Welcome to the 2018 State Legislative Session!

DATES: January 22 – March 8th, 2018

Action Utah leaders met all year with legislators, lobbyists, advocacy organizations, academics and state agencies to learn about policy needs and proposed legislation. We use survey and polling data to understand where a majority of Utahns stand on the issues and where bridges can be built to find common ground and create policy that reflects our beliefs and needs. We have built a slate of good policy to support during the 2018 State Legislative Session and coordinate directly with the bill sponsor’s strategy to bring community lobbying opportunities to ordinary community members when and how it is most needed.

That means YOU have the chance to impact the issues during the State Legislative Session!

To find out what you can do and when, follow us on our Take Action! page, Facebook, or Twitter, subscribe to our emails or join an Action Team to get email alerts on the issues that matter to you most. Click here for resources and tools to help you advocate. And scroll down for our Bill Tracker!

PUBLIC HEALTH BILLS

Bill No.	Bill Name	Bill Sponsor(s)	Floor Sponsor	Lobbying Kit	Position	Status	Description
HB 12	Family Planning Services Amendments	Rep. Ray Ward(R-Bountiful)	Sen. Daniel Hemmert (R-Utah)	One sheet	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Medicaid waiver for access to contraceptive services that saves the state money, improves the lives of women and families and reduces abortions [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 41	Mental Health Crisis Line Amendments	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Dan Thatcher (R-Salt Lake/Tooele)	onesheet	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Creates a single crisis telephone number and establishes basic standards for crisis line services across the state. [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 42	Medicaid Waiver for Mental Health Crisis Services	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Dan Thatcher (R-Salt Lake/Tooele)	onesheet	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Requires the Department of Health to seek a medicaid waiver supporting certain mental health crisis resources.
HB 87	Suicide Training Amendments	Rep Justin Fawson (R-Ogden)	Sen. Dan Thatcher (R-Salt Lake/Tooele)	onesheet	SUPPORT	House – failed	Requires an individual to complete a course in suicide prevention in order to obtain or renew a medical license.
HB 127	Controlled Substance Database Act Amendments	Rep Justin Fawson (R-Ogden)	Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Utah/Wasatch)		SUPPORT	PASSED	Changes the requirements for controlled substances database and modifies enforcement provisions, requiring that medical professionals must consult the database when prescribing controlled substances.
HB 139	Telepsychiatric Consultation Access Amendments	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Utah/Wasatch)	article	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Requires health benefit plan to cover the use of telepsychiatric consultations to triple the output of psychiatrists and improve suicide prevention services. [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 163	Prescription Drug Amendments	Rep. Norm Thurston (R-Provo)	Sen. Dierdre Henderson	onesheet	SUPPORT	Senate Business and Labor – held	Requires the Department of Health to design and seek federal approval for a drug reimportation program where Utah could import brand name pharmaceuticals from Canada for purchase at lower prices within the state.
HB 325	Primary Care Network Amendments	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Brian Zehnder (R-Salt Lake)	One Sheet	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	This bill seeks to expand benefits for those people who already are on the Primary Care Network, making it possible for them to recieve in and out patient treatments and utilize urgent care.
HB 399	Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Amendments	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Evan Vickers (R-Beaver/Iron/Washington)		SUPPORT	PASSED	This bill requires a warning label and informational pamphlet on the risks of addiction and overdose to be distributed with any prescription for an opioid drug.
HB 400	Controlled Substance Database Act Amendments	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Evan Vickers (R-Beaver/Iron/Washington)		SUPPORT	Ran out of time	This bill requires a prescriber to discuss the risks of addiction and overdose from using opioid drugs with a patient or patient’s guardian before issuing an initial prescription for an opioid.
HB 472	Medicaid Expansion Revisions	Rep. Robert Spendlove (R-Sandy)	Sen. Brian Zehnder (R-Salt Lake)	Medicaid expansion primer	NEUTRAL	Senate – passed	Would expand Medicaid to 100% of the federal poverty line, not 138% as other states have done, and would require a waiver from the federal goverment to do so. Also includes a work requirement.
HB 483	Extreme Risk Protection Order	Steve Handy (R-Layton)		onesheet	SUPPORT	House Judiciary – returned to Rules	Would create a process for concerned family members and law enforcement to apply for a court issued restraining order to remove firearms from someone already in posession of them, who is deemed to be a threat to themselves or to others. Support from Catholic Diocese of Utah, Intermountain Healthcare, Utah Public Health Association, Utah Nurses Association, Utah Domestic Violence Coaltion and YWCA, among others.
SB 47	Medicaid Expansion Amendments	Sen. Gene Davis (D-Salt Lake)			SUPPORT	Senate 1st Reading	Expands Medicaid fully to cover people up to 138% of the federal poverty line without specifcying funding mechanisms
SB 48	Medicaid Waiting Period Amendments	Sen. Allen Christensen (R-Morgan/Summit/Weber)		article	OPPOSE	Senate 1st Reading	Reinstats a 5-year waiting period for legal immigrant children before they can receive medicaid benefits from Medicaid or CHIP.
SB 172	Medicaid Waiver Amendments	Sen. Daniel Hemmert (R-Utah)	Rep. Dan McCay (R-Riverton)	One Sheet	OPPOSE/ AMEND	House Rev & Tax – failed	Requests a waiver to institute certain changes to Medicaid that include work or community engagement requirements, Medicaid savings accounts, and modifying the Medicaid funding strucuture to become a block grant.
	Opioid Crisis Education Curriculum	Rep. Joel Briscoe (D-Salt Lake)		Article	SUPPORT	FUNDED	Onetime $150K funding in each of 2018 and 2019 to create an online opioid crisis education curriculumwith the help of Utah teachers, focusing on the science of addiction specific to opioids.
Also Tracking
	Appropriations request for Medicaid continuous enrollment for kids	Rep. Ray Ward(R-Bountiful)			SUPPORT	Social Services Appropriation Subcommittee	$600K ongoing to help kids be able to stay on Medicaid for a year after enrollment, regardless of changes in family situation, just like CHIP and private insurance do, so kids don’t get kicked off their health care coverage suddenly throughout the year.
	Health Insurance High Risk Pool	Rep. Robert Spendlove (R-Sandy)			PENDING LANGUAGE	Was not numbered	Requests a waiver to continue the progrm already in place from 2016 that allows federal funding to stabilize the individual insurance market .
SB 126	Gestational Agreements Revision	Sen. Lyle Hillyard (R-Cache/Rich)			OPPOSE	Senate Committee – held	Repeals the law allowing surrogacy.

FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES

Bill No.	Bill Name	Bill Sponsor(s)	Floor Sponsor	Lobbying Kit	Position	Status	Description
HB 30	Utah Antidiscrimination Act Amendments	Rep. Jim Dunnigan (R-Taylorsville)	Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Utah/Wasatch)		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Addresses problems with UALD identified in a recent performance audit by the Legislative Auditor General, removes barriers to fairness, and ensures all workers have equal access to Utah laws.
HB 57	Utah Intergenerational Poverty Work and Self-sufficiency Tax Credit	Rep. John Westwood (R-Cedar City)	Sen. Evan Vickers (R-Beaver/Iron/Washington)		SUPPORT	Failed to receive funding	Strengthens Utah’s groundbreaking IGP initiative with a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for IGP families who work, qualify for federal EITC and file their state taxes, supporting progress toward financial stability and independence. Supported by the SL Chamber and Utah Education Association.
HB 106	Education Grant Program for Individuals in the Justice System	Rep. Val Potter (R-Logan)	Sen. Lyle Hillyard (R-Cache/Rich)		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Creates a pilot program for education programs for individuals within the justice system that would permit a qualified convicted person to avoid incarceration by completing practical trade skills education and earning certificates at a participating technical college.
HB 111	Community Reinvestment Agency Modifications	Rep. Kim Coleman (R-West Jordan)	Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Utah/Wasatch)		AMEND/ OPPOSE	Did not proceed	Removes the housing allocation requirement for certain community reinvestment project areas. Amended.
HB148	Tax Revisions	Rep. Tim Quinn (R-Heber)	Sen. Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake)	onesheet	SUPPORT	Senate Revenue and Taxation – failed	Eliminates the 1.75% state sales tax on food, but remains revenue neutral by raising the state sales tax by .22%, eliminating a burden on the states most vulnerable, including low-income families and fixed-income elderly, reducing food insecurity and the cost to meet basic needs. [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 160	Domestic Violence Provisions	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Luz Escamilla (D-Salt Lake)		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Permits a court to order the transfer of a wireless phone number to a petitioner in cases when the current account holder is the respondent for an order for protection or to a victim when the current account holder is the perpetrator, such as in domestic violence cases.
HB 196	Breastfeeding Protection Act	Rep Justin Fawson (R-Ogden)	Sen. Dierdre Henderson	onesheet	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Allows the option of breastfeeding in public so that a nursing woman is legally permited to breastfeed in any public location. This bill is supported by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Retailer’s Association.
HB 234	Compulsory Education Revisions	Rep. Jefferson Moss (R-Saratoga Springs)	Sen. Howard Stephenson (R- Salt Lake/ Utah)		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	This bill amends the definition of “valid excuse” for absence in the compulsory education code to include physical or mental illness.
HB 235	Family School Partnership	Rep. Bruce Cutler (R-Murray)			SUPPORT	House Education Committee – Held	Supports a Family School Partnership pilot program with matching funds from Trust Land Funds to provide home visiting for families who struggle in the school system.
HB 259	Moderate income housing plan amendments	Rep. Logan Wilde (R-Croydon)	Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Utah/Wasatch)		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Requires the genearl plan of a county or municipality other than a town allow and plan for moderate income housing growth.
HB 264	Elementary School Counselor Program	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Howard Stephenson (R-Salt Lake/Utah)		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Authorizes grants for school-based counselors and social workers.
HB 277	Retirement Income Tax Credit	Rep. John Westwood (R-Cedar City)	Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Davis/Salt Lake)		SUPPORT	Senate Revenue and Taxation-failed	Expands eligibility to the Retirment Income Tax Credit by removing a current age restriction to permit Utahns who turn 65 this year or later access to a tax credit of $450 for an indivudal ($900 for joint filers), and phases out for those earning more than $25K ($32K for joint filers).
