Legislators / Mark A. Strong
Mark A. Strong
Republican · House District 47
Hear from them directly
Contact Rep. Mark A. Strong
- Email: mstrong@le.utah.gov
- Phone: 385-275-5682
- Office: 2628 CLYDESDALE CIR, BLUFFDALE, UT, 84065
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Watch or join a meeting
Every committee hearing and floor session is open to the public and streamed live on le.utah.gov. Each committee's agenda has the link to watch or join online, and how to sign up for public comment.
Mark A. Strong serves on:
- Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee
- House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
- House Revenue and Taxation Committee
- Government Operations Interim Committee
- Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee
What they've said
163 remarks on 40 billsH.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Explains that the substitutes give owners of property in another county a three-year period to decide whether to sell it, pay the tax, or agree with the county on how tax is paid, and that transportation reinvestment language was removed.
▶ Watch at 36:04Read what they said
Yes, I would. Um, so when the bill left here, we made, it's actually had a couple substitutes. Um, this is regarding counties purchasing property in other counties and, um, we added three years so that if you own a property in another county, you have a three year, say previous to this bill, you have a three year period where you can decide what you wanna do with that, that property, um, whether you wanna sell it or, or pay the tax on it or make an agreement with the county on how tax should be paid. Um, and then there was just, uh, they took out some language, uh, that about transportation, uh, that wasn't needed. Uh, transportation …
S.B. 305 Hospital Quality Incentive Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Asks the sponsor to yield for a question.
▶ Watch at 1:14:15Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the sponsor yield to a Question Representative? Les? And will you yield?
S.B. 305 Hospital Quality Incentive Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Asks how changes to the federal law known as HR 1 would affect the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:14:21Read what they said
Thank you. Um, if the one big beautiful bill or the provisions in that bill change, how would it affect this piece of legislation?
H.B. 183 Sex Designation Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Presented the bill, saying it changes the word gender to sex throughout the code based on the drafting attorney's guidance, with exceptions such as references to the Utah Compact.
▶ Watch at 1:19:04Read what they said
Thank you chair and committee. A few of you on this committee, a couple anyway that I've don't know, haven't met and some I've talked to a number of times. So, uh, if you're ready for me, I guess I should have asked that. Yes, the time's yours. Thanks. And we can go very quickly here. Um, maybe some of you have watched this bill. It's much, much, much, much, many, more, much is different now than it was. Um, I know there were some things that were a bit divisive, uh, to start. Um, this is, uh, directly from the, uh, the drafting attorney. I said, could you just gimme a couple little things about this bill? And I …
H.B. 183 Sex Designation Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Said some sections involving agreements such as the Utah Compact are not changed and that the bill creates consistency across the code.
▶ Watch at 1:21:30Read what they said
There are a couple of sections that, um, that involve say some agreements that have been made, uh, such as the Utah Compact and other things like that. And I apologize. I um, I inherited this bill just a couple of days ago, but, um, yeah, in, in the, the, uh, sections of code where it's used just in, in regular, I don't even know if regular is the right word, um, uh, anywhere where it's not specific to the, the meaning of the bill, again regarding the Utah Compact and others. So yeah, it just creates, uh, um, some unity across the code with a word that we have defined. And that's probably not a great definition. We may …
H.B. 183 Sex Designation Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Said he did not know the exact number, that drafters have used the terms interchangeably, and that the intent is to use the defined term sex.
▶ Watch at 1:23:14Read what they said
So yeah, it goes back, um, in fact, the drafting attorney told me they have a, an instructional book they use and there's some direction in that book from several years ago and it says you can use the words interchangeably. And so, um, so the intent here is to say, okay, since we have a de of definition of sex, let's not, anyway, that's, I wish I had some real detail for you.
H.B. 183 Sex Designation Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Said the intent is to clarify terms in the code and asked the committee to move the bill forward while deferring to the committee.
▶ Watch at 1:37:00Read what they said
Uh, representative summation on the, Um, yeah, as you mentioned, some of those heartaches, uh, took place long before I was involved. Um, I know that our drafting attorneys, uh, do their very best. The intention of the bill is to make clarity in the code so that, uh, so that, I mean, someone had mentioned in comments that, uh, that sex and gender are different. And I agree with that, and it, it, I think in, when I was young, it really wasn't. And today we know it is different. It's the terms change over time. And so this is an attempt to, to clarify that in code across the board. And I think, uh, that our, our good …
S.B. 248 Child Care Expansion Act · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Says the bill has come before the House in past years and that unused state facilities should be sold; urges a vote against it.
▶ Watch at 25:17Read what they said
Strong. Thank, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, we've, we've actually seen this bill a few years in a row, and if we have facilities that aren't being used, they should be sold. Um, typically these are in tr high traffic areas. I think this is, this is, uh, the same policy that we voted down, I think two, maybe three years. And I, uh, I'm not sure it's, I I, I'm sure, but, uh, I'll say it's not the right policy for us. And I, I would, uh, propose we vote against it. Thank you.
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks whether the sponsor will yield to a question.
