Maddy summaryHB 111, titled "Wildlife Amendments," updates Utah's wildlife management laws to affect hunters, anglers, and landowners. Key changes include expanding who can verify illness/injury for license refunds (adding physician assistants and nurse practitioners), requiring published notice and governor approval for wildlife division land acquisitions, and limiting penalties for failing to report hunt data to $25. The bill also mandates that wildlife officials contact federal authorities to remove grizzly bears found in areas where they are federally protected, and it updates definitions for wolf and grizzly bear management. These changes primarily refine administrative procedures and clarify responsibilities under Utah's Wildlife Resources Act without appropriating new funds.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySB 91 creates a new "Vehicle Registration Services Expendable Special Revenue Fund" to support county governments that handle vehicle registration services for Utah's Motor Vehicle Division. It directs existing registration fees to fund two main programs: (1) a one-time $500,000 payment to the county with the highest vehicle registrations in 2024, and (2) annual payments to smaller counties (third through sixth class) based on vehicle registrations ($3-$5 per vehicle). Funding begins in fiscal year 2027, with distributions requiring the fund to accumulate $500,000 and secure office space for the initial payment. The bill amends fee disbursement rules in Utah law but does not appropriate new state funds.
Maddy summaryHB 343 amends Utah's Medicaid certification rules for nursing care facilities, primarily affecting facilities seeking to renew or transfer certification when relocating or renovating. The key change allows facilities with a previously approved two-year extension for relocation to request a longer four-year extension under specific circumstances, such as emergencies or documented need. It also clarifies requirements for maintaining certification during facility transitions, including written assurances to avoid disputes over facility ownership. The bill makes technical updates to existing code but does not appropriate new funds or change bed capacity rules without director approval. This streamlines certification continuity for facilities relocating within counties or within five miles of their original site.
Maddy summaryHB 272 strengthens oversight of how counties spend tourism-related taxes (like transient room taxes and tourism facility taxes). It requires counties to submit detailed annual reports on tourism tax spending to the state auditor and legislative fiscal analysts, who must jointly review if funds comply with state rules. If reports are inadequate, the state auditor can block counties from accessing tourism revenue until compliance is proven. This directly affects counties collecting these taxes, ensuring they account for spending on tourism promotion, emergency services, and infrastructure tied to tourism.
Maddy summaryHB 97, titled "Medical Waste Amendments" (though it addresses medication distribution, not waste), requires health facilities like hospitals, urgent care centers, and surgical facilities to offer unused portions of specific medications to patients upon discharge if continued treatment is needed. The bill covers topical antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, dilation drops, or glaucoma treatments provided during procedures or visits. It mandates that these medications be labeled per pharmacy laws and requires prescribers to counsel patients on proper use, while exempting them from standard pharmacy counseling rules. This applies directly to patients receiving facility-provided medications during care, effective May 6, 2026.
Maddy summaryHB 501 requires secondary water suppliers (like cities or water districts providing non-culinary irrigation water) to install meters for all new commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential connections by specific deadlines (2020 for some counties, 2022 for others) and achieve full metering for all users by January 1, 2030. It mandates annual reporting to the Division of Water Resources on metered usage, service boundaries, and water sources, and restricts rate increases related to metering to 10% per year without justification. The bill also defines key terms like "secondary water" and "commercial user" to clarify coverage, and includes requirements for suppliers to develop and submit metering implementation plans by 2025. This affects water suppliers across Utah, particularly those serving non-agricultural or non-residential irrigation needs.
Maddy summarySB 146 modifies Utah's rules for reusing industrial byproducts like construction debris, ash, or mineral residues. It allows any project (not just public projects) to use an approved byproduct if the Waste Management Division director approves its reuse application. The bill exempts approved byproducts from requiring health risk assessments, ecological studies, or environmental covenants. It repeals an older restriction that limited reuse to public projects and updates definitions for clarity. This change affects businesses and contractors seeking to reuse industrial waste materials in construction or infrastructure projects.
Maddy summarySB 312 recognizes pharmacists as healthcare providers for specific consultations under insurance plans, such as dispensing insulin refills, prescribing nebulizers or diabetic supplies, and providing drug-related advice. It requires insurers to cover these pharmacist services if the plan already covers the related drug or device, effective January 1, 2026. The bill directly affects pharmacists offering these services and insurers managing health benefit plans. It also updates definitions for pharmacy operations and modifies record audit requirements, but contains no new funding.
Maddy summaryHB 456 amends Utah's transient room tax system, primarily affecting counties and municipalities that collect taxes on short-term rentals (hotels, motels, vacation homes). It creates the Outdoor Recreation Mitigation Grant Program, directing funds toward projects that address tourism-related impacts like road repairs, waste disposal, and emergency services. The bill modifies tax rates for different county classifications, adds a new state tax on short-term rentals in first-class counties, and expands allowable uses of tax revenue for tourism promotion and recreation infrastructure. These changes aim to better fund local tourism management and mitigate community impacts from visitor activity.
Maddy summarySB 261 requires counties collecting transient room taxes (e.g., hotel taxes) or tourism/cultural facility taxes to submit detailed annual reports on how they spend these revenues. The Legislative Fiscal Analyst must review these reports to verify compliance with spending rules, and the state auditor can withhold tax funds from non-compliant counties until they fix reporting issues. This directly affects counties that impose these specific taxes, which fund tourism promotion, convention facilities, and related infrastructure. The bill clarifies enforcement procedures without creating new taxes or funding streams.