H.B. 313 Landscaper Certification Amendments

What this bill does

H.B. 313 would require landscape contractors to take two of their six required continuing education hours every two years on water conservation and fire safety landscaping. It would also have the state define landscape work and add the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association to the list of groups that can provide that continuing education.

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Every vote

• 10 yes, 0 no, 6 absentHouse Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee: vote, which it did not pass · Feb 4, 2026Who voted how
• 10 yes, 0 no, 6 absentHouse Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee: vote to change the bill · Feb 12, 2026Who voted how
• 10 yes, 0 no, 6 absentHouse Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee: Amendment Recommendation · Feb 12, 2026Who voted how
• 10 yes, 0 no, 6 absentHouse Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 12, 2026Who voted how
• 54 yes, 17 no, 4 absentFinal House vote · Feb 20, 2026Who voted how
• 5 yes, 0 no, 3 absentSenate Business and Labor Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 25, 2026Who voted how
• 15 yes, 13 no, 1 absentFinal Senate vote · Mar 6, 2026Who voted how

Hearings and debates

• Feb 4, 2026 House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (83 turns)

  1. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:01:57

     Okay, We'll move to agenda item number six. Uh, representative Arthur, we're in house. Oh, house bill 3 1 3. Uh, landscaper certification amendments. So, uh, Can, yeah, can you gimme the mic?

  2. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:02:15

     Alright. Uh, chairman, Uh, thank you Mr. Vice Chair. I'd just like to point out that this is representative, our author's first committee presentation. Is that correct? This is indeed. Okay. So this is the major committee involved here, Or Not? This is the major committee of the legislature, business, labor and commerce. So you're, we're gonna make sure you get a really hard time, so, oh my Goodness. Go ahead. Uh, I, I might just step back out into the audience if that's okay.

  3. Rep. John Arthur1:02:48

     No, thank you Chair. And thank you Mr. Vice Chair for welcoming me up. Uh, I will say that I'm speaking to the, to the amendment, uh, to the bill amendment once. I'll be referencing both. Um, and you have a flyer there at your desks. Teachers love Canva. So I had a lot of fun preparing this for you. And I'm, I'm, I had a lot of fun because I'm actually very excited about this bill. It's simple. Um, but I think it does a lot of good. I, uh, I was brought this, this ask from my predecessor, Galen Bean, and I was honored to pick up this baton here in here in Utah. We are trying to, to navigate the, the, the crisis that we face around both water and fire and as just everyday citizens. We're looking for the smartest and, and best ways of making sure that we're doing our part. And a lot of folks are looking at how they can landscape their own homes and, and, and our properties to make sure that we're doing our, our best to be conserving water and also being safe when it comes to fire. And this bill is making sure that the people that we are relying on for that help landscape contractors are equipped with the, the skills that they need in order to help us out with that. So, how this works is currently, uh, doppel will require landscape contractors to do six hours of continuing ed education every two years, right? It's a two year cycle. What this bill will do is a few things. Number one, the most important thing that it does is it requires within those six hours that that landscape contractors receive two hours of continuing education related to, um, principles of, uh, water conservation as well as fire safety, right? Waterwise and Firewise Landscaping. Um, it makes a couple of other changes. There is, um, within the amendment, the requirement, the division of pro professional licensing, uh, define landscape work because there are actually, um, two different licenses that qualify for, for landscaping like this. There's the, the general contractor license, but not all general contractors do landscaping. And then there's also the specific license for, um, uh, landscape contractors. So this, this defines landscape work, making sure that landscape architects and other professions are not captured by this. So there, there is a clear delineation there. It also expands the list of associations who may provide continuing education for contractor licensees, uh, to include the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association. Um, I, I, I tell you, becoming representative, the best part of the job is same as being a teacher, just letters from, from people who care from parents and such. In this case, there were a lot of folks who reached out from this association. There's a list of associations that are already in statute that are in the bill. This just would add this Utah Nursery and Landscape Association to that list. Um, they're the state's oldest and largest green industry trade organization. They already provide, um, some certification and, uh, continuing education around this topic. And, um, last but not least, it makes those changes to the, to the education around the two year renewal cycle. So that's not,

  4. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:05:58

     Alright. That conclude your presentation? It does. Okay. Thank you. Um, we'll take you to the committee for any clarifying questions. Representative Thurston. Oh,

  5. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:06:08

     Thank you, Mr. Chair. So I just wanna make sure I understand all of the purposes of the bill. So please, uh, lines 76 through 78, uh, require the division to define landscape work and identify the types of licensees that may engage in landscape work. So, um, just, just maybe could you just briefly comment on why that, why we need the division to define landscape work and those licenses?

  6. Rep. John Arthur1:06:32

     Absolutely. So, um, as I was saying, there, there are two licenses that could fall within this space, right? A general contractor, uh, someone who's licensed in that could do landscape work, but not all general contractors do landscape work. So in order to make sure that not all general contractors are required to do this type of continuing education, the, the Department of Professional Licensing is gonna delineate that to make sure that only those general contractors who are doing landscape work do the continuing education related to that work.

  7. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:07:02

     So really the only reason for that definition is so that you can regulate those people a little bit more.

  8. Rep. John Arthur1:07:10

     Well, it's actually to make sure that they're not regulated in a way that is inappropriate. It's to give doppel the, the flexibility to, to recognize which general contractors should be falling within this bucket and those who should not.

  9. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:07:24

     Okay, thank you. I just a couple of follow ups if I may. So, uh, at the, at the top of the bill in subsection one, all of these folks are required to have six hours of continual education that is approved by Doppel during a two year renewal period. And so you're proposing that for anybody who's doing landscape, that we increase that to nine. Is that, am I understanding that correctly in The, in the amendment?

  10. Rep. John Arthur1:07:46

      So that's a great question and I'm so glad that you raised it in the original bill. It would've added additional training hours on top of the six hours that, that they already have to complete. After talking to stakeholders and all the amazing people who reached out, it became clear that what really needed to happen is this needed to become incorporated into the six hours they already have to complete. This is not adding any more time or, or requirement on top of what they're already required to do. It's just within the six hours that a, a landscape contractor is already required to complete within a two year period. Two of those hours need to be dedicated to this, the, the principles of water conservation as well as, uh, fire safety.

  11. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:08:25

      So, just to make sure I understand then, so with the amendment, a general contractor would be required to spend 33% of their continuing education specifically in this two areas over and above anything else that they may, well, not over and above in addition to four hours in the rest of their profession. Is that right?

  12. Rep. John Arthur1:08:43

      If if within their work they are, they are doing landscape contracting, um, this would become a focus just as it is for, for so many throughout the state. As, as we are adjusting to the changing landscape of Utah, we need to make sure that the folks who are doing that work are appropriately educated in all the, the most recent, um, innovations as well as knowledge that we've acquired. I'll, I'll just say this also, uh, in response, my, my, my wife and I right now are looking into tearing out all of our grass and, and, and just completely redoing both our front and back lawn. And I wanna make sure that the person who does that work, if I go with a general contract or somebody who's specifically certified in landscape contracting, has the, the appropriate knowledge to make sure I don't put added fuel load in my yard, uh, that could become hazardous, should Ophir breakout. And also, uh, is, is appropriately conserving water doing my part within the community.

  13. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:09:42

      Alright. Thank you Mr. Chair.

  14. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:09:44

      Thank you, Representative Gwynn.

  15. Rep. Hoang Nguyen1:09:46

      Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. To be clear, so with the new requirement of, um, making sure landscapers have this additional training, the water wise and fire safety mm-hmm. Have you spoken with the stakeholders who provide the continuing education for landscapers?

