Rep. Katy Hall

Maddy summaryHB 566 requires Utah's Medicaid program to increase transparency by mandating the Division of Integrated Healthcare to maintain a public dashboard of Medicaid data and publish reports online. It directly affects Medicaid providers, contractors, and risk contractors, requiring them to identify, report, and repay improper payments (such as duplicate or incorrect claims) and develop corrective action plans. The bill also mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to publish these reports and corrective plans on its website. These provisions aim to improve accountability and data accessibility without appropriating new funds.

Maddy summaryHB 380 requires Utah hospitals to establish systems for tracking and reporting workplace violence incidents involving staff. Hospitals must record details like incident timing, victim job roles, perpetrator type (patient, visitor, or employee), and responses; prohibit retaliation against reporters; and submit quarterly data to medical/nursing leadership by November 2026. They must also maintain records for two years and provide annual reports to the state department. The bill also delays repealing enhanced criminal penalties for violence against health facility employees until 2032.

Maddy summarySB 111 prohibits most non-compete agreements between veterinarians and their employers in Utah after May 6, 2026, making such agreements unenforceable. It allows exceptions if a veterinarian owns at least 5% of the business. The bill also voids clauses requiring disputes over these agreements to be resolved outside Utah and invalidates certain nonsolicitation or nondisclosure clauses for veterinarians. This directly affects veterinarians and businesses employing them by limiting restrictive employment contracts. The law takes effect on May 6, 2026, with no funding impact.

Maddy summarySB 50 requires health insurance plans in Utah to cover medically necessary anesthesia services regardless of procedure duration, directly affecting patients needing anesthesia and insurers offering health coverage. It prohibits insurers from denying payment for anesthesia solely based on exceeding preset time limits, ensuring coverage isn't withheld for extended care. The law applies to health benefit plans renewed or entered after January 1, 2027, and is codified under Utah Code Section 31A-22-663. This bill takes effect on May 6, 2026, with no new state funding required.

Maddy summarySJR 6 amends Utah's court rules to change how medical malpractice trials are handled. Specifically, it adds a provision requiring that in medical malpractice cases against healthcare providers, juries cannot consider a patient's past medical expenses or equipment costs until after the court has first determined the provider's liability and resolved any non-economic damages claims. This change aims to prevent juries from being unfairly influenced by financial details before liability is established. The bill is procedural, making technical updates to Rule 42 of Utah's Civil Procedure Rules with no new funding or direct impact on specific individuals beyond standard court proceedings.

Maddy summarySB 75 defines eligibility for annual educator salary adjustments by requiring a license from the Division of Professional Licensing and a position as a social worker or registered nurse in an educational setting. The bill mandates that the Legislature annually appropriate funds for these adjustments, though actual funding remains subject to budget constraints. It directly affects licensed social workers and registered nurses employed in educational roles by establishing their eligibility for potential salary increases. The bill does not guarantee specific raises but creates a framework for future budget allocations to address retention and recruitment. (Note: This bill is procedural in nature, defining eligibility criteria rather than implementing new policy.)

Maddy summaryHB 56 allows vehicle owners to cancel registration for eligible vehicles (under 14,000 pounds gross weight) and receive refunds for registration fees and related taxes on a pro-rata monthly basis for the remaining registration period. It specifically excludes motorcycles, heavy vehicles (14,001+ lbs), off-highway vehicles, ATVs, recreational vehicles, and vintage vehicles from refunds. Owners who cancel registration but continue operating the vehicle face an additional $100 penalty. The bill modifies Utah’s vehicle registration code to implement these refund rules and clarify cancellation requirements. It does not appropriate new funds and affects owners of standard passenger vehicles who choose to deregister.

Maddy summarySB 274 requires Utah health insurers to report detailed preauthorization data - including approval and denial rates for both non-urgent and urgent services - to the Department of Insurance, while also mandating that insurers share this information directly with patients and healthcare providers. The bill establishes a 30-day notice requirement for insurers before changing a drug formulary for patients on active treatment and prohibits revoking preauthorization without valid reasons, such as a patient’s unchanged medical condition. These provisions apply to all health insurers operating in Utah and directly affect patients, healthcare providers, and the Department of Insurance by increasing transparency and streamlining coverage decisions.

Maddy summaryHB 497 strengthens oversight of Utah's public education system by expanding the State Board of Education's authority to address compliance and transparency. It requires school districts and charter schools to provide necessary data for state reporting, mandates the board to use existing frameworks for handling noncompliance reports, and creates a system for timely complaint resolution with the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission. The bill also requires the board to publish meeting information online and makes technical updates to existing education codes (53E-3-401, 53G-4-402, etc.). These changes directly affect school districts, charter schools, and the State Board of Education, focusing on administrative processes without new funding or penalties.

Maddy summaryHB 503 modifies Utah's medical malpractice laws to protect healthcare providers' personal assets and clarify damage calculations. It prohibits lawsuits from targeting a provider's personal income or assets unless they acted willfully/maliciously or lacked $1 million in insurance coverage. Courts must base economic damages on actual payments for medical care (not just bills) and cannot consider past medical expenses before liability is established. The bill also removes affidavit-of-merit requirements, makes pre-litigation review panels' recommendations advisory, and updates caps on noneconomic damages. These changes directly affect patients filing malpractice claims and healthcare providers defending such cases.