Luz Escamilla

• S.B. 147 Office of Inspector General of Medicaid Services Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains that the changes separate the Office of Inspector General's audit component from the legislative auditor's role, which remains with the legislative audit committee, and that the changes add more auditing.

  Read what they said

  Of course, Mr. President. Thank you. You know, this has been a, a, a very, um, delicate process to try to get us to the right approach with the Office of Inspector General that we, I think collectively realize needs help. But we also understand how important the role is of this office in our state. And that is, uh, prevention fraud, um, waste and abuse when it comes to our, our Medicaid funds. And we, um, the original bill as it passed to the house had a, you know, a role of lac, which is our legislative auditor's, um, office. And, and at one point it was in conflict with, um, the Office of Inspector General that we felt …

  ▶ Watch at 34:39

• H.B. 559 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains that H.B. 559 would set statewide standards and training for healthcare facilities supporting families after pregnancy or infant loss, including memory-making practices and access to grief counseling, and moves to call the question.

  Read what they said

  Thank you Mr. President. Um, this bill recognizes a, a unique but very hurtful and painful, um, situation that many families unfortunately experience in the state of Utah related to the passing of a child or an infant. And, um, you know, what this bill is trying to do is just asking for a process to be in place regarding practices when individuals experience pregnancy or infant loss at, at a healthcare facility. So providing a, a framework of work so the parents can have a memory making experience and access to grief counseling. It's been, um, you know, it, it, it's, it's terrible and we're just trying to create a way that it, it it sets the standards of …

  ▶ Watch at 54:45

• H.B. 467 Utah Fits All Scholarship Program Modifications · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Asks the sponsor to explain why a provision in the new substitute about private schools is being removed.

  Read what they said

  Questions to the sponsor. Senator Cullimore, will you yield? Yes. Senator Escamilla. Thank you Mr. President. Just wanna clarify on line 4 49, uh, on this new substitute, which is substitute five, are we now removing, um, that provision and if you, if the sponsor can explain why, I mean, what that provision is and, um, as it's being now removed

  ▶ Watch at 2:24:32

• H.B. 467 Utah Fits All Scholarship Program Modifications · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Asks whether the program manager would still verify that a school is a credible private school once the provision is removed.

  Read what they said

  Follow question president. Yeah, just, and, and, and to be clear, um, and I do recognize there are multiple schools that are by choice not wanting to participate and there's always this question, so I wanna make sure it's clear. So right now, this bill, even though it is right now, runs as is being removed, will allow the manager to have, um, the authority to make choices for the parents if they choose to apply. And the, and I guess the manager will check that the school is a credible private school. Is that, is that how it's gonna be and where, because if it's being removed, um, is is that still in the bill Senator Cullimore?

  ▶ Watch at 2:25:39

• H.B. 493 Consumer Products Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Asks the sponsor whether the bill defines the listed ingredients and where those definitions appear in this version.

  Read what they said

  Senator Pro temp, uh, question to the sponsor. Will sponsor yield? Yes. Yes. Proceed. Thank you, Mr. President Pro tem. Um, as we are adding that other bill that, um, the good sponsor made reference to in that, in, in that original bill, it actually define what those, um, ingredients are. Yes, it does. And in this one it doesn't. Am I not seeing where those in, in ingredients are labeled in this legislation?

  ▶ Watch at 2:47:39

• H.B. 493 Consumer Products Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Asks to confirm that the bill has not been changed from what passed in committee.

  Read what they said

  So I just wanna make sure, because it was a pretty, you know, debated bill and I wanna make sure we're not changing what was, you know, passed in committee.

  ▶ Watch at 2:48:41

• S.B. 181 School Discipline Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Moves to concur in the House changes to S.B. 181, saying they were based on funding and required changing the implementation date.

  Read what they said

  Escamilla. Thank You Mr. President. Motion to concur The changes were based on funding, so we have to change implementation date. Those are the changes.

  ▶ Watch at 3:42:01

• H.B. 259 Parental Access to Children's Medical Records Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks the sponsor to explain the exceptions to parental access, including child abuse and emancipated minors, and how facilities would know and what process applies.

  Read what they said

  Thank you. So on the, just try and understand the process for protecting those, um, I think you ex, uh, the good sponsor explain what are the exceptions? Um, so a child abuse or, um, if the child's emancipated, are there specific, um, requirements for them? Do they have a timeline to show those documents? How would the facility know that that is the case and what's that process looks like?

  ▶ Watch at 10:28

• H.B. 259 Parental Access to Children's Medical Records Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks whether a facility that turns over records by mistake, without knowing an exception applies, is still liable for a fine.

  Read what they said

  Thank you, Mr. President. So the fine is when the, the fine that's described in the legislation in the proposed legislation is only if the facility does not turn in those, um, records and no, do not follow the law, but if they turn them in by mistake because they didn't have the information that, you know, whatever the, those exceptions are, they're, are they still accountable for a fine at that point?

  ▶ Watch at 11:42

• H.B. 136 Unlicensed Driver Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks about a provision in the bill that increases a towing fine, and asks why it is being increased and where the money goes.

  Read what they said

  Thank you Mr. President Prote. Um, just as we are looking into the current fourth substitute, just to be clear mm-hmm. Um, there is a portion of a, uh, in the bill in it changes or increases the rate for the towing as a fine. Mm-hmm. Can you explain a little bit more the policy, why we're increasing that and where is that money going to?