▶ Watch at 41:22Read what they said
Thank you. Uh, as the, uh, well, will the sponsor yield to a Question Representative Stevie? Listen, will you yield to a question?
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks why the bill requires a registration payment of four times the amount for a lifetime registration.
▶ Watch at 41:32Read what they said
Thank you. As, as the sponsor of the greatest trailer bill in history, which was no registration at all. Um, I, my question is, why did we come up on four times? So you pay, you got, uh, you gotta register your trailer and you have to pay four times the amount of the registration, and it's good for a lifetime. Uh, thank, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks whether there would be a refund if a trailer owner sold the trailer within the registration period.
▶ Watch at 43:08Read what they said
Thank you. Mr. Speaker. One other question. If say someone was to sell their trailer inside that four years, would there have been any sort of refund?
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Says he supports the bill and would have preferred a lower fee.
▶ Watch at 43:19Read what they said
Thank you. Well, um, we are where we are and I'm supportive of the legislation. Uh, wish that it was times one, but, uh, maybe, maybe I can run a bill like that some other year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Opposes the amendment and supports the underlying bill, saying he has concerns about the product and asked his child about using it.
▶ Watch at 1:27:48Read what they said
Yeah, thank you. Um, I also am in opposition. I circled it originally thinking, uh, not quite understanding as I looked into it in the last few minutes and over the last year or so. Um, I, I don't like the product. In fact, after learning a little more about it, I reached out to my children. I have one in particular that goes to health food stores and works out and, and I said, Hey, hey, have you used this product? And he goes, no, dad, never. And I was so grateful to hear that. So I'm, I'm opposed to the, uh, the amendment and in favor of the underlying bill. Thank you.
S.B. 91 Motor Vehicle Registration Services Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks the sponsor to yield to a question.
▶ Watch at 2:32:17Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker with the sponsor yield to a question. Representative Bollinger, will you yield?
S.B. 91 Motor Vehicle Registration Services Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks whether the black license plate fee is increasing and whether that money is tied to something specific.
▶ Watch at 2:32:24Read what they said
Thank you. The, the black license plate, um, fee is increasing. Excuse me? Is that money tied to something specific or is that State General just increasing that because of its popularity?
S.B. 91 Motor Vehicle Registration Services Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks whether the 21 counties receiving additional funding are connected to the black license plate revenue.
▶ Watch at 2:32:58Read what they said
Okay. So, uh, Mr. Speaker, is there any connection between the 21 counties that are, uh, receiving some additional funding where they weren't before and the license plate? Or is it just, uh, same kinda concept in the bill and they're just included together?
H.B. 183 Sex Designation Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Presents H.B. 183 as a technical bill that changes references to gender in state code to sex, noting that earlier provisions were removed and that it does not affect policy.
▶ Watch at 50:44Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I thought we were gonna get circled all day long and we didn't. Finally. So this bill has come a long way, uh, and I inherited it just recently. Um, simply stated, what this bill does is takes the word, uh, there's, there's two words that we used to use interchangeably, sex and gender. And now it changes all the references of gender in the code to sex because we have a definition of that where gender, uh, as we all know is, is a word that has much different meanings today than it did uh, 10, 20, 30 years ago. When, uh, when we were, uh, making, uh, laws back then. In fact, I talked …
H.B. 479 Election Code Modifications · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Asks the sponsor to yield for a question on how to opt in.
▶ Watch at 1:26:36Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair with the sponsor. Yield to a question, please. Representative Burton, will you yield to a question?
H.B. 479 Election Code Modifications · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Asks what locations or ways exist to opt in.
▶ Watch at 1:26:44Read what they said
Thank you. Uh, so what are the different ways to opt in? I know you have to opt in every eight years, but what locations or ways can I do that?
H.B. 185 Carbon Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Asks whether carbon credits are a real property right, since they seem to be a made-up concept driven by environmental policy.
▶ Watch at 51:16Read what they said
This could be a question for, uh, the, the gentleman there, or even the one before. And I don't claim to understand all the details of carbon credits, like, like, uh, the treasurer Representative Shelley does, but, and others, but it, in my somewhat ignorant view of this, it seems to be like made up property rights. Um, they seem to be driven by an environmental push. And how do you, what's your thought on this as far as it actually being a property? Right. Um, you know, so my wife, she grew up on a farm. They have five, 6,000 acres of farm up in Idaho. And, you know, physical property is a real thing. We believe in that, …
H.B. 185 Carbon Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Expresses concern that carbon credits can be sold and could put Utah at a disadvantage.
▶ Watch at 53:56Read what they said
Yeah. And, and I guess to that, I would say, um, I wish, I guess there's a part of me, again, not understanding this entirely, that wishes that you couldn't sell those or monetize those because they can put Utah, if I, again, please, I may be speaking totally out of turn, but it can put Utah at a terrible disadvantage at some point for some property, right? With my air quotes that is, is, is completely made up. And I realize it's made up, but it's also real. I, I mean, I say make believe, but maybe also real. Um, and it just concerns me that people could be selling off, uh, an asset that could be extremely valuable …
H.B. 185 Carbon Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says he is not against ownership but is concerned that a large landowner could sell credits and leave the state in a difficult position.
