2026 General Legislative Session Day 34 (2/23/2026) Part 1 [Source] Translate

The meeting began with a welcome to President Astrid Tuminez from Utah Valley University, followed by an opening prayer and roll call, confirming a quorum with 22 senators present. The President announced communications from the House, including the signing of several bills and the transmission of additional bills for consideration, particularly in education, health services, and vehicle sales. New bills introduced included Senate Bill 315 (Tax Credit Modifications) and Senate Bill 316 (Public Employee Attorney Fee Recovery Amendments), which were sent to the Rules Committee. Senator Baldery welcomed Seth Ayim, a PhD student at BYU. The consent calendar included House Bill 351, aimed at improving access to vision screenings for children, which passed unanimously. Senate Bill 133 (Offender Registry Amendments) and Second Substitute Senate Bill 183 (prohibiting law enforcement from tampering with surveillance cameras) were both discussed and passed without opposition. The consent calendar also included First Substitute House Bill 171, clarifying standards for physician assistants, which passed unanimously. Senator McKay recognized Turning Point USA members and honored Charlie Kirk with a moment of silence. First Substitute Senate Bill 184, allowing individuals convicted of a crime to potentially lower their charges by providing information to law enforcement, passed with 22 votes in favor. Senate Bill 201, concerning shelter animal euthanasia amendments, was presented by Senator Grover, aiming to enhance collaboration between shelters and rescue organizations. The bill allows for a one-day extension for rescuing animals after a two-day notice and passed with 22 votes in favor. Other bills discussed included: 1. **Senate Bill 197**: Related to transportation funding, circled for further consideration. 2. **First Substitute Senate Bill 208**: Revising the vehicle emission inspection program, also circled. 3. **First Substitute Senate Bill 223**: Extending the tax credit for alternate energy-producing equipment, passed with 24 votes in favor. 4. **Second Substitute Senate Bill 139**: Requiring notaries to maintain a journal, passed with 25 votes in favor. 5. **First Substitute Senate Bill 150**: Establishing a process for reviewing new healthcare innovations, passed with 26 votes in favor. 6. **Senate Bill 213**: Aligning the statute of limitations for wage protests, passed with 25 votes in favor. 7. **Senate Bill 215**: Reducing the timeline for expunging dismissed evictions, passed with 26 votes in favor. 8. **Senate Concurrent Resolution 5**: Directing PEHP to provide non-opioid options post-surgery, passed with 26 votes in favor. 9. **First Substitute Senate Joint Resolution 11**: Recognizing January as National Blood Donor Month, passed with 25 votes in favor. 10. **Third Substitute Senate Bill 73**: Establishing a 2% excise tax on harmful content transactions, passed with 22 votes in favor. 11. **First Substitute Senate Bill 236**: Clarifying property tax exemption application deadlines, passed with 24 votes in favor. The meeting continued with discussions on various Senate bills, including Senate Bill 238 (property tax adjustments), which passed with 22 votes in favor, and Senate Bill 12 (Alternative Dispute Resolution Sunset Amendments), which passed with 24 votes in favor. Senate Bill 72 (obscene animal abuse material) passed with 24 votes in favor. First Substitute Senate Bill 111 (veterinary post-employment amendments) passed with 21 votes in favor. Second Substitute Senate Bill 234 (rulemaking amendments) passed with 20 votes in favor. Senate Bill 216 (higher education performance funding) passed with 27 votes in favor. Senate Bill 54 (Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship Program amendments) passed with 20 votes in favor. The meeting concluded with discussions on second reading bills, including Senate Bill 34 (modernizing public education statutes) and Senate Bill 220 (expanding tuition waivers for Purple Heart recipients), both receiving unanimous support for further readings. Senate Bill 227 was substituted with a second version, and an amendment was adopted. The meeting ended with a motion to recess until 2 p.m. for a caucus lunch, which passed.