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H.B. 354 Rescue Tracking Equipment Offense Amendments: transcript

Everything said about this bill in committee and on the floor, speaker by speaker. Each time links to that moment in the official video. Back to the bill: summary and every vote →

Transcribed from the Legislature's recordings by software, with speakers identified from the video; it can contain errors. Check the recording before quoting anyone.

House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, Feb 11, 2026

  1. Vice Chair Strong (presiding)1:52:23

    And we'll go to item, uh, well, HB 3 54, Representative Hawkins, wherever you are on the agenda, you're here now. So welcome.

  2. Rep. Jon Hawkins1:52:35

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee. Um, this, this bill's, uh, pretty simple, but let me kind of explain the, uh, the, the, um, origin of it. I had a, a constituent reach out to me. He runs an organization that creates, um, little GPS tracking devices. And, um, they, they found a, a specific use case for this, um, GPS tracking device, uh, to be put into, um, bathrooms, rest stops, uh, areas, um, so that people could take them if they're in a situation around, you know, kidnapping, human trafficking, domestic violence. Um, the, the device, uh, oh, by the way, uh, I do have a handout. Is it all right if we hand that out, Mr. Chair? Oh, typically we gotta look at those first, but Sure. Yeah. True. Yeah, it's good. You'll Like it. Have your intern bring it up to me. Yep. Um, it's, it's, it's a little device about this big, it's about the size of a nickel. You can take it out of a dispensary, and once you take it out, it activates and upon activation, it alerts law enforcement of where that person is. And they've, they've seen a lot of success. Uh, they've had some, uh, some test runs and some actual situations in, um, Utah County with the sheriff's department there and, uh, uh, have had a lot of success in bringing people back home. So, um, what this does is they, they, they want to make it, uh, of class B misdemeanors, you can see there on line 42 to tamper with, um, or destroy unlawfully interacting with these rescue tracking devices. Um, and that is, that is the, the whole bill in itself.

  3. Vice Chair Strong (presiding)1:54:40

    Okay. That concludes your presentation. Yep. Turn to the committee for clarifying questions. Okay. Seeing none turn to the public. Is there anyone here to speak to this one? Okay. Turn back to the committee for discussion or action dealer. Do I need to say it three times? All right. There we go. Peterson, go ahead.

  4. Rep. Peterson1:55:14

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd make a motion. We pass out a favorable recommendation house Bill 3 54

  5. Vice Chair Strong (presiding)1:55:19

    In order. Would you like to speak to it?

  6. Rep. Peterson1:55:21

    Um, no. It sounds like this is, uh, something that we should take a look at and see how it works.

  7. Vice Chair Strong (presiding)1:55:27

    Okay. Thank you. Um, any discussion to the motion saying none to the sponsor?

  8. Rep. Jon Hawkins1:55:36

    I appreciate a favorable vote. I think this is a, a, a needed thing, a good thing. They're not asking for money, they're just trying to make sure their devices Are not tampered with.

  9. Vice Chair Strong (presiding)1:55:46

    Okay. Um, thank you to the, to the maker of the motion, I should say. Representative Peterson

  10. Rep. Peterson1:55:57

    Waive. Yeah,

  11. Vice Chair Strong (presiding)1:55:58

    go ahead and place the motion then. All those in favor of passing out HP 3 54 favorable recommendations, say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Thank you. Thank You. What'd you say? You know, Representative Stoddard, um, you don't get to vote from the audience. Exactly. Yeah, there you go. Hard? No. Hard. No. Okay. Representative Stoddard Kim is. Kim is, He's absent. All right. We're gonna go to item number one on our agenda. That is, uh, everyone that hasn't, uh, pulled their bill from our committee today, you has noticed it changed four times, all with request from sponsors saying they're not quite ready, which is good 'cause you guys are doing work behind the scenes.

Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee, Feb 26, 2026

  1. Committee chair2:25:31

    How long has your bill haw Representative Hawkins?

  2. Rep. Jon Hawkins2:25:33

    Alright, well make it one. Yeah, I understand. Make it one. So my bill addresses, uh, a device that's being made by a manufacturer here in Utah, that it's a GPS device that allows, uh, for victims of, uh, trafficking, sexual abuse, human or, uh, domestic violence to take it. And it automatically alerts law enforcement to the, their position within like two meters. Um, the bill makes it a Class D misdemeanor to, to, uh, tamper with those devices. That's it.

  3. Committee chair2:26:08

    Okay. Are there any, is everyone here to testify on Representative Hawkins's bill? All right. We're gonna close the public hearing, bring it back to the committee. Um, who's like,

  4. Sen. Luz Escamilla2:26:22

    I'll make the motion, Mr.