  16. Rep. John Arthur1:10:05

      Indeed, I have. Yeah. And some of them were involved in the genesis of the idea of this bill. And one of the things that I found interesting, there's already water wise, um, some continuing education provided in that area. But what they're looking to do is, you know, you're talking about not just these associations, but also partners at institutions like USU, bringing in, uh, you know, data that is immediate and, and specific to the different landscapes that are being addressed and developing, uh, uh, a higher level of continuing education for the folks that are working in this area. Because as, as we are seeing, last year, we had 702 human caused fires and 150,000 of acres burned, uh, from human caused fires. We all need to be recognizing that we're in a situation where, where we need to be thoughtful about everything that we do, and we wanna make sure that our professionals are equipped with the knowledge to do that.

  17. Rep. Hoang Nguyen1:11:00

      So I serve on the Natural Resources Appropriations Committee and the Water Commission, and I really do appreciate legislation like this where we're not being overly burdensome and adding more hours Yeah. Of continuing ed to people who are already doing this work and are really efficient in it. I do like that we are now evolving it as I'm, as I'm listening to these committees about what's happening in our climate and fires, how they're caused. I really do appreciate that we're, we're taking a really thoughtful approach here with this legislation to just make sure we are, make, making sure these landscapers who are providing these services are evolving themselves to what the climate, what's happening in their climate. So thank you for bringing this bill forward.

  18. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:11:45

      Thank Representative Gwynn, uh, Representative Sawyer. Representative Sawyer.

  19. Rep. Jake Sawyer1:11:54

      Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Um, question for you, does this, um, CE education, does that pertain to the employees doing the work themselves as well? Or just the gc

  20. Rep. John Arthur1:12:06

      Whoever is required to be certified, that's, that's the person, whoever has to go to DOPPEL and continue within this two year recertification process. That's who it is. And oftentimes, I, I do believe it is employees as well. Same way that as a, as someone who handled food, I would, uh, have to get a food handler's permit renewed every two years. But, um, it's, it's whoever doppel requires to be certified in this work.

  21. Rep. Jake Sawyer1:12:32

      Okay. Is it your, is it your plan to add in the other employees as well later, or try and put them in as into this later? I'm,

  22. Rep. John Arthur1:12:38

      I'm adhering to, to what the division of Professional licensing, um, believes is necessary when it comes to certification. Again, I don't wanna add anything on top. What I'm looking to do is just within the continuing education that is already required for certain employees that this be part of that education.

  23. Rep. Jake Sawyer1:12:54

      Do you feel like this, uh, potentially could add any barriers of entry into the workforce for people?

  24. Rep. John Arthur1:12:59

      Not at all. This has, this has, uh, nothing to do with who is able to do this work. This is just about building their capacity as they do the work.

  25. Rep. Jake Sawyer1:13:08

      Great. Thank you so much. Thank you.

  26. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:13:11

      Thank you, Representative Peterson.

  27. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:13:16

      Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, so I just was going over the amendment. I had some concerns with the bill, but as I look at the amendment, um, most of the landscape contractors I know are also licensed as general contractors mm-hmm. And kind of dabble in both worlds. Uh, if I remember right, and maybe the division can give me a nod or, uh, no, if I'm wrong, but, uh, I believe that currently our contractor licens licensing requires three hours of, um, professional training and then three hours of development, training code, code training type things.

  28. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:14:01speaker not certain

      We'll get in public comment. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe we will have them answer that.

  29. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:14:05

      But I guess my concern is, um, with this two hours of training that's required, take the place of, I mean, 'cause mo a lot of these individuals are building homes mm-hmm. And, and we require six hours of continuing training every two years. Yep. It seems to me like there are a lot of other life safety issues above and beyond landscape that I would be nervous that we're taking the place of if we pass this bill. And that's kind of my concern.

  30. Rep. John Arthur1:14:39

      Yeah. Uh, and actually, yeah, it, it'd be okay if Mark wants to come up, if that would be helpful.

  31. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:14:57

      Um, mark Steinle, uh, director of the division of Professional Licensing. Um, I'm sorry, Mr. Chair, what was the question again? Uh,

  32. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:15:04

      May I Yes, go ahead.

  33. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:15:05

      Thank you. Uh, my question is, is right now we, we require six years or six hours of, of training professional development for every two years for people that are involved in some of the most, some, some very technical aspects of construction. And my concern with this bill, if, if we require two hours, essentially a third of the training that they are required to get to be focused on landscape, um, will that displace any training that we could potentially be doing on actual, um, well, I I shouldn't say actual on, on life safety issues. Uh, code code training, would, would it displace that training?

  34. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:15:53

      Right now, the statute requires three core and three professional hours. The core are, um, typically code, like you said, state law, uh, kind of the, the mandated items that people are required to follow. Professional is typically, um, education that, uh, helping running their business more effectively in a way to, to serve the public better. Things like that. Finance. Um, so yeah, finance, business practices, stuff like that. I think a lot of contractors, because it's so few hours every two years, a lot of contractors just take a six hour course that's offered by one of the associations, um, and just get it all done at once. And so it may be all core in some instances, but it's a personal decision, of course, how they complete their hours.

  35. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:16:43

      So, so I guess any way you slice it, there's trade offs in which education you choose to prioritize. So thank

  36. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:16:51

      You. Thank you. Uh, chairman Maloy here.

  37. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:16:55

      Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Um, mark, thank you for coming up. Don't leave. I know you love to be called up to the stand. It happens more often than not. Um, my question is, um, you have a lot representative, you have a list of bullet points here, understanding water scarcity in Utah, selecting drought tolerant plants, efficient irrigation design, and so on. My, my question, I guess is related to the even the need for regulation. So Mark, I would love you to talk about why you think we even need regulations for landscapers. And I think it go, it feathers into what, uh, Representative Peterson was talking about. I think what he was alluding to is it's a, it could be a little bit distracting to these general contractors who have many other things that they need to stay up to speed on. And, uh, frankly, you know, I would assume that landscapers know all of these things and are looking to do the most efficient landscaping for their customers or clients and so on. So I'm, I'm kind of wondering if we even need regulation, let alone these ongoing stuff. So I would love your thoughts on that. Both of you.

  38. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:18:12

      Representative director, No, by all means. Right, right now, the, um, statute requires it, and of course, LER has not gotten to the review yet of the construction trades. Um, it's,

  39. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:18:26

      Is this where that would fall in in ler?

  40. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:18:28

      Yeah, LER will definitely within 10, within the 10 year cycle per the statute, LER has to review all of the, um, professional licenses both within, within DOPPEL and within other agencies. Um, the, IT of course has been focusing on healthcare issues. And so I don't know exactly when they'll get to it, but that will be one of the core questions of is it necessary? How much of contractor licensing is necessary and that sort of thing. So I don't have a great answer for you right now. I can tell you that most of our complaints are related to, um, most of our complaints where we have jurisdiction are related to job abandonment and things related to that. Not just, I'm not just talking about landscaping, I'm talking about contracting generally. So,

  41. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:19:17

      Well, and I, and his bill is focusing on landscaping. So that's kind of where I wanted to focus. Okay. But I, I, I just wanted to make that distinction that that's what I, it kind of felt like is, uh, the, the landscaping part of their ongoing training for contractors would be kind of a little bit of a distraction from all the other important things that they really, not that landscaping is not important, but I I, as it relates to landscaping, I'm wondering why we even need a license. It seems like these guys are gonna be entering into that profession 'cause they know it, they love it. Um, they can make recommendations to, to their clients on what the most drought resistant plants are and so on. And so, uh, that's, that's kind of where my curiosity

  42. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:20:05

      Is. So your question is why we even need regulation of landscape contractors? Yes. I think that's a valid question that the legislature created LER for and we're gonna get to it representative,

  43. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:20:17speaker not certain

      Or maybe we just want to get rid of it. So That is an option. Option. Okay. So, uh,

  44. Rep. John Arthur1:20:24

      If I could speak to the point that you're saying there Yeah. Ahead. Um, first of all, this is a fascinating conversation to just get to sit next to and, and enjoy. We've been doing this for a while, so I Can tell, uh, I can tell. And for me, coming into this, there, there is this requirement in statute, and at the same time, simultaneously we have a state priority that is focused on conserving water and protecting our homes from fire. And if there's a way that we can bring those two things into alignment, right? The requirement for six hours of training, as well as, uh, a focus on how we can use that training to better protect our homes and our spaces from, from overuse of water, as well as, uh, fire risk, then that's a place where we can make some progress, right? If they already have to do these six hours anyways, then why not use it to, to make sure that our landscape contractors, our certified landscapers, are equipped with the knowledge and the, the awareness to, to make sure that that individual citizens as we go about trying to adapt our homes to the changing landscape, do so in a, in a thoughtful and intentional way.

