Clinton Okerlund

• H.B. 308 Homeless Services Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Sponsor says the Senate amendments, developed with input from a Sandy representative and others, allow municipalities to temporarily expand congregate shelter bed capacity and change how local tax revenues are distributed, and recommends concurrence.

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  Yes. The Senate amendments are actually house amendments that we got the Senate to do for us once it was over there. So, uh, we should like these, uh, Representative Eliason, uh, from the representative from Sandy, the representative from Provo and who will soon be the homeless services coordinator and I, and, uh, various other organizations, were able to take some of the best parts of representative from Sandy's bill and put it into my bill to make it an extra great bill. Um, it permits municipality at their own discretion to allow a temporary expansion of a congregate shelter's bed capacity, and it changes, um, some provisions relating to a local government's tax revenue distributions. And, uh, recommend …

  ▶ Watch at 1:32:45

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Presents HB 409, which would let a teacher or state employee who serves in the Legislature choose between their regular employment and retirement plan or legislative leave pay and retirement, but not both, and says a second substitute would allow people already paid for both to keep that arrangement.

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  Thank you Mr. Chair. Thank you. Committee. I was traveling with a fellow legislator over the interim and, uh, talked to him about his job as a school teacher and found that while we're in session, not only is he doing a great job legislating, but he's also correcting papers at night, preparing lesson plans, uh, giving instructions to substitute teachers. And, uh, and then I learned that he, his retirement is put on hold while he does this as a teacher. Uh, he'll have to work probably several years longer in his career because of his legislative service. And it occurred to me that there ought to be a way to, uh, not have his, uh, teacher retirement put …

  ▶ Watch at 33:01

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Clarifies that the bill does not allow teachers to be paid twice for legislative service except for people who already have arrangements with their employers to do both, and says the bill aims to avoid penalizing state employees for their service.

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  Uh, thank you very much. I I appreciate the public input on this. Um, I, I I do want to clarify that this does not allow for, uh, somebody who is, is a teacher to also be paid for their legislative service or, or there's no double-dipping in that sense allowed other than, than what's specified in the substitute for those people that are already, uh, have an arrangement with their employer to do both. But, um, it is a service and, and I think probably most of us know how much it's, uh, been a sacrifice to our careers and our families and other people. But this is to try to make it a little less of a pain …

  ▶ Watch at 37:23

• H.B. 328 Water Usage Modifications · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Okerlund introduced the bill, saying it addresses outdoor water use for new municipal and institutional development and does not require removing existing turf or affecting existing residential property.

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  for substitute House Bill 3 28 water usage modification. And I'm gonna Okay. Invite a guest here with me. Alright. We'll pass around your handout for committee members if they want. Great, bill. Thank you. How long Mr. Chair? The Great Salt Lake Basin is experiencing rapid population growth with a limited water supply. This means that we need to be smart about how we use the water that we have available to us. And, uh, a part of that is addressed in this bill, which is, um, our municipal institutional type of, uh, use outside. To be clear, this, this bill does not contemplate ripping out anything. It doesn't, uh, with existing developments. It doesn't, uh, it doesn't touch …

  ▶ Watch at 38:34

• H.B. 341 Animal Fighting Penalties · Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Introduced the bill and turned the presentation over to Steve Hiatt.

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  Thank you Mr. Chair and Committee. It strikes me how efficient you are here in this committee, and I, uh, don't want to, uh, ruin your record. So, uh, without further ado, I will introduce you to my friend Steve, and he'll introduce himself.

  ▶ Watch at 1:09:43

• H.B. 341 Animal Fighting Penalties · Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Commented that the bill creates a law he would have assumed already existed in this form.

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  Uh, I'll make the comment that this, uh, this, this creates the law that I would've assumed that it existed, uh, in this form already had I, I not been told otherwise. So with that, I'll we'll take questions. Thank you.

  ▶ Watch at 1:11:05

• H.B. 581 Autonomous Vehicle Amendments · House Transportation Committee · Mar 2, 2026

  Asked whether the second substitute would remove the roughly $2 million fiscal note tied to the fund.

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  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, looking at the fiscal note, if we move the second substitute, does it get rid of that 2 million or so of That's right. This. Okay. Thank you. Uh, could you, uh, could you ask that question again? I didn't hear that it's, Yeah. So I was looking at the fiscal note, it's just over $2 million and, uh, a lot of that is the fund that I, I thought the representative had said was going to be removed when he adopts a second substitute On the floor. So,

  ▶ Watch at 32:11

• H.B. 581 Autonomous Vehicle Amendments · House Transportation Committee · Mar 2, 2026

  Moved to pass H.B. 581 first substitute out favorably.