▶ Watch at 55:06Read what they said
If I understood what you were saying, Well, I'm not, not necessarily, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be some ownership, but, um, I would be concerned somebody that has vast numbers of acres could sell this off and, and put, put the state at a really difficult spot. Um, I do understand property rights though, and, and I'm just really have a hard time understanding how this is a property, right. Um, it's associated with acreage and it's, I don't know, it's interesting to me.
H.B. 185 Carbon Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Comments that foreign entities are restricted from buying Utah land and asks who could purchase carbon credits and where they might go.
▶ Watch at 1:05:09Read what they said
Yeah. Um, it kinda goes back to what, uh, um, Representative Christofferson was saying. I mean, we've, we've made some moves here to keep foreign entities from purchasing land in Utah. Um, I'm actually running a bill right now that would put some handcuffs on a county that wants to buy property in another county. And here we have a, again, I got my air quotes, you know, property of some type, and we, we have no idea you could sell it to China or Russia or Kazakhstan or, or, you know, or even a crazy place like California. So that, that's kind of my concern is we have this, this property, it's, it's, if it is property and we …
H.B. 185 Carbon Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Supports the bill and says carbon credits could be tracked on a property map as land records are.
▶ Watch at 1:17:47Read what they said
Strong. Yeah. Thank you. I I couldn't agree more with rep Representative Eliason, right? Did I pronounce that right? No. Um, oh, sorry. Um, you know, I have an app on my phone, it's called Reg Grid, and there's probably other apps like this too. And I can open up my phone and look at any property, most any property. There's a few that can be private and I can see who owns that property. Um, and, and the physical, and it shows the boundaries around the property. I can look at, you know, the, my property and my neighbors and all of yours, unless you've hidden it somehow. And, and I think this kind of gives us an opportunity. …
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks the sponsor to yield to a series of questions about the bill.
▶ Watch at 16:53Read what they said
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker with the sponsor yield to, uh, question or two? Representative Shelley, will you yield to a series of questions?
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks the sponsor to yield to a series of questions about the bill.
▶ Watch at 16:53Read what they said
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker with the sponsor yield to, uh, question or two? Representative Shelley, will you yield to a series of questions?
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks whether the bill would reduce the service requirement for dispatchers from 30 years to 20 years.
▶ Watch at 17:08Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, um, just be sure I understand. Uh, dispatcher currently works for 30 years, um, to receive their retirement or their pension. So this would decrease it to 20 years.
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks whether the dispatcher service requirement would decrease from 30 years to 20 years.
▶ Watch at 17:08Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, um, just be sure I understand. Uh, dispatcher currently works for 30 years, um, to receive their retirement or their pension. So this would decrease it to 20 years.
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Confirms the understanding that the change applies only to wildland fire dispatchers and asks how the lifetime pension would work after 20 years.
▶ Watch at 17:42Read what they said
Okay. So just the wildland fire dispatchers. So it decreases there. Um, and then let's say this was to pass, they would work for 20 years and they would have then a pension that would last the rest of their life.
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Confirms the understanding that the change applies only to wildland fire dispatchers and asks what percentage the pension would be compared with firefighters.
▶ Watch at 17:42Read what they said
Okay. So just the wildland fire dispatchers. So it decreases there. Um, and then let's say this was to pass, they would work for 20 years and they would have then a pension that would last the rest of their life. Yes. And can what percentage does that pension? Is it the same as what the firefighters in that make? Or, or maybe you can just tell me the exact number. I'm not sure what it is.
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks what percentage the pension would be and whether it matches what firefighters receive.
▶ Watch at 18:00Read what they said
Yes. And can what percentage does that pension? Is it the same as what the firefighters in that make? Or, or maybe you can just tell me the exact number. I'm not sure what it is.
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks whether the substitute changed the bill's scope from all dispatchers to wildland fire dispatchers only.
▶ Watch at 18:29Read what they said
Okay. Um, thank you Mr. Speaker. And then another question. Did the substitute change it from all to just the wildland fire or was it all beforehand?
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Asks whether the substitute changed the bill from all dispatchers to only wildland fire dispatchers.
▶ Watch at 18:29Read what they said
Okay. Um, thank you Mr. Speaker. And then another question. Did the substitute change it from all to just the wildland fire or was it all beforehand?
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Expresses concern that the pension could become a long-term cost to taxpayers and that dispatchers are not on the front line, and shares his family's experience with pensions and military service.
▶ Watch at 18:47Read what they said
Okay. Thank you. Um, representatives, I, I struggle with these kind of bills. We have a, a, a pension and I was told that the pension's fully funded for the fire and that, but if something happens down the road and our economy weakens or, uh, you know, the, the funds go down, um, then taxpayers will continue to pay this. If my 401k goes down, I just have to work it out myself. Um, in my, my little mind, I, I picture a 20-year-old taking a job doing this dispatching work, and when they hit 40, now they're on a pension for the rest of their life, potentially 30, 40, maybe 50 years. And I see that being a, …
H.B. 496 Forestry and Fire Amendments · House floor debate (day 38) · Feb 27, 2026
Says he struggles with the bill because pension costs could fall on taxpayers over the long term, and compares it with his father's Air Force pension and the danger faced by firefighters versus dispatchers.