  45. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:21:35

      Yeah. Thank you. So I guess one final question. Um, do you think, uh, landscapers don't know how to do that now? I mean, I think there's, it seems like to me they would be experts in the, in all of those already.

  46. Rep. John Arthur1:21:49

      There's, there's, um, many, there have been many folks who have reached out to me about somebody who put in a, uh, a bush that added to the fuel load too close to their home, and they ended up in violation of some sort of a ordinance. We, I've, I've learned a lot about defensible space around homes, and there are some folks out there who don't have enough professional knowledge, uh, to, to make the, the best recommendations to homeowners and also the best decisions. I, I would love to believe that every landscape, uh, certified landscape, um, I, I'm messing up the name certified landscaper, landscape certified folk, um, are, are fully equipped with all of this knowledge, but the landscape is changing.

  47. Rep. A. Cory Maloy1:22:34

      Great. And we gotta make sure that it changes with it. Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair.

  48. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:22:37

      Thank you. Representative Ballard.

  49. Rep. Melissa G. Ballard1:22:39

      Yes. I do have some questions for, for Mark, just to clarify. Um, just 'cause I'm, I'm pretty straightforward about things. So my question, uh, just a couple of series of questions right now. Is there any licensure required for landscape work? Yes. Um, is it defined, uh, for, or what, what is the, just give us a general requirement for that licensure. What do they need to do and do they have any continuing education right now?

  50. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:23:09

      Yeah, there's two types of licenses related to, well, two types of, um, license industries. There's landscape architecture, which is kind of the more highly trained stuff. It's near to architecture, then construction work, that's like designing the large commercial industrial landscapes. You know, kind of the more advanced stuff. That's not the typical, the typical license we're talking about is on this six hours of continuing education is not that. It's the landscape contractor. We have, we license contractors. I think we have nearly 40,000 contractors. The most common contracting licenses are the general contractor licenses, which can do most everything. And then we have a number of specialty contractor licenses. So generals can do landscaping. And then also, um, we have a specialty license for, that's called a landscape contractor license. And either one of those has the six hours of continuing education. There's a 25 or 30 hour pre-licensure course. We check financial responsibility. Uh, they have to have in, uh, liability insurance. All contractors have to maintain liability insurance. So those are kind of the, and then the six hours of, of, uh, ce, those are kind of the basic requirements of contractor licensing.

  51. Rep. Melissa G. Ballard1:24:26

      So, uh, my, my last question is, so as I'm looking at the continuing education list, I don't see anything specifically that has to do with outdoor work. Mm-hmm. So, but is that something you could put in rural as an option for continuing education? Um, and do these licensees, uh, are, do they ha how often do they have to renew and, and do the continuing education just in general?

  52. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:24:49

      Every two years. So three hours per year. Um, basically, um, the, uh, the groups that can offer, we cannot change that in rule. They're named in statute in the amendment before you, you can see that. So the legislature has chosen to list the providers in statute. So we cannot modify that list in rule.

  53. Rep. Melissa G. Ballard1:25:11

      Okay. Thank you. Mm-hmm.

  54. Mark Steinagel, Director, Division of Professional Licensing1:25:13speaker not certain

      Yeah. If I could, the specific license you're looking for is the S3 30? Mm-hmm.

  55. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:25:19

      Okay. Thank you. We'll, uh, take this to public comment. Is anybody here that would like to speak to this bill? Is there anybody online? It looks like we have an Eric Marble online. Eric, will you go ahead and turn on your, your camera. Tell us where you're you're coming from and if you represent anybody.

  56. Eric Marble, Utah Nursery and Landscape Association1:25:50

      I apologize. Did you say Eric Marble?

  57. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:25:52

      We did Eric Marble. Awesome. You're up.

  58. Eric Marble, Utah Nursery and Landscape Association1:25:55

      So my name's Eric Marble and I am representing Chain Share Farms and then also the Utah Nursery Landscape Association. Speaking on behalf of them, first of all, thank you Representative Arthur for adding them to Section two B. The Utah Nursery Landscape Association has definitely been a major source of, uh, education for landscapers for the last 20 years. Um, when this bill was originally brought before the Water Task Force, the focus was on defensible space and, uh, making sure that homeowners who build in Ophir risk area become more aware of defensible space, which would hopefully in turn produce lower premiums for homeowners insurance in those areas. Um, if that's the focus of this building, we would encourage, uh, the water conservation piece to be dropped off. Um, excuse me, let me go back a little bit. Farms would encourage that, um, Utah Nursery and Landscape Association would also, uh, encourage that if this bill passes that under section three, that dopple works with professional organizations such as the Utah Nursery Landscape Association and also, uh, the American Society of Landscape Architects Utah Chapter, to create that definition so that we don't spill into, um, other licenses that would not, uh, benefit from this type of education. And that's all. Thank you.

  59. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:27:19

      Thank you, Eric. We appreciate your comments. Alright, we'll, we'll take this to, uh oh. Looks like we have one more that came in. All right. He's very sneaky.

  60. Gavin Gilbert, Associated General Contractors of Utah1:27:29

      Mr. Chair, thank you for allowing me to sneak in Gavin Gilbert on behalf of the Associated General Contractors of Utah. Um, again, appreciate this bill coming forward. We, we, you know, we share the concern about, um, being water wise and, and smart landscaping. We again have some general concerns about the balance that this truck's considering all the things that you have to consider in your pre-licensure involving life and safety, health hazards, hazards to the community. We just wanna make sure that that balance gets right and we'd be happy to work with the bill sponsor on, on that piece.

  61. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:27:59

      Okay. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Is there anybody else that wants to sneak in? Okay. We're going, uh, we'll take this to the committee then, uh, for, for action. Representative Thurston.

  62. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:28:19

      Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move the adoption of Amendment two in my name.

  63. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:28:23

      Okay. Would you like to speak to that?

  64. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:28:25

      I would, and I would like to also have the sponsor have a second to pull that up so he can see what I'm proposing here, but I'll describe it briefly. So, I don't like the idea that we are prescribing what people have to do. We don't prescribe that for anybody else. None of the general contractors, none of everybody else is prescribed in statute what they have to do. We presume that they are professionals, that they're capable of knowing what's relevant for their job, and they seek that, that training and that continuing education. But I am compelled by the argument that there's something missing from the list. That if you are in a landscape business, that you should be able to go to Utah Nursery Landscape Association, and you should be able to learn about waterwise. You should be able to learn about Urban Wild Land Interface and all that other stuff, WWE and UI and all those other fun acronyms. So I, what Amendment two does is essentially allows UNLA to be on the list of approved providers, but then removes the prescriptive requirements that tells people you have to take this specific type of training and would allow, I suppose Doppel can make rules beyond this if they needed to, but, but at least it kind of gets us to that point. So I would appreciate your support for amendment too.

  65. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:29:34

      Okay. Thank you. Uh, uh, to the sponsor?