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  I move that we, uh, do we need to adopt this sub? No, I move that we adopt HB 5 81 first sub. You mean pass out? Pass out. Sorry. Pass out HB 5 81 favorably.

  ▶ Watch at 44:40

• H.B. 581 Autonomous Vehicle Amendments · House Transportation Committee · Mar 2, 2026

  Said he would support the bill here and on the floor if the sponsor commits to removing the GOEO language.

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  it sounds like if you're gonna make a commitment to, uh, taking that language out, I think you're gonna get support and I'll support it here and on the floor. Thank you.

  ▶ Watch at 49:43

• H.B. 308 Homeless Services Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 37) · Feb 26, 2026

  Presents H.B. 308, which makes the state homeless coordinator a governor appointee, refines the office's duties and boards, and requires an annual budget and statewide strategic plan.

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  Thank you. Um, house Bill 3 0 8, uh, updates and clarifies the structure, authority and accountability for the Utah Office of Homeless Services. It makes the state homeless coordinator a direct appointee of the governor, uh, who would serve as the chief administrative o officer of the office and an advisor to the governor on homelessness issues. It also refines the duties of the office, the coordinator, and the homeless service board and related advisory boards to strengthen statewide coordination and oversight. It requires an annual comprehensive homeless service budget and a statewide strategic plan with specific goals and measurable benchmarks. With that, uh, Mr. President pro tem, I will yield any questions?

  ▶ Watch at 57:58

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026

  Moves to adopt the first substitute to H.B. 409 and says the substitute makes clear that double-dipping is not allowed.

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  Mr. Speaker Pro Tim, I move to adopt the first substitute Motion is still first substitute house bill 4 0 9. We'd like to speak to it. Yes. Um, it was always the intention to make it clear that this does not allow for double dipping if you choose to. Uh, and it'll be explained later. The double dipping was never, never meant to be allowed. However, after committee, if I looked at this exactly the right way, I could see that maybe that language was unclear. This makes it very clear that double-dipping is not allowed.

  ▶ Watch at 38:15

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026

  Says the bill makes clear that double-dipping is not allowed, because the earlier language after committee was unclear.

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  4 0 9. We'd like to speak to it. Yes. Um, it was always the intention to make it clear that this does not allow for double dipping if you choose to. Uh, and it'll be explained later. The double dipping was never, never meant to be allowed. However, after committee, if I looked at this exactly the right way, I could see that maybe that language was unclear. This makes it very clear that double-dipping is not allowed.

  ▶ Watch at 38:22

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026

  Says the bill lets teachers and state employees who become legislators keep their existing salary and benefits or move to legislative benefits, but not both.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker. I was traveling one time with a, a member of our body who is also a school teacher. And the conversation eventually led to how do you do it and how do you be a school teacher and how do you, uh, be, be a legislator. And the answer, uh, saddened and concerned me because, uh, the answer was I go home. I grade papers, I prepare lesson plans, I prepare for the substitute teachers to be able to cover my material, and then I get to work on my legislative duties. And, uh, it it, and it sounded like a lot. And then I learned, uh, that in addition to the extra work, uh, by …

  ▶ Watch at 39:08

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026

  Explains that the bill lets teachers and state employees keep their current benefits and salary or move to legislative benefits, but not both, and says this protects their retirement accrual.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker. I was traveling one time with a, a member of our body who is also a school teacher. And the conversation eventually led to how do you do it and how do you be a school teacher and how do you, uh, be, be a legislator. And the answer, uh, saddened and concerned me because, uh, the answer was I go home. I grade papers, I prepare lesson plans, I prepare for the substitute teachers to be able to cover my material, and then I get to work on my legislative duties. And, uh, it it, and it sounded like a lot. And then I learned, uh, that in addition to the extra work, uh, by …

  ▶ Watch at 39:08

• H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026

  Answers that the bill covers only benefits and that any difference in benefit levels would be reimbursed by the legislature.

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  So it allows the mr speaker, it allows the, uh, employee to stay on their current salary with their current benefits without, um, without having to transition over. And if there is a true up between that level of benefits and, uh, what's provided by the legislature, this, the body, the Senate or the House would reimburse, for example, the LEA for that small differential.

  ▶ Watch at 41:12

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