▶ Watch at 18:47Read what they said
Okay. Thank you. Um, representatives, I, I struggle with these kind of bills. We have a, a, a pension and I was told that the pension's fully funded for the fire and that, but if something happens down the road and our economy weakens or, uh, you know, the, the funds go down, um, then taxpayers will continue to pay this. If my 401k goes down, I just have to work it out myself. Um, in my, my little mind, I, I picture a 20-year-old taking a job doing this dispatching work, and when they hit 40, now they're on a pension for the rest of their life, potentially 30, 40, maybe 50 years. And I see that being a, …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 26, 2026
Presented House Bill 445 and its second substitute, describing a requirement that counties reach a memorandum of understanding or legislative action before buying land in another county, plus a three-year tax transition for existing properties.
▶ Watch at 1:19:41Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee. Um, yes, we do have second substitute and, um, I don't know if you adopt that up front or on the back end. You tell me your preference. I think at this point, let's just move forward. Uh, why don't you go ahead and speak to two and then when we get the whole committee paying attention, we can, we can adopt your sub. Okay, sounds good. Thank you. Okay. So, um, HPE 4 45, uh, is, uh, it, it was born from a, an issue where one county, um, was purchasing property in another county. And, um, there wasn't a discussion going on at first. And what the bill basically does is it, …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 26, 2026
Said he had a presentation prepared on the second substitute.
▶ Watch at 1:26:17Read what they said
I've got a five page, uh, presentation I'd like to give on this second Sub. With that, we'll place that
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 26, 2026
Offered a brief summation of the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:26:42Read what they said
I have a four page summary on this portion. Oh, Sorry. Four pages is okay. I'm just kidding. Okay.
S.B. 73 Online Age Verification Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Asks how the 33.3% adult-content threshold will be determined.
▶ Watch at 1:12:46Read what they said
Sorry. Thank you. Appreciate it. And I apologize if you said this already, how, how will that 33 and a third be? How are they gonna determine that?
S.B. 73 Online Age Verification Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Asks how the division will define what meets the 33.3% threshold.
▶ Watch at 1:13:49Read what they said
How do they define what meets the 33 to third that's gonna be established? So we're not, they'll have to that online and they will Yeah. Look at it now. That's why we, so, I, I get it.
S.B. 73 Online Age Verification Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Says the answers were helpful and that members are asking questions because none of them are experts.
▶ Watch at 1:17:37Read what they said
Yeah, I guess it's refreshing that none of us are experts here, so that's why we have to ask these questions.
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Moved to pass Senate Bill 190 out of committee with a favorable recommendation.
▶ Watch at 1:31:36Read what they said
Yeah, I'll move that. We pass out favorably. SB one 93rd sub. Yes. Taylor registration amendments with a favorable recommendation.
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Said the bill is a good idea, that the committee could consider a longer payment period for vehicles, and that he has a trailer that would qualify.
▶ Watch at 1:31:50Read what they said
No, I think we're good. Okay. To the members of the committee, I would like to say this is fantastic. Um, thank you for bringing this. I, I think this could actually be something we could look at for maybe vehicles and find a a point and say, you know, is it five years, it six years that you could pay on a vehicle? Maybe? I don't know. I I love this idea. 'cause I, I have a trailer that fits in this category and I'd love for the ability to have a, a, a tag that you pay for or five years, whatever the number is, and, uh, and never have to pay proper. Uh, so, uh, property tax …
S.B. 190 Trailer Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Moved to adjourn the meeting.
▶ Watch at 1:33:43Read what they said
We will, uh, entertain one final motion. Motion to adjourn. That is an un debatable motion. All in favor say aye. Aye.
H.B. 464 Parent Taught Driver Education Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Asks whether insurance companies have commented on parents teaching driving.
▶ Watch at 29:47Read what they said
Please forgive me if this has been asked previously, but have insurance companies chimed in on this at all as far as whether they're comfortable with parents doing this?
H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Asks whether the bill covers only benefits or anything else.
▶ Watch at 40:58Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker with the sponsor yield to question Sponsor yield? Yes, go Ahead. So is this just for benefits or does it include anything else? Like, uh, uh, anyway, just for benefits.
H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Asks whether the bill covers only benefits or anything else.
▶ Watch at 41:03Read what they said
is this just for benefits or does it include anything else? Like, uh, uh, anyway, just for benefits.
H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Asks whether a private-sector worker could have benefits and salary adjusted the same way.
▶ Watch at 41:42Read what they said
Uh, let me ask you another question. Go Ahead. Yes. Um, would this be available to me as well as a private worker? Could I have my benefits in my salary trued up?
H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Asks whether a private-sector worker could have benefits and salary trued up.