  66. Rep. John Arthur1:29:38

      Yes. I, I would, this, I would not consider a friendly amendment because with the, the striking of the things that we in this bill want to make sure that our contractors are equipped with, um, there are certain things that we want to make sure that our licensed professionals in the state of Utah show up on the job equipped with. So when I was a, like I said, a waiter in a restaurant and I had to do my continuing education, I couldn't just pick any topics. I had to pick the ones that were listed out as core or as professional, that would, would equip me to make sure that I not only did my job well, but I did it safely. And I made sure that I was not putting anybody, not giving any sort of incorrect information to the customers who were trusting me with their safety. That is, that is a, a function of, of doppel as well as I believe this body. I think that it is, especially given the environment in which we are operating right now, uh, good policy to, to make clear as, as they do in, in the rules as well as the statutes, what it is that we need our professionals to know and what we need them to continue to, to, to re-up on as knowledge and information change, uh, to make sure that they are equipped when they show up on the job, to give, uh, the, the right information to, to citizens who are looking to, uh, change the landscapes of their homes.

  67. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:31:12

      Okay. Thank you Representative Peterson.

  68. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:31:17

      Thank you. I'm, how much as it pains me to do, I wanna speak against the motion. Uh, I love the good representative from the south of me, figuratively ends. Yeah. Um, I feel like as we open up this list, where do we stop? Right. Um, and so, um, I I, I feel like I'm, I wanna speak against the motion, but I'm also gonna speak against the underlying motion too, and I'll do that when we get there, but

  69. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:31:48

      I, I, I think we only have one motion.

  70. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:31:50speaker not certain

      Well, yeah, that's true right now. Yeah. Yeah. So I, I'm against this motion. You're against everything.

  71. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:31:57

      Alright. Thank you. Uh, Representative Ballard.

  72. Rep. Melissa G. Ballard1:32:01

      Yes. I actually really like this motion because as I look at the list of, uh, those that are able to provide the continuing education, everything's indoors, um, primarily, I mean, there's, there's plumbing and other things that can, that are outdoors, but as far as landscaping, I think this is a great, um, change, but also allows, uh, doppel to expand the lift in the future. And so, if I was one of these individuals that gives me the choice to look at my expertise, look what I'm interested in, look what I haven't looked at for a while, so I actually really like this amendment. I think it's, it's, it helps to accomplish what, what you're after.

  73. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:32:40

      Okay. Thank you, representative. Uh, we'll go to the, uh, the sponsor again. Yeah. Would you, like, do you have anything to say,

  74. Rep. John Arthur1:32:52

      Having, having heard them talk about, like the representative to the south? Uh, speak to the motion. Speaking to the motion. Um, I, I think I've said

  75. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:33:02

      Okay. Thank you. We'll go to the maker of the motion.

  76. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:33:05

      Yeah. I, um, I, I'm kind of like my, uh, colleague who lives way far north of me here. Um, I would be inclined to not vote for the bill in its entirety. Um, I am sympathetic to the argument that there may be some value in having UNLA on the list of, of training providers so that people who need that training can get credit for it. But that's as far as I'm willing to go. So I think that the amendment two takes me as far as I'm willing to go, and without amendment to, I'm probably a no on everything else.

  77. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:33:36

      Okay. We'll, we'll take the that to a vote. Uh, we'll do a roll call on the, on the amendment. Uh Oh. Thank you. Thanks. Representatives. Ballard? Yes. Burton? Yes. Dunnigan? No. When? No. Peterson? No. Sawyer? Yes. Thurston? Yes. White. No. Chair. Malloy? No. Chair. Kyle? Yes. Representative Burton. Representative Burton. Alright. I didn't hear you. Yes, yes. Okay. The, the motion fails five to five with Representative Ballard Burton, Sawyer, Thurston, and Kyle. Yes. We're now back to, to action from the committee Representative Wynn.

  78. Rep. Hoang Nguyen1:34:58

      I make a motion that we hold this bill.

  79. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:35:03

      Motion is that we hold the bill, uh, to the sponsor.

  80. Rep. John Arthur1:35:09

      Thank you. Chair. I or vice chair. I would be in favor of that motion. Right now in the, in the training that we have for our landscape contractors, uh, there is not a requirement, as I understand it, to, to learn about the, the firewise pieces that were, that were mentioned. And it is critical given our current situation that our landscape, uh, contractors be trained in this. I think that that is a necessary part of, of what they should be learning. And if there is a way where I can work with more stakeholders to get this bill to a place where it can be, uh, meeting the needs of, of this committee as well as the people of Utah, I'd love that chance. So I appreciate the motion.

  81. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:35:56

      Okay. Um, just into the committee for any other comments or, okay. We'll go, uh, back to the spon, uh, the sponsor spoke. Uh, go over the, make it of the motion. I'll waive. Okay. Motion is that we hold. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Those against. Okay. We're, we're holding. Thank you for the,

  82. Rep. John Arthur1:36:21

      I just have to say the Wonderful Conversation. My first experience. That was fantastic.

  83. Committee vice chair (presiding)1:36:24

      Thank you all so much. That was great. You Did great representative. Thank you so much. All right.

• Feb 12, 2026 House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (43 turns)

  1. Committee chair (presiding)41:37

     Thank you. We'll start with our agenda item number one. That's house bill three 13 landscaper certification amendments with Representative Arthur Representative.

  2. Rep. John Arthur41:49

     Go ahead when you're ready. And I've been told to remind you to keep it short since we've already had it. Absolute. So, I'm, I'm gonna move very quickly. I'm just gonna let everybody in the committee know, first of all, thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. I'm gonna be speaking to a substitute as well as an amendment. And that fact, I think speaks to the process that's been, uh, that's helped shape this bill. Just a reminder that for context on HP three 13, all specialty contractors in the state of Utah have to complete six hours of continuing education every two years. What this bill does is it requires that S3 30 landscape contractors, anybody who's engaged in that work, will dedicate at least one of those continuing education hours to learning water conservation and fire risk management landscaping principles. And that continuing education shall include the landscaping principles listed in the bill, but not be limited to those. That's the bill.

  3. Committee chair (presiding)42:45

     Okay. Thank you representative. Appreciate that. Um, go to the committee for clarifying questions. Representative Peterson.

  4. Rep. Peterson (first name unclear)42:56

     Thank you, Mr. Chair. Are we speaking to amendment one or two? Uh, if you click on sub one online, underneath that, there's an amendment called House Amendment one, I believe. Let's see here. So, and just to, just to make it easy for you, when I, uh, drafted this, this bill, there was a may included on line 76. The division shall identify a specialty contractor on this SEC section that may engage in landscape work. And we didn't wanna make, we wanna make sure it didn't accidentally capture any other specialty contractors. So we've amended that to say, uh, primarily engages, so it's only those S3 thirties. You good? Just as a follow up, I wanna thank the sponsor of this bill for fine tuning it from where it was to what he, I think his, in his intention was. So thank you for your work.

  5. Committee chair (presiding)43:52

     Thank you. Thank you, Representative Teuscher.

  6. Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher43:56

     Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I also really appreciate the work. I think this is looking a lot better, um, than it was. So, so my question is, and forgive my ignorance, but currently is there some sort of licensing requirement for landscapers? Landscape contractors are a specialty license and currently they, they have to do six hours of continuing education every two years, but there is a specialty license they have to earn, um, to receive that designation of landscape contractor. And, and what does a landscape, a landscape contractor license permit you to do that You couldn't do otherwise?

  7. Rep. John Arthur44:32

     Well, if you think of, you know, somebody who just does general yard work like cleaning up, that does not require that specialty license. But if you're gonna be altering a landscape, um, in, in a meaningful way, then, then typically you have to go ahead and get this specialty license as I understand it.

  8. Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher44:49

     Okay. Thank you.

  9. Committee chair (presiding)44:52

     Okay. I thank your representative. Doesn't look like we have any other clarifying questions. Uh, is there anybody in the that would like to speak to this in the public? Sca come on up. Is there anybody online?

  10. Taz Bieginger, lobbyist, Utah Homebuilders Association45:11

      Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair Taz Beon with the Utah Home Builders Association. We'd like to thank the sponsor for working with us to, uh, help bring back this bill to a position that the home builders could support. We want you to know that the home builders is actively engaged right now and trying to prepare educational classes that will, will suffice this additional requirement for landscapers and anyone else that doppel defines that would need this, this hour of education. And so we ask you to support the bill and, uh, we're preparing ourselves to provide the education. Thank you.