  ▶ Watch at 1:15:10

• H.B. 136 Unlicensed Driver Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks to confirm that the fee is rising from $425 to $600 and asks where the increased administrative impound fee will go.

  Read what they said

  Senator Escamilla follow up? Yeah, Follow up question, Mr. President Prote. So just to be clear, we're increasing it to from $425 to $600, and where will that administrator pound fee go to? He wants to know where the Senator McKay, she wants to know where the increased fee will go to

  ▶ Watch at 1:15:58

• H.B. 136 Unlicensed Driver Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks what the Department of Health and Human Services reinstatement fee covers and what reinstatement means. · speaker not certain

  Read what they said

  Thank you to DHHS for reinstatement. I'm, I'm sorry. He said to DHHS for reinstatement DHHS. Just to clarify, Mr. President Prote Department of Health and Human Services Yes. And for reinstatement, can, can you expand on what that means?

  ▶ Watch at 1:16:19

• H.B. 136 Unlicensed Driver Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Says she is surprised the testing costs $600 and asks how the $425 to $600 fee was determined.

  Read what they said

  Okay. Thank you Mr. President Prote for that answer. I, I'm shocked that it will cost $600 to do that and I, I'm trying to figure out where that 425 to $600 per fee comes from. And just one follow up question about fees Mr.

  ▶ Watch at 1:16:55

• H.B. 136 Unlicensed Driver Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks where the $187 portion of the administrative impound fee, deposited into the Department of Public Safety restricted account, comes from.

  Read what they said

  in lines 3 42, it says, $187 of the administrative impound fee says under subsection seven, eight, um, nine A shall be deposited into the Department of Public Safety restricted account. Can you explain to me where that fee comes from?

  ▶ Watch at 1:17:14

• H.B. 48 Criminal and Juvenile Justice Changes · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Asks a question of the sponsor of amendment one.

  Read what they said

  Yes. Thank you Mr. President. Question to the sponsor of the motion to amend Senator Weiler.

  ▶ Watch at 1:25:59

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From the official recordings' automatic captions, with speakers and summaries identified by AI. Use the ▶ links to check the recording before you rely on a quote.

How they voted

Their full voting record, attendance, and party-line score are still being compiled from the official roll calls. Each bill page shows their vote on that bill.

Bills they sponsored

• S.B. 124 Child Welfare Modifications · Did not pass
• S.B. 147 Office of Inspector General of Medicaid Services Amendments · Governor Signed
• S.B. 180 School Nutrition Amendments · Did not pass
• S.B. 181 School Discipline Amendments · Governor Signed
• S.B. 188 Construction Trades Education Amendments · Did not pass
• S.B. 214 Home-based Childcare Solutions · Did not pass
• S.B. 239 State Homeless Campus Amendments · Did not pass
• S.B. 246 Utah Homeless Services Board Amendments · Did not pass
• S.B. 248 Child Care Expansion Act · Did not pass
• S.B. 279 State Homeless Campus Neighbor Tax Credit · Did not pass
• S.B. 285 Uninsured Children Dental Care Amendments · Did not pass
• S.B. 286 Interior Designer Amendments · Governor Signed
• S.J.R. 11 Joint Resolution Recognizing National Blood Donor Month · Senate/ to Lieutenant Governor

Carried in the Senate as floor sponsor

• H.B. 148 Tax Return Donation Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 277 Traditional Healing Amendments · Did not pass
• H.B. 345 Victim Amendments · Did not pass
• H.B. 351 School Vision Screening Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 453 Unspent Funding Amendments · Did not pass
• H.B. 559 Pregnancy and Infant Loss Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.B. 590 Child Therapy Amendments · Governor Signed
• H.J.R. 4 Resolution Regarding Prison Security and Successful Inmate Reentry · House/ to Lieutenant Governor

About

In office since

January 1, 2009

Counties

Salt Lake

Profession

Banker, Business Consultant

Affiliations

University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science (board member); Regence Caring Foundation (board member); Utah Health Policy Project (board member); Autism Council of Utah (board member); National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials; National Women's Law Center Leadership Cohort

Education

B.S., Business Marketing, University of Utah; M.P.A., University of Utah

Honors and awards

Pete Suazo Memorial Award

Committees

• Executive Appropriations Committee
• Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee
• Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee
• Health and Human Services Interim Committee
• Judiciary Interim Committee
• Retirement and Independent Entities Interim Committee
• General Oversight Committee
• Legislative Audit Subcommittee
• Senate Business and Labor Confirmation Committee
• Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel
• Senate Education Confirmation Committee
• Senate Health and Human Services Confirmation Committee
• Senate Judiciary Confirmation Committee
• Senate Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Confirmation Committee
• Legislative Process Committee
• Legislative Management Committee
• Medical Cannabis Governance Structure Working Group
• Native American Legislative Liaison Committee
• Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Coordination Committee
• Senate Revenue and Taxation Confirmation Committee
• Senate Legislative Expenses Oversight Committee
• Veterans and Military Affairs Commission
• Senate Ethics Committee
• Senate Health and Human Services Committee
• Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee
• Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee
• Senate Rules Committee
• Subcommittee on Oversight
• Utah Behavioral Health Legislative Policy Committee

Profile details come from the Utah Legislature's official legislator data.