▶ Watch at 41:45Read what they said
Um, would this be available to me as well as a private worker? Could I have my benefits in my salary trued up?
H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Says he has no desire to adjust his own benefits, describes his commission sales job, and says he will speak against the bill.
▶ Watch at 42:19Read what they said
Thank you. Um, even if I de desire, I have no desire to do that. When I ran for this office, I realized that it would come at perhaps some peril to my job. I am a hundred percent commission salesperson. Um, last night I went home and sat at my computer from seven 30 till about 10 as I listened to, uh, the State of the Union address and answered emails and quotes, made an appointment to go to work, visit a customer of mine down in Springville Saturday morning. Um, we are all having to juggle these things. And maybe it's that sacrifice that, uh, makes us put a little extra effort into our work up here. We …
H.B. 409 Legislator Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Says he would speak against the bill, citing his commission-based job and the founders' sacrifice, and that it would apply to only a few people.
▶ Watch at 42:19Read what they said
Thank you. Um, even if I de desire, I have no desire to do that. When I ran for this office, I realized that it would come at perhaps some peril to my job. I am a hundred percent commission salesperson. Um, last night I went home and sat at my computer from seven 30 till about 10 as I listened to, uh, the State of the Union address and answered emails and quotes, made an appointment to go to work, visit a customer of mine down in Springville Saturday morning. Um, we are all having to juggle these things. And maybe it's that sacrifice that, uh, makes us put a little extra effort into our work up here. We …
S.B. 125 Theft Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Moved to pass SB 125 out favorably and said he thinks it is good policy.
▶ Watch at 1:38:40Read what they said
Yeah. Thank you. I, uh, move that we pass out favorable SB 1 25 to the floor. That's in order. Would you like to speak to it? Yeah, I mean, I, I, I'm just thinking of one my favorite, uh, musicals, stories of, of lera. Jean Veja goes to prison for a loaf of bread. It kind of feels a little bit like that. So for stealing a loaf of bread. So I think it's good policy.
S.B. 166 Line-of-Duty Death Benefit Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Rep. Strong said the bill is probably appropriate for the consent calendar and made that motion.
▶ Watch at 1:44:32Read what they said
Yeah. So, uh, I know we've done this to two Senate bills already. I know today. I know and it's against my better judgment, but, uh, this probably appropriate for the consent calendar. Yep. I make that motion. Any,
H.B. 432 Egg Amendments · House floor debate (day 34) · Feb 23, 2026
Asks whether small and large egg producers will be treated similarly when serving the same end users.
▶ Watch at 1:20:53Read what they said
Thank you. Uh, um, will the, the small egg producers be treated similarly to the large egg producers? So there's parody, I mean, I understand there's difference in between small and large, but, um, make sure that they're both kind of jumping over the same bar if they're providing to the same end users.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Moves to adopt the first substitute for H.B. 445.
▶ Watch at 20:37Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Uh, I'd like to move, substitute one of House Bill 4 45.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the substitute resolves some tax issues associated with the bill.
▶ Watch at 20:54Read what they said
Um, yeah, we, we, uh, addressed a couple little tax issues that were associated with the bill and substitute one clears those up.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the substitute addresses tax issues that were associated with the original bill.
▶ Watch at 20:54Read what they said
Um, yeah, we, we, uh, addressed a couple little tax issues that were associated with the bill and substitute one clears those up.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Explains that the bill requires a county buying land in another county to get formal approval from the county where the land is located, and sets how the land is taxed if the counties do not reach an agreement.
▶ Watch at 21:34Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, uh, what what we're trying to accomplish in this bill is alleviate some situations where one county is purchasing property in another county. So we had a situation with a couple of counties here, um, a while back where, um, one county had, uh, was going to purchase a ranch. The ranch was approximately 8,500 acres, but 2000 of those acres existed across the county line into another county. Well, it was gonna be purchased for purposes of conservation and a few things. And, and, uh, the county that wanted to purchase the process wa uh, the, the land was going through the purchase process, but the county where the land was being purchased had …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Explains that the bill requires a county buying property in another county to take formal action with the county where the property is located, and describes how property tax would apply.
▶ Watch at 21:34Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, uh, what what we're trying to accomplish in this bill is alleviate some situations where one county is purchasing property in another county. So we had a situation with a couple of counties here, um, a while back where, um, one county had, uh, was going to purchase a ranch. The ranch was approximately 8,500 acres, but 2000 of those acres existed across the county line into another county. Well, it was gonna be purchased for purposes of conservation and a few things. And, and, uh, the county that wanted to purchase the process wa uh, the, the land was going through the purchase process, but the county where the land was being purchased had …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says he understands the substitute gives counties that already own such property a year to reconcile with the county where the property is located.
▶ Watch at 24:50Read what they said
Yeah, that's a great question. Thank you. Um, so currently the way it's written in the sub is that the, uh, properties that are owned by other counties have a year to, um, to reconcile that with the county where they own the property, as I understand it.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the substitute gives counties that already own such property one year to reconcile with the county where the property is located.