  11. Committee chair (presiding)45:47

      Thank you. Online. We have, um, Josh, uh, Josh, go ahead and turn your camera on. Let us know where you're coming from and, and go ahead.

  12. Josh Sundloff, attorney, Kirton McConkie46:07

      Can you hear me? We can

  13. Committee chair (presiding)46:09

      hear you. Is your camera on Josh?

  14. Josh Sundloff, attorney, Kirton McConkie46:11

      Uh, it should be on my end. It looks like it at least. I dunno if you can see me Okay. We,

  15. Committee chair (presiding)46:16

      We have you up here. Yep, go ahead.

  16. Josh Sundloff, attorney, Kirton McConkie46:19

      Okay. Uh, thank you Mr. Chair. Uh, my name's Josh Sun. Uh, I'm a construction attorney at Kurt McConkey. Uh, I'm also a licensed landscape architect in the state of Utah, and I'm currently the past president of the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association. Um, my only comment and, and request is to add the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association as an education provider. I understand there's, uh, been some question or some concern about expanding that list and, you know, opening the door to just letting any number of associations in and, and giving continuing education. Uh, I, I don't think, um, there's a risk of that in this arena. Uh, what I would quickly say is the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association is number one, the largest association, and probably to my knowledge, the only landscape contractor, uh, association that's Utah based. And one of the primary goals of the UNLA is education. We have an annual conference as many associations do every year, and I would, I would say we're talking a thousand plus probably give or take, uh, landscape contractors come to that annual conference and get continuing education from the UNLA. Um, I understand the Home Builders Association has said, uh, that they, uh, would prefer the list to be be reduced. I personally have taught, uh, continuing education for the home builders, uh, for the A GC who's a, who's a, a registered provider or listed provider. Uh, I've taught the, uh, pre-licensure course for the Utah Home Builders Association. So I know that they, they do provide that, but until now, uh, to my knowledge, they have not given specific classes for landscape contractors, S3 30 licensed contractors. The UNLA has been doing that, and they should be recognized as a provider, uh, on the list. It's a simple ad. Put one more line. Utah Nursery and Landscape Association, period makes it easy, allows landscape contractors to get the continuing education from the source they've been getting it from. That's my only comment. Thank you.

  17. Committee chair (presiding)48:43

      Uh, thank you, uh, Josh, it looks like we have a couple questions from our committee for you, if that's okay? Sure. Uh, Representative Teuscher,

  18. Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher48:51

      Thank you Josh, for your testimony. I, I have a quick question, not not really related to what you said, but since you're an expert in this space, I, I, similar to the question that I had asked, uh, earlier to Representative Arthur, I'm just wondering about the licensing of landscapers generally.

  19. Josh Sundloff, attorney, Kirton McConkie49:04

      I, I mean, I see in the code the, uh, a landscape architect that that's a specialty, uh, license that you have to receive. But, uh, being a specialty contractor in, in the field of landscaping, what, what would require someone to have that license? Uh, I, I'm not sure exactly what, what your question is, so, so please clarify if I, if I miss it. But if the question is, uh, does, you know, are, are, does landscape, do landscape contractors, uh, affect public health, safety and welfare? I don't know if that's a a, a, a driving, uh, motivation behind your question. I think the answer to that is an unequivocal yes. I mean, they touch all manner of, uh, portions of built of the built environment. Um, and, and I, I wouldn't exist in terms of having a job if, if that weren't true. Um, I mean, it, it spans the gamut. I have a client, for example, who has, who does work on rooftop uh, amenities here in Salt Lake City, for example, landscape contractor. An S3 30 licensed landscape contractor is touching the installation of quote landscape amenities on, on the Astra Tower, for example. The, the tallest now building in Salt Lake City, as I understand it, um, they're, they are just as much a player on that massive high-rise, uh, construction project as the electrician or the, the, the framing contractor or the drywall contractor or whatever. That's one example.

  20. Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher50:38

      Cut you off. And, uh, just in, uh, because of timing here, but my question, I'm not being critical of whether we should license it or not. I'm just trying to understand Yeah. Like at what point, you know, if I go and, uh, ask my neighbor, I want to mow their lawn and, you know, will you pay me $10? Does that make me a, a landscape contractor that requires a license? I'm where, where is the line drawn today of where you need a license?

  21. Josh Sundloff, attorney, Kirton McConkie51:01

      Yeah, I mean, I guess, uh, I, I don't, I confess, I can't quote the, the, the, either the, the, uh, applicable rule or the state code for S3 30 contractors, but there is a definition of, of what's included in landscape contracting under that, uh, that license classification. And I, I think it's broad enough to cover what would accomplish the policy goals, but, but, uh, not so broad as to, uh, maybe, you know, limit, uh, a 16-year-old from having a lawnmowing business. Um, I don't know if, if that helps. Okay.

  22. Committee chair (presiding)51:33

      Thank you. Okay. Uh, thank you. Appreciate your, your comments, Josh. All right. It doesn't look like we have any other comments from the committee. So we will, uh, or from, or from or from public comment, we'll take you to the committee for further action.

  23. Committee chair (presiding)51:56

      Representative Thurston,

  24. Rep. Norman K Thurston51:58

      Thank you. If I've got this sequence right, there's a substitute and then an amendment. So I move that we adopt the first substitute, The if your light's on your, it's to adopt the, okay. The, the, the motion is that we adopt the first substitute, uh, to house bill three 13.

  25. Committee chair (presiding)52:19

      All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Those against. Okay. That passes unanimously.

  26. Rep. Norman K Thurston52:28

      So I move that we adopt the amendment. Okay. The mo we move the motion is that we adopt house amendment one.

  27. Committee chair (presiding)52:36

      Uh, all in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Or actually, I guess we should speak spoken to it, but we're, we're good. We're gonna move, so, all right. Um, we'll, uh, okay. The substitute and the amendment are adopted.

  28. Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher52:51

      Uh, and, uh, further action, Uh, yeah, I actually don't wanna make that motion, but I do want to comment on something that we heard in public comment. Um, there is, in the statute, there is a provision for other people to offer courses as long as they are approved by one of the people on the list. And it sounds like that's already happening that UNLA is offering courses because they have gotten the approval of HBA or somebody else, and they can do that. And so, while I think that there may be some value in the future to think about expanding the list, it's not that hard to be able to contact one of their associations and say, look, we are what we wanna offer this course. Can you just take a look at it and approve it? And then it can be an approved offering, so maybe not ideal, but it's not the, it's not a permanent lockout shutout. You just have to be able to get somebody on the list to approve your course. So with I, I think that's one of the things that was maybe not very clear from, from the commentary that why that doesn't need to be on the list. So,

  29. Committee chair (presiding)53:49

      Yeah. Yeah. Thank you Representative, Representative Peterson.

  30. Rep. Peterson (first name unclear)53:53

      Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, just to address Jordan's, uh, representative Cher's, uh, comment, R 1 56 dash 55 a dash 3 0 1 is the licensing classification scope of practice requirements. If you wanna look right there, it should tell you what you can do as an S3 30.

  31. Committee chair (presiding)54:11

      Okay. Thank you, representative Wynn,

  32. Rep. Hoang Nguyen54:19

      I move that we favorably pass out first sub HB three 13 as amended. Okay.

  33. Committee chair (presiding)54:25

      Would you, uh, first substitute as amended? Okay. Would you like to speak to that?

  34. Rep. Hoang Nguyen54:31

      Uh, I would briefly. I really, this is the second time we've heard this bill, and it sounds like the good sponsor spent a lot of time addressing the issues with that were brought up the first time. Um, and it sounds like there's a pretty good consensus of where the bill currently sits.

  35. Committee chair (presiding)54:47

      Okay. Uh, representative would you like to, to speak to that?

  36. Rep. John Arthur54:51

      Um, I'll just say I'm grateful for the motion. I'm especially grateful for everybody who took the time to, to help me craft better legislation.

