Bills / S.B. 157
S.B. 157 New Motorboat Distributor Act
- Introduced
- Senate committee
- Senate vote
- House committee (stopped here)
- House vote
- Signed into law
What this bill does
The bill creates a new set of rules governing relationships between motorboat manufacturers, distributors, and dealers in Utah, covering termination, warranties, parts, and sales, with disputes handled through the Department of Commerce. It repeals an earlier boat-dealer provision and lowers administrative fines to $1,000 per day, shortens the dealership notice radius to 50 miles, and lengthens the voluntary termination notice period to 60 days.
Plain-English summary written by AI from the sponsor’s presentation in committee and on the floor. Check the official text below.
Official description
- defines terms
- grants the executive director of the Department of Commerce authority to administer and enforce the chapter and conduct adjudicative proceedings, issue cease-and-desist orders, and impose administrative fines of up to $1,000 per day for violations
- prohibits certain coercive, unfair, or inequitable business practices by motorboat distributors
- establishes standards governing the sale, transfer, and succession of motorboat dealerships
- restricts termination, nonrenewal, relocation, or establishment of a motorboat dealership without good cause, notice, and opportunity for administrative review
- establishes evidentiary standards for determining good cause
- requires a distributor to provide written warranty, recall, and service policies and to reimburse a dealership
- requires a distributor to compensate a dealership for incidental labor, administrative tasks, and on-water testing related to warranty and recall repairs
- requires a distributor, upon termination or discontinuance, to repurchase certain inventory, parts, tools, equipment, signs, and related property
- provides a private right of action for a violation of the chapter
- governs changes in distribution plans
- recognizes and limits sub-distributee agreements
- repeals the Motorboat Agreements Act
What it costs you
- The official fiscal note on residents and businesses:
Enactment of this legislation could cost 30 additional individuals or businesses $225 each in licensing fees, for an aggregate amount of approximately $6,700 beginning in FY 2027.
From the bill's latest official fiscal note, counting the state's tax funds (General, Income Tax, Education, Uniform School, and Transportation) in the first full budget year after the session. Some bills take effect partway through that year, so later years can be larger; the note shows each year. Household count: U.S. Census Bureau. An average is a starting point, not your bill.
Your legislators on this bill
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Take action
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Every vote
- 5 yes, 0 no, 3 absentSenate Business and Labor Committee: vote to change the bill · Feb 3, 2026Who voted how
- 6 yes, 0 no, 2 absentSenate Business and Labor Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 3, 2026Who voted how
- 21 yes, 1 no, 7 absentFirst of two Senate votes · Feb 23, 2026Who voted how
- 25 yes, 1 no, 3 absentFinal Senate vote · Feb 24, 2026Who voted how
Hearings and debates
- Feb 3, 2026 Senate Business and Labor Committee▶ WatchRead the transcript (32 turns) →
- Feb 23, 2026 Senate floor debate▶ WatchRead the transcript (11 turns) →
- Feb 24, 2026 Senate floor debate▶ WatchRead the transcript (9 turns) →