HB 278	Paid Family & Medical Leave Tax Credit	Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake)	Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (R-Jordan)	onesheet	SUPPORT	Failed to receive funding	Creates a tax credit for businesses that offer paid famliy and medical leave to employees, supporting continued employment and income for workers when they need to take limited time off to attend to specific family or health-related responsibilities. Supported by the Salt Lake Chamber. [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 283	Workplace Protection Amendments	Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake)			SUPPORT	House Business & Labor Committee – failed	Prohibits workplace discrimination among small businesses by lowering the employee threshold which triggers employer compliance with Utah’s anti-discrimination and labor laws from 15 employees down to 1, and creates legal remedies for small employers who violate the provisions of the act. The initially high fiscal note on this bill was amended to a mere $61K. [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 319	Early Care and Learning Coordination Amendments	Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D-Salt Lake)	Sen. Ann Millner		SUPPORT	Ran out of time	Establishes a high-level, interagency, public-private leadership governing body that will coordinte federal and state early childhood policies and procedures that affect the health and wellbeing of Utah’s children between the ages of 0-5 years. Follows recommendations offered by the Early Childhood Services Report (2017’s SB100). [CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO #InTheirWords]
HB 380	Utah School Readiness Initiative Amendments	Rep. Brad Last (R-Hurricane)	Sen. Ann Millner		SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Continues a Pay-for-Success program that funds 1,000 slots of high-quality pre-school in Salt Lake County. The program was originally established in 2014, through a bill passed by Speaker Greg Hughes. The program has helped 4,000 low-income, at-risk kids to date and reduced special education referrals in the served population.
HB 430	Affordable Housing Amendments	Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake)	Sen. Jacob Anderegg (R-Salt Lake, Utah)			Passed House and Senate	Creates the coalition of housing affordability in DWS, describes the membership, duties and reporting requirements of the commission and provides sunset date
HB 462	Homeless Services Amendments	Rep. Steve Eliason (R-Sandy)	Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Davis/Salt Lake)	article	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Raises funding for homeless shelters by assessing a fee on municipalities that fail to provide sufficient low-income and affordable housing for their populations.
HB 464	Affordable Housing Amendments	Rep. Joel Briscoe (D-Salt Lake)		onesheet	SUPPORT	House 3rd Reading Calendar	Creates a bond to provide $100 million in funding from the Economic Revitalization and Investment Fund to build or repurpose housing developments that meet certain affordable housing criteria
HB 491	Election Law Changes	Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake)	Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (R-Jordan)	Take action!	SUPPORT	Passed House and Senate	Gives the state the ability to place a non-binding ballot question on the ballot, just as we did when Utah was applying to host the Olympics in 2002. HB 491 would be repealed following this general election, just as was done after the 2002 decision was completed. In conjunction with HJR20, this is part of the Our Schools Now compromise legislation.
HJR 20	Joint Resolution Submitting a Question to Voters	Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake)	Sen. Lincoln Fillmore (R-Jordan)	Take action!	SUPPORT	Passed the House and Senate	Would ask Utah voters if the state gasoline tax should be increased by 10 cents for the transportation fund, thereby releasing more funding for education. Together with HB 491, this is the Our Schools Now compromise legislation.
HR 6	Paid Family & Medical Leave	Rep. Becky Edwards (R-North Salt Lake)			SUPPORT	House 1st Reading
SCR 11	Concurrent Resolution on Postpartum Depression Awareness and Treatment	Sen. Brian Zehnder (R-Salt Lake)	Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D-Salt Lake)		SUPPORT	Passed Senate and House	Defining the significant problem of postpartum depression and its impacts and treatments to raise awareness of the issue in Utah.
SB 133	Design and Build Amendments	Sen. Karen Mayne (D-Salt Lake)	Rep. Kay Christofferson (R-Lehi)		SUPPORT	Passed Senate and House	Eliminates the $250K threshold to allow design build projects by organizations like Habitat for Humanities
SB 159	Forcible Entry and Detainer	Sen. Margaret Dayton (R-Utah)	Rep. Keith Grover (R-Provo)		AMEND	Passed House and Senate	This bill was amended. Took the email out, said 24 hours can’t include weekends and holidays.
Also Tracking
HB 117	Hourly Wage Increase	Rep. Brian King (D-Salt Lake)			SUPPORT	House Business & Labor Committee – Failed	Increases Utah’s minimum wage to $10.25/hour and works toward a more gradual raise of $12 by 2022.
HB 118	Cash Wage Obligation	Rep. Brian King (D-Salt Lake)			SUPPORT	House Business & Labor Committee – Failed	Increases Utah’s minimum wage for tipped workers to $3.25/hour.