Derrin R. Owens

• H.B. 444 State Land Access Road Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Moves an amendment to the second substitute bill.

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  Thank you Mr. President. I'd like to move, uh, amendment to rein. My name on second substitute house Bill. Four. Four four.

  ▶ Watch at 55:14

• H.B. 444 State Land Access Road Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains the amendment changes 'consultation' to 'coordinating' so the wildlife division works with the county legislative body before closing roads permanently.

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  Yes. It's real short. It's a one word change, but, uh, rather than consultation, this change is to coordinating. We wanted to make sure the, um, wildlife division was working in coordination with the county, um, legislative body before closing these roads permanently.

  ▶ Watch at 55:38

• H.B. 240 Carbon Dioxide System Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains that H.B. 240 requires the Utah Fire Prevention Board to set up a licensing and certification program for large carbon dioxide systems, notes support from fire groups, and says it does not apply to restaurants or small portable tanks; then opens for questions and, with no questions, turns to a motion.

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  President Most states have a, a certification system in place for large carbon dioxide, uh, systems, uh, to manage those systems. And, uh, in proposing this, uh, the Utah Fire Chiefs Fire Marshals Association of Utah Joint Council, Ophir Service organizations are in support. This helps ensure safety of employees and customers and first responders working around. These are the very large type of carbon dioxide enrich enrichment systems. It doesn't apply to restaurants or small portable CO2 tanks as they don't qualify, uh, by existing code. They don't contain enough CO2 to present hazardous when leaking. So this, uh, requires the Utah Fire Prevention Board to establish a licensing and certification program for certain carbon dioxide systems. That's what …

  ▶ Watch at 2:04:45

• H.B. 420 Municipal Office Vacancy Modifications · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Says the bill is a better alternative to repeated coin tosses and supports it, sharing a story about a card game in 1800s Arizona that decided ownership of a ranch and gave the town of Show Low its name.

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  Mr. President, I, uh, actually like the, the, this idea of, um, instead of going 12 rounds of coin toss, think of the last person they have the best chance to get in versus the one who had to win their way all the way across. But, but I want to, um, share a little story about, this is, uh, d deuces card deuce clubs. I was raised in show Low Arizona. Two two words show low and I wanna, um, tell you about what Senator Fillmore just mentioned. Marion Clark and Cro and Croy and e Cooley owned a hundred thousand acres. This is back in the 18 hundreds when the way you settled a dispute was with a …

  ▶ Watch at 2:06:07

• H.B. 495 Capital Felony Case Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Sen. Owens supports the bill, citing long death penalty timelines, the impact on victims' families and taxpayers, and deterrence.

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  Thank you President. A rise, support of the bill a, um, have a, a prison in my district and I have an county attorney who asked for this exact thing to speed this up because this sentence, the most severe of any on the planet is supposed to be a deterrent. And it is, but not if it takes 33 years and it's not justice for the victim or their families or the taxpayer when it's gone on. We're 11 years over. We like to lead the nation in, in statistics and this is one we can do a lot better, uh, in, in addressing So I applaud the work of, of this bill and hope that, yeah, in the …

  ▶ Watch at 2:47:57

• H.B. 212 County Formation Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Explains a no vote, saying the bill would split a rural county and that he already represents ten counties and does not need another.

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  Thank you President. I just want to rise and explain my vote. Um, we have, uh, split a rural, another rural county if that's what is seems to be intended here. I, uh, 85% of our legislature reside in four counties and I, uh, and many of my rural colleagues cover many counties. I I have 10 counties now and don't need another one. Um, so I'll be a no thank you.

  ▶ Watch at 3:13:12

• H.B. 144 School Community Council Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Describes the bill as addressing energy project planning, noting that large projects are often placed on valley floors rather than mountainsides or high elevations, which brings some conflict.

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  Thank you Mr. President. This, uh, bill has to do with planning for energy. Um, when we build large energy projects, they most of the time end up in the valley floors. Make sense? So we're not building these big structures on the mountain sides or at high elevation. And with that brings a little bit of conflict.