▶ Watch at 24:50Read what they said
Yeah, that's a great question. Thank you. Um, so currently the way it's written in the sub is that the, uh, properties that are owned by other counties have a year to, um, to reconcile that with the county where they own the property, as I understand it.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says he is struggling to find the provision in the substitute and asks for the question to be repeated.
▶ Watch at 26:10Read what they said
I'm, I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please? Yes, I thought I was waiting. I thought I answered Rep, representative, Representative Dunnigan. Will you ask the Question? Steal me? I was waiting for the words of wisdom for my good colleague to go. I thought I gave him, I apologize. Representative Dunning asked the question, Where is it found in the substitute, please? That a property that's already owned by another county, how it's gonna be treated with this bill. I, I'm struggling to find that one.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Asks for the question to be repeated and says he had been waiting to answer.
▶ Watch at 26:10Read what they said
I'm, I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please? Yes, I thought I was waiting. I thought I answered Rep, representative, Representative Dunnigan. Will you ask the Question? Steal me? I was waiting for the words of wisdom for my good colleague to go. I thought I gave him, I apologize.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says he is struggling to find the provision on property already owned by another county.
▶ Watch at 26:26Read what they said
Representative Dunning asked the question, Where is it found in the substitute, please? That a property that's already owned by another county, how it's gonna be treated with this bill. I, I'm struggling to find that one.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says he does not know the answer, was told this by the drafting attorney, and will try to find out.
▶ Watch at 26:47Read what they said
That's, that's, they already own the land. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I, uh, I don't know the answer to that question, uh, where it is found as I was talking earlier with the drafting attorney, and that's what I was told. Um, I'd be happy to find that out though.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says he does not know where that provision is found, was told so by the drafting attorney, and will look into it.
▶ Watch at 26:51Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I, uh, I don't know the answer to that question, uh, where it is found as I was talking earlier with the drafting attorney, and that's what I was told. Um, I'd be happy to find that out though.
H.B. 245 Construction Wage Standard Act · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Opposes the bill, citing a wage standard he says would exceed what his company pays, the paperwork burden of federal-style wage rules, and concern about setting up further policy like federal rules.
▶ Watch at 1:01:45Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, many of you know I'm just a guy who sells shelving. Um, but with that we, we hire a lot of these kind of people. Um, I was just looking at a, a page that I got on this bill. They're suggesting that a common laborer would make 1269 an hour with zero credit for benefits. My son is a common laborer. He just got home from a mission. He's working for a general contractor up in Hebrew on a large project. He started at $23 an hour, I believe, and he's now making $26 an hour plus they're paying him some mileage to drive out of town, so to speak. Uh, you know, up …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Strong explained the bill's tax provision, under which counties that buy property in other counties would need an agreement with the host county on taxes, and said the provision also applies to property purchased in the past.
▶ Watch at 2:20:29Read what they said
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, um, been working for the last little bit on some details on this bill. Um, just to clarify a few things, we had some questions about the tax portion of the bill. So just to take a step back, so everybody understands when a county is going to purchase property in another county, they need to get a vote from the legislative body in that county to, in order to approve that. Once they do that, they now own land in another county, but TA counties are tax exempt. So it creates this issue where now a county owns property in another county and they, uh, they don't have to pay taxes. So it …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Strong said he supports the amendment, noting it gives counties three years instead of one to address taxes on property they already own.
▶ Watch at 2:23:51Read what they said
This is, this is a good amendment. Um, it was providing one year for them to figure this tax situation out for properties they've had in other counties for a while. We now give 'em three years if they want to sell, if they, you know, they can change the use of the property or work with the county to make this three years. Sounds fair.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Strong said he is willing to keep discussing a change, while raising concerns about retroactivity and noting that host counties lose tax revenue and may be treated unfairly.
▶ Watch at 2:28:23Read what they said
Was, uh, yeah. Yeah. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Um, yes, however, um, I do have some concerns with that and I do have concerns with the expo expos facto. The, the problem is when a county purchase property in another county where the property has been purchased, they no longer collect that tax. And if that county has purchased something with a for-profit, they're profiting on that, then the county where it exists, where the property is, is not collecting property tax and they're servicing it, they're paying for the land and all these things. And so the other thing is when the agreement was actually, there was no agreement beforehand. You could purchase property without any notification or vote …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Strong said he was told Salt Lake County bought a gravel pit partly in Utah County, which likely produces some profit, but he has no specific example.
▶ Watch at 2:30:23Read what they said
Um, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I can't give you a sp specific example. I was told that Salt Lake County purchased a gravel pit, I believe, part of which is in Salt Lake County, and part of which is in Utah County. And so if it is a gravel pit, there's likely some, some profit there. I would, I would assume, but I do not have a specific example for you.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Strong described an 8,500-acre ranch purchase, about 2,000 acres of which are in another county, intended for conservation, which would produce very little tax.