  37. Committee chair (presiding)55:00

      Okay. Thank you. We'll, uh, take it to the committee for any other comments or, or action.

  38. Committee chair (presiding)55:08

      Okay. And then back to, uh, the, the sponsor again.

  39. Rep. John Arthur55:12

      Yeah. Uh, I just wanna say to the, to the comments about U-N-L-A-I, I agree with, uh, the good representative. There's, there's more work to be done in this space. This is my first entry into it, and I look forward to, to working with other stakeholders to continue this process as we go.

  40. Committee chair (presiding)55:29

      Okay. Thank you. Into the maker of the motion.

  41. Rep. Hoang Nguyen55:32speaker not certain

      I'll waive. Okay.

  42. Committee chair (presiding)55:34

      Uh, the motion is that we recommend favorably HB three 13. First substitute as amended. All in favor say aye. Aye. And those against, okay. Rule that passes unanimously. Thank you, representative.

  43. Committee chair (presiding)55:48

      Thank you. We'll go to the next item on the agenda.

• Feb 20, 2026 House floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (40 turns)

  1. Unknown speaker1:00:52speaker not certain

     First substitute house bill three 13 landscaper certification amendments by Representative Arthur. This bill was heard in business and labor with the vote. 10 0 6

  2. Speaker (presiding)1:01:04

     Representative Arthur.

  3. Rep. John Arthur1:01:06

     Thank you Mr. Speaker. Motion to adopt sub two.

  4. Speaker (presiding)1:01:10

     Thank you, representative. That motion is an order. Would you like to speak to it?

  5. Rep. John Arthur1:01:13

     Yes. A coordinating clause was added to the bill.

  6. Speaker (presiding)1:01:16

     Thank you Representative Arthur. Discussion to the motion to adopt second substitute on, uh, HB three 13. All or sorry, discussion to that. No discussion to the motion. See now I'm going place the motion. The motion before us the house adopt second substitute HB three 13 under Representative Arthur's name. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Rule that motion passes. The bill's been substituted before the body for its consideration. Back to your representative, Arthur.

  7. Rep. John Arthur1:01:47

     Thank you Mr. Speaker. This is a relatively simple bill. Uh, Utahans are increasingly more mindful about our wash water usage as well as protecting our homes from fires. So currently, uh, specialty contractors in Utah must complete six hours of continuing education every two years. If you go to a, uh, specialty landscape contractor for help with your landscape, you can, uh, you can seek their expertise, but right now we want to guarantee that their expertise is targeted at these areas of concern. So this bill would require S3 30 landscape contractors to dedicate at least one of their six continuing education hours to the study of, uh, water conservation and Firewise landscaping principles.

  8. Speaker (presiding)1:02:38

     Thank you, representative Arthur discussion to the bill representative Tom Peterson.

  9. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:02:43

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just, uh, wanna rise in support of this bill. I, I initially was, uh, very much opposed to it, uh, as it required all contractors to have this training, but the sponsor, uh, was willing to work with us to get it down to just where it was only applicable to contractors that primarily deal in landscape. So appreciate his efforts in being able to fine tune it to where it needs to be and support the bill.

  10. Speaker (presiding)1:03:18

      Thank you representative Tom Peterson. Discussion to the motion rep or to the bill? Representative Thurston.

  11. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:03:25

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The sponsor yield to a series of questions.

  12. Speaker (presiding)1:03:27

      Representative Arthur, we yield to a series of questions. Absolutely, yes, representative.

  13. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:03:31

      So, um, could you just help me understand what exactly would be in this hour of training or continuing education that these guys are gonna take?

  14. Rep. John Arthur1:03:43

      Absolutely. Uh, Mr. Speaker, in the, in the bill, it lists some of the principles that are included in that training, including understanding water scarcity in this state, selecting drought tolerant plants, um, efficient irrigation design, soil amendment techniques, designing landscape to prevent the spread Ophir, as well as incorporating rocks, concrete, other materials to prevent the spread Ophir. Um, but that's not an exhaustive list. Um, as the programming is developed, they, they can include other key pieces.

  15. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:04:15

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor also tell me, um, should these people already not know that?

  16. Rep. John Arthur1:04:22

      Thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker. It's, it's not my habit to, to speak of what people should or should not know or what they do or do not know, but this is information that is critical as we are, as Utahans trying to make the most of this moment and, and address the concerns that we all have, that we have professionals who are licensed and, and well trained in all these areas. It's, it's good to verify.

  17. Rep. Norman K Thurston1:04:48

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, I do appreciate those thoughtful answers to my questions. Um, I, I think I can be in mild support for this bill.

  18. Speaker (presiding)1:04:58

      Thank you Representative. That was good enough from me First and, uh, further discussion to the bill. Representative Peck.

  19. Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck1:05:05

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some concerns with this bill. I feel like a, I don't like that we're actually certifying everything all the time because that, that decreases the barrier of entry for a lot of people finding jobs that they might just be naturally good at like landscaping. But I'm, I'm wondering if the sponsor will yield to two questions.

  20. Speaker (presiding)1:05:24

      Representative Arthur will yield to a series of questions.

  21. Rep. John Arthur1:05:28

      Absolutely. Yes, representative.

  22. Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck1:05:29

      Okay. Um, will this extra hour of training cost them more money?

  23. Rep. John Arthur1:05:38

      A great question, Mr. Speaker. This, these six hours are already required of all specialty contractors. This doesn't create a new license. All it does is require that within the six hours of training, that they are already required to receive at least one hour, be dedicated to the waterwise and Firewise principles.

  24. Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck1:05:56

      Thank you. My second question is, does overseeing this extra certification end up making mandates to public businesses that ends up making them have to have more of a burden?

  25. Rep. John Arthur1:06:14

      Thank you. Again, the ones that are doing the training is who? I mean, Yeah. Thank you again for the question. No, it, it does not require anything more from anybody. And in fact, this, this bill, it was developed not just with the help of the good representative who spoke before, um, and other representatives here in the body, but also in collaboration with the staff of, uh, Doppel, D-N-R-U-S-U and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District to ensure that we're not placing any additional burdens on anybody as we seek to build capacity in our landscape. Contractors. Thank you. Thank you.

  26. Speaker (presiding)1:06:47

      Thank you, representative Arthur. Further discussion, or sorry. Thank you, Representative Peck further discussion to the bill Representative Shelley.

  27. Rep. Troy Shelley1:06:56

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the, uh, sponsor yield to a question? Representative Arthur, will you yield to a question? Yes, representative.

  28. Rep. Troy Shelley1:07:04

      So, uh, could you just clarify, it appears to me that this certification is not required unless HB three 13 passes. So, uh, is this currently something that is required of landscapers, or will this only be required if that other bill passes?

  29. Rep. John Arthur1:07:23

      So this is HB three 13 and within this bill, it, there's, there's an SB three 30, I think that may be the confusion, uh, specialty contract license that's referenced. And that license is already out there in the world. Um, it won't create a new license category and the coordinating clauses, uh, with another bill, HB 40. Um, this just says that those specialty contractors who are already listed within Doppel, uh, receive this specific training.

  30. Rep. Troy Shelley1:07:54

      Thanks for the clarification. Um, so, so right now, uh, is a specialty contractor identified as somebody who does this professionally all the time? Or can this be somebody who does this as a side job? How, how does the specialty contractor get determined? What, what determines that?

  31. Rep. John Arthur1:08:17

      Thank you for the question. Um, there are, there's a list of specialty contractors and different licenses that you can receive from doppel. This one speaks specifically to the S3 30 specialty landscape contractors. And as far as how you become one of those, that's, that's laid out in, uh, in doppels rules.

  32. Speaker (presiding)1:08:39

      Thank you. Thank you Representative Shelley for the discussion to the bill. Representative Blaby.

  33. Rep. Blaby (name unverified)1:08:48speaker not certain

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, would the sponsor yield Representative Arthur, will you yield?