  ▶ Watch at 1:34:11

• H.B. 412 Energy Development Planning Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Presents H.B. 412, which requires consultation with the Division of Wildlife Resources as part of local government approval of utility-scale solar and wind power plants, without giving the division licensing authority, to protect wildlife corridors and migration paths.

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  And with that brings a little bit of conflict. And so what this bill does is it requires consultation with the Division of Wildlife Resources as part, part of a local, uh, government approval, uh, for utility set scale, solar, wind power plants. And, and this will, doesn't give the Division of Wildlife Resources, the ability licensing authority. They can't, uh, shut a project down, but they can consult with the energy developers so that they don't disrupt habitat, uh, corridors or, you know, where the animals might be moving through in the winter times. Um, so it, it's a wise move forward and, uh, and what they can do is the wildlife resources will come back and get plans. …

  ▶ Watch at 1:34:32

• H.B. 412 Energy Development Planning Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Moves to delete the body of H.B. 412 and replace it with first substitute H.B. 412.

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  Okay. I would move to delete Title Body House bill four 12 and replace it with first substitute House bill four 12.

  ▶ Watch at 1:36:19

• H.B. 472 Division of Licensing and Background Checks Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Presents H.B. 472, which would prevent a person who controlled a provider whose license was revoked from continuing the same services under a different name, ownership structure, or through a close family member.

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  House Bill 4 7 72 Strengthens Utah's ability to remove bad actors from the professional Health and Human services, uh, department, particularly those serving individuals with disabilities. When a provider's license is revoked for serious violations, this bill ensures that the individual who actually controlled or influenced the provider cannot continue operating the same services under a different name or ownership structure or through a close family. So associate the goal goal of this bill is clear those responsible for misconduct cannot sidestep enforcement and continue serving our vulnerable clients. That's what the bill does present with that. I would call the question.

  ▶ Watch at 20:16

• H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Begins remarks on H.B. 78, nuclear regulatory amendments, calling it a significant bill.

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  Thank you Mr. President Pro Tem. Um, with Utah, looking to the future, this is a significant bill

  ▶ Watch at 1:07:15

• H.B. 78 Nuclear Regulatory Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Presents H.B. 78 to create a nuclear energy regulatory office, grant rulemaking and fee authority, and seek expanded NRC agreement status for Utah.

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  this is a significant bill that helps establish a new nuclear energy regulatory office within the division of waste management and radiation control. This will oversee the nuclear energy activities in Utah. It grants the division rulemaking authority allows licensing and oversight fees, directs the state to pursue expanded agreement status with the NRC. So Utah can assume greater regulatory control into nuclear technologies. We all know, uh, energy's been a top priority for this body and uh, this helps set up that new regulatory framework so that if and when the, the National Regulatory Nuclear Regulatory Commission Grants Authority, Utah will be in, um, good position to assume that. So it creates the, the office. It centralizes nuclear oversight, …

  ▶ Watch at 1:07:21

• H.B. 78 Nuclear Regulatory Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Explains that the substitute clarifies that high-level nuclear waste placement in part three does not apply to nuclear fuel activities regulated by the division, sets performance objectives, and addresses full nuclear cycle facility siting.

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  Yes. This just expand. What it does is, uh, identifies uh, in part three the placement of high level nuclear waste that does not apply to nuclear fuel activities regulated to the divisions, uh, makes that clarification, sets some performance objectives and um, the full nuclear cycle facility siting.

  ▶ Watch at 1:09:57

• H.B. 78 Nuclear Regulatory Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Explains that the section does not apply to interim storage of waste from specified federal, test reactor, state-owned, or licensed projects.

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  Well, so you're talking the exemptions. This part does not apply to the interim storage of nuclear waste. If the waste, is that what you're talking from there? Yes. It's produced from the precedent.

  ▶ Watch at 1:10:51

• H.B. 78 Nuclear Regulatory Amendments · Senate floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Reads the exemption language covering waste from certain U.S. Department of Energy projects, test reactors, state-owned facilities, and projects licensed by the division.

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  So if it's, uh, if it's from this, this part does not apply to interim storage of nuclear waste. If the waste is produced from a project authorized by the United States Department of Energy, uh, is from a test reactor is produced at a facility owned by the state, the project described permitted and licensed by the division under this title,

  ▶ Watch at 1:11:02

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