▶ Watch at 2:30:59Read what they said
Uh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a good question. The, the, the, the situation that prompted this was, as I had talked about previously, was a ranch that was purchased. It was 8,500 acres, 2000 of which were in another county. And it was be used, it was going to be used for conservation. So the tax collection, there would be very small. Um, you know, I'd have to look into it more, uh, to see how many of those there are. I'm not sure.
H.B. 556 Special District Board Appointment Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Presents H.B. 556, which responds to a Bluffdale mayor's concern that unelected board members can vote on tax increases, and describes three options including an alternate elected member who votes on tax matters.
▶ Watch at 45:02Read what they said
Thank you. Glad to be back. Go ahead whenever you're Ready. So, uh, house Bill 5 56 has come from, uh, one of my mayors, uh, in Bluffdale. She called me and she said, she said, we have people sitting on boards that have the ability to increase taxes, but they're not a elected. So, for example, on the Jordan, uh, oh geez, Jordan Water Conservancy District, um, Bluffdale and Riverton share a position on that board, excuse me, Bluffdale and Draper. And Draper is, has just, I guess they, I don't know if they bou bounce it back and forth, but Draper assigns someone to be on that board. And they have a person in their community that's very …
H.B. 556 Special District Board Appointment Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Says the bill may not have the full answer and that further discussions are needed.
▶ Watch at 49:53Read what they said
Um, how, how do we thread this needle? And I've, if you can't tell, I've kind of come with a, an attitude of, I probably don't have the answer in this bill. Um, and so, uh, you know, there, there probably needs to be some discussions and, uh, I'm willing to have those discussions. So, yep, That's My question. Thank you, Roseanne
H.B. 556 Special District Board Appointment Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Responds that majority rule would apply with three cities and that the question needs to be addressed, noting Bluffdale and Draper differ, and that he does not yet have a full answer.
▶ Watch at 50:35Read what they said
Yeah, I mean, that's a great question. Uh, and if you go back to three cities, then majority rules. Yeah. If you go back to two cities, and one does and one doesn't, but it, it, it's something that needs to be addressed and mm-hmm. I mean, Bluffdale is quite a different, uh, community than Draper. And especially when you're talking about water. I mean, I live on an acre and everyone where I live lives on an acre where you probably won't see as much of that over in, in Draper. Um, so I, I, I actually don't have an answer other than maybe we should look for some answers.
H.B. 556 Special District Board Appointment Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Thanks the public speaker for the background, says the bill is a good concept that raised considerations he had not addressed, and supports looking into the issues further.
▶ Watch at 1:02:13Read what they said
Yeah. Um, first of all, I wanna thank LA Grande for that history lesson. Um, I learned a lot until this morning. I was moving along thinking, this is a great bill, and in concept it is. I've talked to many of you and you're like, that's, that's good. You know, that's a good, uh, you're going the right direction. And then I talked to, uh, the grand and, and a couple others, and they brought up a whole lot of things that, uh, I hadn't considered. And so I think this would be a great idea to look into this whole Deeper Millard.
H.B. 484 Property Tax Changes · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Asked how such restrictions would work if a costly initiative passed or during a high-inflation year.
▶ Watch at 1:21:36Read what they said
Um, Representative Christofferson. So, um, back when I first ran in 2018, we had a citizen led initiative around Medicaid and expanding Medicaid. Um, we were able to keep that in check, but what if we had, uh, let's say an initiative that passed that had, you know, wide support, but it was gonna cost us more than 5%. Or let's say we had a large inflation year. I mean, we had, we've had a couple, um, which has caused part of the whole issue you're trying to, to work on here. How would we as a legislature handle it if we had restrictions like this?
H.B. 484 Property Tax Changes · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Described a referendum overturning a Bluffdale tax increase and asked how referendums interact with the cap.
▶ Watch at 1:23:12Read what they said
Yeah, agreed. So in my little town of Bluffdale, our city council passed a, uh, a tax increase and it Uintah a referendum and it was passed. And so the city had to go back to the drawing board. So how does the referendum lever play into this? I mean, there's kind of a, uh, a spirit of referendum abroad in the land, you know, and so, uh, they, they try and say, well, we're gonna raise this 2, 3, 4, 5%, and they get a referendum, they get a referendum year after year after year, and they're kind of back in the same thing. And then now they're actually in more legitimate need, and they can only do 5%.
H.B. 495 Capital Felony Case Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Asked whether the system is more sophisticated now and what timeframe would be reasonable given the cost of 34 years on death row.
▶ Watch at 1:14:53Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, Mr. Moffitt, currently we're at 34 years average. And I guess, uh, back when these people were tried in the eighties, there was, you know, we weren't as sophisticated. Are we more sophisticated now? And what's reasonable? Um, 34 years seems unreasonable. It's a huge cost. So I mean, how do you know if we're more sophisticated and there's a huge cost in all these things, then you know, what, what, what timeframe is reasonable then how do we trim this down and, and, uh, you know, be better stewards? Let,
H.B. 495 Capital Felony Case Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Asked whether those same errors are being made today.
▶ Watch at 1:16:52Read what they said
Um, okay. But I guess my question is today, are we making those same errors?