  34. Rep. John Arthur1:08:54

      Yes, sir. Yes, representative.

  35. Rep. Blaby (name unverified)1:08:55speaker not certain

      Thank you. So, as I read this bill, it doesn't appear to me that the continuing education requirement is geographically specific. So, for instance, um, would the training be different for people in southern Utah that are, that have very different climate, very different soil, um, as opposed to those who live in northern Utah?

  36. Rep. John Arthur1:09:18

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker for the question. One of the beautiful things about this bill is it's not terribly, uh, regulatory. It leaves a lot of flexibility to doppel as well as those designing the course content to tailor it based on geography, the needs of specific localities. Um, but all that this bill does is it says that here in Utah right now, this is a priority for us as a state, um, ensuring that, that folks have access to, to well-trained, uh, landscape contractors. And we will leave it to the experts to make sure that that is delivered.

  37. Speaker (presiding)1:09:58

      Thank you. Representative Oli. B Representative Dominguez Call. The question, Previous question has been called, this has the effective ending debate. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? No Rule. That motion passes debate.

  38. Speaker (presiding)1:10:14

      Debate has ended back to you, representative Arthur for summation. Oh, there we go, representative Arthur. Sorry about that.

  39. Rep. John Arthur1:10:23

      Oh, I, I know what hazing looks like. Thank you. Uh, i, I, I will, uh, waive Mr. Speaker

  40. Speaker (presiding)1:10:34

      Summation has been waived. Voting will now be open on second substitute HB three 13, all present, having voted, voting is now closed. Second substitute HB three 13 passes this body with 54 yes votes, 17 no votes, and will be, uh, sent to the Senate for its consideration matter. Reading clerk

• Feb 20, 2026 House floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (38 turns)

  1. Rep. John Arthur1:01:06

     Thank you Mr. Speaker. Motion to adopt sub two.

  2. Speaker (presiding)1:01:10

     Thank you, representative. That motion is an order. Would you like to speak to it?

  3. Rep. John Arthur1:01:13

     Yes. A coordinating clause was added to the bill.

  4. Speaker (presiding)1:01:16

     Thank you Representative Arthur. Discussion to the motion to adopt second substitute on, uh, HB three 13. All or sorry, discussion to that. No discussion to the motion. See now I'm going place the motion. The motion before us the house adopt second substitute HB three 13 under Representative Arthur's name. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Rule that motion passes. The bill's been substituted before the body for its consideration. Back to your representative, Arthur.

  5. Rep. John Arthur1:01:47

     Thank you Mr. Speaker. This is a relatively simple bill. Uh, Utahans are increasingly more mindful about our wash water usage as well as protecting our homes from fires. So currently, uh, specialty contractors in Utah must complete six hours of continuing education every two years. If you go to a, uh, specialty landscape contractor for help with your landscape, you can, uh, you can seek their expertise, but right now we want to guarantee that their expertise is targeted at these areas of concern. So this bill would require S3 30 landscape contractors to dedicate at least one of their six continuing education hours to the study of, uh, water conservation and Firewise landscaping principles.

  6. Speaker (presiding)1:02:38

     Thank you, representative Arthur discussion to the bill representative Tom Peterson.

  7. Rep. Thomas W. Peterson1:02:43

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just, uh, wanna rise in support of this bill. I, I initially was, uh, very much opposed to it, uh, as it required all contractors to have this training, but the sponsor, uh, was willing to work with us to get it down to just where it was only applicable to contractors that primarily deal in landscape. So appreciate his efforts in being able to fine tune it to where it needs to be and support the bill.

  8. Speaker (presiding)1:03:18

     Thank you representative Tom Peterson. Discussion to the motion rep or to the bill? Representative Thurston.

  9. Rep. Thurston1:03:25

     Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The sponsor yield to a series of questions.

  10. Speaker (presiding)1:03:27

      Representative Arthur, we yield to a series

  11. Rep. John Arthur1:03:29

      of questions. Absolutely, yes, representative.

  12. Rep. Thurston1:03:31

      So, um, could you just help me understand what exactly would be in this hour of training or continuing education that these guys are gonna take?

  13. Rep. John Arthur1:03:43

      Absolutely. Uh, Mr. Speaker, in the, in the bill, it lists some of the principles that are included in that training, including understanding water scarcity in this state, selecting drought tolerant plants, um, efficient irrigation design, soil amendment techniques, designing landscape to prevent the spread Ophir, as well as incorporating rocks, concrete, other materials to prevent the spread Ophir. Um, but that's not an exhaustive list. Um, as the programming is developed, they, they can include other key pieces.

  14. Rep. Thurston1:04:15

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor also tell me, um, should these people already not know that?

  15. Rep. John Arthur1:04:22

      Thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker. It's, it's not my habit to, to speak of what people should or should not know or what they do or do not know, but this is information that is critical as we are, as Utahans trying to make the most of this moment and, and address the concerns that we all have, that we have professionals who are licensed and, and well trained in all these areas. It's, it's good to verify.

  16. Rep. Thurston1:04:48

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, I do appreciate those thoughtful answers to my questions. Um, I, I think I can be in mild support for this bill.

  17. Speaker (presiding)1:04:58

      Thank you Representative. That was good enough from me First and, uh, further discussion to the bill. Representative Peck.

  18. Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck1:05:05

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some concerns with this bill. I feel like a, I don't like that we're actually certifying everything all the time because that, that decreases the barrier of entry for a lot of people finding jobs that they might just be naturally good at like landscaping. But I'm, I'm wondering if the sponsor will yield to two questions.

  19. Speaker (presiding)1:05:24

      Representative Arthur will yield to a series of questions.

  20. Rep. John Arthur1:05:28

      Absolutely. Yes, representative.

  21. Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck1:05:29

      Okay. Um, will this extra hour of training cost them more money?

  22. Rep. John Arthur1:05:38

      A great question, Mr. Speaker. This, these six hours are already required of all specialty contractors. This doesn't create a new license. All it does is require that within the six hours of training, that they are already required to receive at least one hour, be dedicated to the waterwise and Firewise principles.

  23. Rep. Nicholeen P. Peck1:05:56

      Thank you. My second question is, does overseeing this extra certification end up making mandates to public businesses that ends up making them have to have more of a burden?

  24. Rep. John Arthur1:06:14

      Thank you. Again, the ones that are doing the training is who? I mean, Yeah. Thank you again for the question. No, it, it does not require anything more from anybody. And in fact, this, this bill, it was developed not just with the help of the good representative who spoke before, um, and other representatives here in the body, but also in collaboration with the staff of, uh, Doppel, D-N-R-U-S-U and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District to ensure that we're not placing any additional burdens on anybody as we seek to build capacity in our landscape. Contractors. Thank you. Thank you.

  25. Speaker (presiding)1:06:47

      Thank you, representative Arthur. Further discussion, or sorry.

  26. Speaker (presiding)1:06:50

      Thank you, Representative Peck further discussion to the bill Representative Shelley.

  27. Rep. Troy Shelley1:06:56

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the, uh, sponsor yield to a question? Representative Arthur, will you yield to a question? Yes, representative. So, uh, could you just clarify, it appears to me that this certification is not required unless HB three 13 passes. So, uh, is this currently something that is required of landscapers, or will this only be required if that other bill passes?

  28. Rep. John Arthur1:07:23

      So this is HB three 13 and within this bill, it, there's, there's an SB three 30, I think that may be the confusion, uh, specialty contract license that's referenced. And that license is already out there in the world. Um, it won't create a new license category and the coordinating clauses, uh, with another bill, HB 40. Um, this just says that those specialty contractors who are already listed within Doppel, uh, receive this specific training.

  29. Rep. Troy Shelley1:07:54

      Thanks for the clarification. Um, so, so right now, uh, is a specialty contractor identified as somebody who does this professionally all the time? Or can this be somebody who does this as a side job? How, how does the specialty contractor get determined? What, what determines that?

