer while decreasing criminal liable for motor vehicle operators who injure or kill an individual while leaving the scene of a riot.

S.B. 141 - Task Force on Food Security

Creates a Task Force on Food Security to develop a plan for establishing food security in Utah.

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S.B. 155 - 988 Mental Health Crisis Assistance

Creates the 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services Hotline

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S.B. 158 - Children's Health Coverage Amendments

Increases health insurance coverage for children by expanding eligibility for children’s Medicaid and CHIP.

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S.B. 68 - Law Enforcement Weapons Amendments

Funds the purchase of technology and equipment for law enforcement agencies to assist in investigating officer shootings.

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Better Utah Position Bill

H.B. 101 - Distracted Driver Amendments

Updates Utah’s law prohibiting texting while driving to encompass common smartphone uses, with limited exceptions.

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H.B. 109 - Universal Background Checks for Firearm Purchasers

Requires a background check for all gun sales, with limited exceptions.

H.B. 115 - Dangerous Weapon Custodian Liability

States that a gun owner can be civily liable for damage caused by someone else’s use of that firearm if it was negligently entrusted to that person

H.B. 197 - Fishing and Hunting Restrictions for Nonpayment of Child Support

Prohibits someone from getting a hunting or fishing license, permit, or tag if they are delinquent in paying child support

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H.B. 207 - Insulin Access Amendments

Creates an incentive for health benefit plans to reduce the required copayments for insulin, directs the Public Employees’ Benefit and Insurance Program to purchase insulin in bulk, increases the number of days for which an insulin prescription can be refilled, and authorizes a pharmacist to refill an expired insulin prescription.

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H.B. 211 - Renter Expenses Disclosure Agreements

Requires a landlord to make expense-related disclosures to a potential renter and prohibits a landlord from charging a renter under a rental agreement for costs not disclosed in the rental agreement.

H.B. 222 - Smart Start Utah Breakfast Program

Creates the Start Smart Utah Program to expand access to school breakfast in public schools.

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H.B. 264 - Infant At Work Pilot Program

Creates the Infant at Work Pilot Program for employees to bring their infants to work.

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H.B. 271 - Firearm Preemption Amendments

Removes a local authority or state agency’s ability to regulate firearms in Utah if those regulations exceed those adopted by the Legislature

H.B. 32 - Crisis Services Amendments

Creates new mental health resources including expanded mobile crisis outreach teams, a health receiving center pilot program, and a state-wide peer support line.

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H.B. 332 - Special Needs Scholarship Amendments

Creates a voucher-like program for Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship recipients to use towards private school tuition.

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H.B. 38 - Substance Use and Health Care Amendments

Directs the Dept. of Health to apply for a Medicaid wavier to enroll inmates up to 30 days before release.

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H.B. 69 - Sick Leave Amendments

Allows employees who have accrued sick leave to use it to care for a sick family member.

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H.B. 88 - School Water Testing Requirements

Mandates testing drinking water for lead in all schools every five years with reporting and required improvements if lead is found.

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H.B. 99 - Enhanced Kindergarten Amendments

Provides funding for enhanced kindergarten early intervention programs.

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S.B. 165 - Emergency Response Plans for Homelessness

Requires local coordinating committees to develop an emergency response plan for the health and safety of people experiencing homelessness.

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S.B. 39 - Affordable Housing Amendments

Provides funding to incentivize the development and preservation of affordable housing.

Better Utah Position Bill

H.B. 100 - Sexual Violence Protective Orders

Creates a protective order and ex-parte protective order for sexual violence, which are included on the statewide warrant system.

H.B. 114 - Self-Defense Amendments

“Stand your ground” bill stating that an individual does not have a duty to retreat from an aggressor if possible to do so.

H.B. 17 - Firearm Violence and Suicide Prevention Amendments

Requires state to set up firearm safety literature and suicide prevention course; distribute cable locks; coupons toward gun safes

H.B. 212 - Expungement Changes

Prohibits employer inquiry into an applicant’s expunged criminal history, except for law enforcement agencies and other sensitive public jobs.

H.B. 213 - Promotion of Student Loan Forgiveness

Requires public entitites to annually provide materials to employees about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program or the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

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H.B. 296 - Rural Online Working Hub Amendments

Creates a grant program to develop coworking and innovation centers in rural areas, enabling remote online work.

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H.B. 318 - Inmate Restrictions Standards Amendments

Requires the least restrictive restraints be used on a pregnant inmate and prohibits shackling during labor and delivery.

H.B. 346 - Higher Education Responses to Allegations

Creates honor code immunity for reporting sexual violence and requires victim consent for campus coordination with outside law enforcement. Makes retaliatory violence or threats to a victim or witness a third-degree felony.

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H.B. 40 - Criminal Code Task Force Amendments

Grants immunity for sex workers who work notify police of assault; repeals crimes of adultery and sodomy.

H.B. 431 - Expungement Act Amendments

Allows for automatic expungement of some criminal records after a certain time.

H.B. 47 - Early Childhood Coordination Amendments

Creates a cabinet level agency and advisory commission to coordinate all agencies who work with early childhood services.

H.B. 71 - Health Education Amendments

Clarifies that teachers are allowed to discuss contraceptives in a sex education curriculum.

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H.B. 84 - Economic Development Programs Amendments

Reduces number of months observed for Rural Fast Track eligibility from 24 to 12 and removes caps on money the Business Expansion and Retention Initiative can award a rural economic development entity.

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S.B. 134 - Campus Safety Amendments

Requires colleges to have a campus safety plan and curriculum addressing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

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S.B. 32 - Indigent Defense Amendments

Ensures that all minors have a state-appointed attorney in court.

S.B. 34 - Affordable Housing Modifications

Adds provisions for municipal and county planning that encourage moderate and affordable housing development in transit areas. Requires cities to adopt at least 3 affordable housing strategies to be eligible for Transportation Investment Fund money.