  5. Committee chair2:26:24

    Okay, go ahead. Um, make the motion that we favorably

  6. Sen. Luz Escamilla2:26:27

    recommend HB Sorry, I'm looking for it. 3 54. 3 54 With a favorable recommendation.

  7. Committee chair2:26:33

    You'll waive. Waive. You'll waive. Waive. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye.

  8. Unknown speaker2:26:37speaker not certain

    Chair that passes unanimously. Six to zero. Thank you.

  9. Committee chair2:26:41speaker not certain

    Thank you. Well Ox is ox still here?

  10. Unknown speaker2:26:46speaker not certain

    No, she's gone. Um, Representative Loubet,

House floor, Feb 19, 2026

  1. Meeting clerk58:51

    matter. Meeting clerk House Bill 3 54. Rescue tracking equipment, offense amendments Representative Hawkins, this bill heard in law enforcement and criminal justice with the vote of 11 0 0.

  2. Rep. Andrew Stoddard59:09

    Representative Stoddard Motion to circle.

  3. Speaker (presiding)59:12

    Motion is to circle. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say no. Motion carries. The bill is circled matter.

House floor, Feb 19, 2026

  1. Speaker (presiding)1:20:09

    Motion is in order. Would like to speak to it. Oh, we'll just go ahead and place it. The motion is that we encircle HB 3 54. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? Will that motion passes? The bill's been encircled and before the body, back to you, Representative

  2. Rep. Jon Hawkins1:20:25

    Hawkins for presentation. Thank, Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, um, this bill came to me from a constituent of mine who started a, a company that helps, um, provide emergency tracking devices to those who are in danger, whether they're being have been kidnapped or human trafficked or, or, um, you know, in a domestic violence situation. And they, they, they don't know another way out. What this company does is provide these trackers in, um, convenience store bathrooms or rest stops. Um, and it's a little device that's about the size of a dime. And as soon as it's dispensed from, um, you know, the, the dispensary, I guess, um, it alerts law enforcement as to where they are. And it's a GPS tracking device. So what this bill does is, um, create a, uh, a penalty for any a Class B misdemeanor penalty for anybody who, who's tampering with these devices. Um, and so that we can actually track those who are in danger, um, and not have kind of prank, uh, tracking, because we don't want law enforcement to be called out for no reason. So, um, um, that's what this bill does. And I'd, I'd appreciate, um, your a positive vote on it.

  3. Speaker (presiding)1:21:49

    Thank you, Representative Hawkins. Discussion to the bill. None. Back to Representative Hawkins for summation.

  4. Rep. Jon Hawkins1:21:57

    I'll waive. Thank you. Summation is been waived.

  5. Speaker (presiding)1:21:59

    Voting will now be open on HB 3 54 er, would you like to vote? Seeing now, president hand voted voting is now closed. HB 3 54 passes this body with 63 s votes, zero no votes will be sent to the Senate

  6. Speaker (presiding)1:23:55speaker not certain

    for its consideration, man reading clerk

Senate floor, Mar 6, 2026

  1. Sen. Don L. Ipson2:15:50

    or destroying rescue tracking equipment, a class B misdemeanor That I'm open for questions.

  2. Sen. Ronald M. Winterton (presiding)2:15:57

    Thank you for the presentations. Senator Ibsen's open for questions. Say no questions. I'm going back to you for a motion.

  3. Sen. Don L. Ipson2:16:05

    I make a motion that under suspension of rules that House Bill 3 54 pass.

  4. Sen. Ronald M. Winterton (presiding)2:16:10

    Thank you. The question is under suspension of the rule. Shall house bill three fifty four pass Roll call vote.

  5. Unknown speaker2:16:15speaker not certain

    Senator Vickers Baldy Lewin Ramer Bus Comore Escamia Aye. Fillmore Aye. Grover Harper. Hankins. Ipson Aye. Johnson Aye. Juab McKay. Mikel Milner Aye. Musselman Owens pitcher Aye. Plum Rebe Rebe Aye. Sandal Stevenson Stratton Vickers Weiler Wilson

  6. Sen. Ronald M. Winterton (presiding)2:17:01

    Winterton, president Adams Aye. House Bill 3 54, having received 24 yay votes, zero nay votes, five being absent, passes his body and will be signed by the President and returned to the house for the signature of the speaker.

  7. Sen. Ronald M. Winterton (presiding)2:17:25

    Date of privacy, Senator Harper. Senator Harper, No.

  8. Sen. Wayne A. Harper2:17:32

    Vehicles collect a lot of data and that, uh, data is kept within the, uh, the vehicle. There's been some concern about, uh, when you sell a car or if you rent a car. And how do you get rid of all that, uh, data that's been collected upon you? So the good representative went through and worked with GM Tech and Lexus Nexus Alliance for Automobile Innovation, privacy