  30. Rep. John Arthur1:08:17

      Thank you for the question. Um, there are, there's a list of specialty contractors and different licenses that you can receive from doppel. This one speaks specifically to the S3 30 specialty landscape contractors. And as far as how you become one of those, that's, that's laid out in, uh, in doppels rules.

  31. Speaker (presiding)1:08:39

      Thank you. Thank you Representative Shelley for the discussion to the bill. Representative Blaby.

  32. Unknown speaker1:08:48speaker not certain

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, would the sponsor yield Representative Arthur, will you yield?

  33. Rep. John Arthur1:08:54

      Yes, sir. Yes, representative.

  34. Unknown speaker1:08:55speaker not certain

      Thank you. So, as I read this bill, it doesn't appear to me that the continuing education requirement is geographically specific. So, for instance, um, would the training be different for people in southern Utah that are, that have very different climate, very different soil, um, as opposed to those who live in northern Utah?

  35. Rep. John Arthur1:09:18

      Thank you, Mr. Speaker for the question. One of the beautiful things about this bill is it's not terribly, uh, regulatory. It leaves a lot of flexibility to doppel as well as those designing the course content to tailor it based on geography, the needs of specific localities. Um, but all that this bill does is it says that here in Utah right now, this is a priority for us as a state, um, ensuring that, that folks have access to, to well-trained, uh, landscape contractors. And we will leave it to the experts to make sure that that is delivered.

  36. Speaker (presiding)1:09:58

      Thank you. Representative Oli. B Representative Dominguez Call. The question, Previous question has been called, this has the effective ending debate. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? No Rule. That motion passes debate. Debate has ended back to you, representative Arthur for summation. Oh, there we go, representative Arthur. Sorry about that.

  37. Rep. John Arthur1:10:23

      Oh, I, I know what hazing looks like. Thank you. Uh, i, I, I will, uh, waive Mr. Speaker

  38. Speaker (presiding)1:10:34

      Summation has been waived. Voting will now be open on second substitute HB three 13, all present, having voted, voting is now closed. Second substitute HB three 13 passes this body with 54 yes votes, 17 no votes, and will be, uh, sent to the Senate for its consideration matter. Reading clerk

• Feb 25, 2026 Senate Business and Labor Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (18 turns)

  1. Committee chair (presiding)2:05:20

     we will call House Bill three 13 second substitute landscape certification amendments. Representative Arthur, the floor is yours. Thank

  2. Rep. John Arthur2:05:29

     You so much, Senator. It's an honor to be presenting here today. This is a simple bill. Um, uh, uh oh. Did I? Simple Bill, that means, uh, I apologize. I'm out. I already did it. No, you know what? In, in Utah, we're increasingly more mindful about, uh, conserving water and protecting our homes from fires. And, uh, this is leading many to seek the help of licensed landscape contractors as we do work, uh, on our homes and, and our landscapes. And currently all specialty contractors in the state of Utah must complete six hours of continuing education every two years. That's just a requirement already. What this bill seeks to do is require S3 30 landscape contractors to dedicate at least one of their six required continuing education hours to the study of water conservation and fire risk management landscaping principles. Just adding that into their, uh, course of study options. So with that, I'll end my presentation.

  3. Committee chair (presiding)2:06:26

     All right. Uh, seeing no questions from the committee, is there anyone in the public that wishes to weigh in on this? Come on up.

  4. Taz Biesinger, Lobbyist, Utah Home Builders Association2:06:40

     State your name and thank you, Mr. Chair. I know it's late. Taz b with the Utah Home Builders Association. We, we appreciate working with the sponsor and, uh, getting the spill right. And we support the bill in its current form. Thank you.

  5. Committee chair (presiding)2:06:53

     Thank you. We have one online. Eric Marble, if you turn your camera on Eric Marble, are you there? There we go. Yes. Tell us who you are, where you live, and who you represent.

  6. Eric Marble, Marketing Manager, Chanshare Farms2:07:17

     Yes. My name is Eric Marble. I represent c Chance Share Farms up in Tremont in Utah. First of all, I'd like to say thank you to Representative Arthur for listening to, uh, our concerns concerning some of the wording in the bill. And, uh, uh, also our concerns about placing a specific target on, uh, landscaping plant materials. The only hesitation that I would like to express is that if the purpose of this bill is to pass gateway legislation so that in subsequent years the legislation can be expanded to dictate additional hours of required learning, that we fear this could become overreach, which decreases the ability of the free market to dictate the types of landscapes, homeowners, landscape architects and professional landscapers are able to create. Having stated that opinion, we're not opposed to the bill as it is written. And again, thank you to Representative Arthur for listening to our concerns.

  7. Committee chair (presiding)2:08:10

     Thank you. Not as Well. Anyone else that wishes to, we'll bring it back to the Committee for Action or discussion. Senator Cullimore picture?

  8. Sen. Stephanie Pitcher2:08:34

     I, it? Yeah, I'd make a motion that we pass with a favorable recommendation house Bill. Second. Yeah. Thank you.

  9. Committee chair (presiding)2:08:40

     Second substitute house Bill three 13. That's an order. Any discussion to the bill? Three 13 Back to you, representative for summation.

  10. Rep. John Arthur2:08:50

      I just wanna say thank you to the representative from the Home Village Association as well as Mr. Marble. Uh, the intention of this bill is just exactly to do what it, what it does, so Appreciate it.

  11. Committee chair (presiding)2:09:01

      Alright. Senator Cullimore picture

  12. Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore2:09:04

      I'll waive. Thank you.

  13. Committee chair (presiding)2:09:05

      Waive I place the motion. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Aye. Um, chairman Rules. That passes unanimously. Thank you. Thank You so much.

  14. Rep. John Arthur2:09:22speaker not certain

      See, I told you it was a simple bill.

  15. Committee chair (presiding)2:11:00speaker not certain

      Your son. Trying disclosure to the extent necessary to mitigate Chris or audio of another dealt with this issue once before We put him on the next agenda. What's the pleasure of the committee? What do I do you want go back? Well, I'm, I'm asking what's your pleasure?

  16. Committee chair (presiding)2:13:29speaker not certain

      Raise your, ask the audience to raise their, their hands. Who's here to speak or be part of that Building? That's anyone here that wants to speak to That's a good idea.

  17. Committee chair (presiding)2:13:56speaker not certain

      We'll wait a few minutes to save you having to come back another day.

  18. Chair Evan J. Vickers (presiding)2:18:15

      Remind me what Bill this is. Don't start presenting the one you just finished. We'll call, uh, house Bill 72.

• Mar 6, 2026 Senate floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (5 turns)

  1. Sen. David P. Hinkins10:00

     Thank you Mr. President. This bill amends provisions relating to landscape work. It requires the division of professional licensing to defend, to identify a specialty contractor that may engage in, uh, landscape work. Provides continual education requirements for a license C that engages in landscape work and coordinates the provisions, uh, that this bill enacts with provisions of House Bill 40, Utah Construction Trades Licensing Agreements, ACT amendments. And with that, I'm open to questions. Say no questions to you for action.

  2. Senate President Winterton (presiding)10:35

     Call the question. The Question is, under suspension of the rules shall second substitute house Bill three 13 pass. Roll call vote.

  3. Senate clerk10:42

     Senator Vickers. Baldy Lewin Bramer Thus aye. Comore Escamia Aye. Fillmore, no. Grover Harper Kins Aye. Ipson Johnson Aye. Juab McKay Mikel Aye. Milner Musman Owens pitcher Thumb Rebi sandal Sandal Stevenson Stratton Stratton Vickers Aye. Weiler Wilson Winterton, president Adams

  4. Senate President Winterton (presiding)12:07

     No second substitute house Bill three 13 Having received 15 yay votes. 13 na votes, one being absent passes, his body will be signed by the president returned to the house for the signature of the speaker.

  5. Senate President Winterton (presiding)12:42

     Senator Musselman. Senator Musselman.