Sen. Jen Plumb

Maddy summarySB 98 creates a voluntary certification program for employers to become "recovery ready workplaces," administered by Utah's Department of Health and Human Services. Employers seeking certification must implement specific practices, including preventing workplace factors that contribute to substance use disorders, reducing stigma, providing employee education, making naloxone (an opiate antagonist) available, and supporting employees accessing treatment. The bill authorizes the department to establish application criteria and an application process, with potential funding from the Electronic Cigarette Substance and Nicotine Product Proceeds Restricted Account. This program directly affects employers who choose to participate, aiming to improve workplace support for employees with substance use disorders.

Maddy summaryHB 87, titled "Animal Crime Victim Amendments," modifies Utah's legal process for animals held due to abuse or criminal involvement. The bill creates a court review process during ongoing criminal cases to allow temporary release or transfer of such animals, requires notice to owners before custody changes, and permits courts to order owners to pay shelter costs or complete animal cruelty prevention programs. It also establishes clear procedures for court hearings on animal ownership, including allowing owners to present their case, and sets guidelines for placing animals if ownership is transferred. This directly affects animals in shelters linked to crimes, their owners, law enforcement officers, and courts handling these cases.

Maddy summarySB 127 requires all Utah hospital emergency departments to implement specific pediatric care standards. It mandates policies for pediatric triage, dosing, equipment use, and annual staff training with clinical simulations. Each ER must appoint a pediatric care coordinator (a licensed physician, PA, or nurse) and conduct annual readiness assessments using the National Pediatric Readiness Project framework, reporting results to the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. The bureau will collect data and establish minimum safety rules for pediatric care in ERs, with $278,000 reallocated from existing state funds for implementation. The bill directly affects all general acute hospital emergency departments across Utah.

Maddy summarySB 128 creates Utah's Purple Alert Notification System, administered by the Department of Public Safety, to help locate missing vulnerable adults (ages 18-60 with physical or mental impairments affecting daily life) and vulnerable minors (under 18 with impairments). The system activates when law enforcement confirms a missing person meets these criteria and Amber Alert requirements aren't met, using similar public notification methods as Amber Alerts but without triggering emergency broadcasts or disclosing medical diagnoses. It specifically excludes individuals with dementia from the "vulnerable adult" definition. The system will be implemented starting January 1, 2027, with rules to govern alert requests, activation, duration, and cancellation.

Maddy summarySB 210 amends Utah's regulations for nicotine products, primarily affecting retailers selling tobacco, nicotine, and electronic cigarette products. The bill repeals local health department inspections of e-cigarette retailers, modifies fees collected by the State Tax Commission on these products, and directs fee revenue toward disposing of confiscated products and enforcement. It also changes fines for selling unregistered products and updates criminal penalties related to nicotine products. These changes take effect between 2026 and 2030, with no new state funding allocated.

Maddy summarySB 81 requires Utah school districts and charter schools to provide targeted reading interventions when a qualifying dyslexia assessment - administered by a licensed professional within their scope of practice - indicates a student lacks reading competency, shows dyslexia characteristics, or is falling behind in reading skills. The bill defines "qualifying dyslexia assessment" and updates licensing rules for mental health therapists and psychologists to explicitly include dyslexia evaluation and treatment under approved diagnostic standards. Schools must then conduct diagnostic assessments, offer individualized tutoring, monitor progress, and inform parents about support options. This applies to students in grades 1-6, with no new funding required.

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 170 requires healthcare providers and unlicensed midwives to administer vitamin K to newborn infants within 24 hours of birth. Parents may decline this administration by signing a form acknowledging the risks of not receiving vitamin K, which must be included in the infant's medical record. The bill defines key terms like "health care provider" and "unlicensed direct-entry midwife" and applies to all newborns in Utah. This directly affects newborns, their caregivers, and healthcare providers during delivery.

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 142 regulates private probation and court-ordered service providers. It requires these providers to share certain defendant information with county sheriffs (while complying with HIPAA privacy rules), prohibits them from soliciting clients on court property, and mandates that providers conduct risk screenings and refer defendants needing specific assessments or treatment services. The bill directly affects private probation companies, county sheriffs overseeing compliance, and defendants under court supervision. Key mechanisms include standardized risk assessments, mandated referrals for specialized services, and strict privacy protections for defendant data.