H.B. 495 Capital Felony Case Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Asked whether anyone has been executed within 20 years under the newer system.
▶ Watch at 1:18:37Read what they said
Have we had then, because I haven't paid attention to all these years. You would have, have we had then, you know, people that have been executed that have been done in 20 years.
H.B. 124 Veteran Armed Forces Property Tax Exemption Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Briefly suggests moving to the next agenda item, then withdraws that remark.
▶ Watch at 54:43Read what they said
We should move to the next agenda item. I'm just kidding. I'll withdraw that motion. Okay. Thank you.
H.B. 124 Veteran Armed Forces Property Tax Exemption Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Says the bill would likely draw a similar discussion on the House floor and urges the committee to move along.
▶ Watch at 55:38Read what they said
Um, as long as the title is, and short as the explanation is, it's probably gonna have a similar discussion on the house floor. Help us move along a little bit. Okay.
H.B. 268 Towing Notice and Ownership Rights Modifications · Senate Business and Labor Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Presents H.B. 268, which would require a towing company that does not send the required certified notice within two business days to collect its towing fees and storage charges.
▶ Watch at 1:20:17Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. Committee. Good to be here today. Um, sorry, lemme get my glasses on here. Okay. So if you'd like me to go really quick, I can do that. Uh, which is always good, uh, in my opinion, but, uh, I'll just say with, uh, hb uh, 2 68, change is nothing regarding towing. So what this bill does is simply adds a little bit of action if a towing company does not properly report. So, towing companies are required within two business days to send a certified letter to, uh, the vehicle owner or the lien holder when they tow a vehicle. And currently, there's no downside if you don't do that. So a a towing …
H.B. 268 Towing Notice and Ownership Rights Modifications · Senate Business and Labor Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Responds that the bill does not address that issue, and explains that certified mail provides a delivery signature and receipt as proof of notice.
▶ Watch at 1:23:34Read what they said
So, first of all, we're not addressing that at all. But if, let's say, um, if they said that they didn't receive your notification, if you have to send a certified letter, then the post office, uh, you know, has to deliver that, get a signature, and you get a receipt back. So it's very easy to prove that you notified properly. Now, let's say, uh, to the, to the, uh, to an individual, let's say they moved, but they didn't inform the DMV of their new address, then, I mean, it's, it's your responsibility as a, as a citizen, I guess, to report your new address. So be for this very instance,
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asked how the bill has no fiscal note if the leave increases from six to nine weeks.
▶ Watch at 43:34Read what they said
So by removing, um, LEAs, it removes the fiscal note. Um, if we're going from six weeks to nine, how is there not a fiscal note to the state if there's additional time off?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks how removing the LEA funding gives a zero fiscal note if leave increases from six to nine weeks.
▶ Watch at 43:34Read what they said
So by removing, um, LEAs, it removes the fiscal note. Um, if we're going from six weeks to nine, how is there not a fiscal note to the state if there's additional time off?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks whether the sponsor will yield to a question.
▶ Watch at 58:14Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Will the, uh, sponsor please yield to another question? Representative Fay, will you yield to a question?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asked whether employees receive other paid time off in addition to the nine weeks of leave.
▶ Watch at 58:24Read what they said
Thank you. Um, so in the proposed bill, we have an, we had nine weeks of time off for childbirth. Does the employee also have their normal time off PTO, whatever, uh, it's called in this instance? And if so, what is that typical number of days Or weeks? Sorry, could, can my colleague please repeat the second half of that question?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks whether employees get additional paid time off beyond the nine weeks of childbirth leave.
▶ Watch at 58:24Read what they said
Thank you. Um, so in the proposed bill, we have an, we had nine weeks of time off for childbirth. Does the employee also have their normal time off PTO, whatever, uh, it's called in this instance? And if so, what is that typical number of days Or weeks? Sorry, could,
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks how many weeks of leave the bill provides and whether employees also receive additional paid time off.
▶ Watch at 58:24Read what they said
Thank you. Um, so in the proposed bill, we have an, we had nine weeks of time off for childbirth. Does the employee also have their normal time off PTO, whatever, uh, it's called in this instance? And if so, what is that typical number of days Or weeks? Sorry, could, can my colleague please repeat the second half of that question? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear it. Do, uh, so how many, so we're offering in this, in this, uh, bill, nine weeks of total time off for childbirth, do employees of the state have in addition to this, um, a certain amount weeks, days of time off that they would take as, as PTO?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks how the nine weeks of childbirth leave relates to employees' existing paid time off and asks for the question to be repeated.
▶ Watch at 58:24Read what they said
Thank you. Um, so in the proposed bill, we have an, we had nine weeks of time off for childbirth. Does the employee also have their normal time off PTO, whatever, uh, it's called in this instance? And if so, what is that typical number of days Or weeks? Sorry, could, can my colleague please repeat the second half of that question?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asked how many additional weeks or days of time off employees receive as part of their benefits.
▶ Watch at 58:55Read what they said
Do, uh, so how many, so we're offering in this, in this, uh, bill, nine weeks of total time off for childbirth, do employees of the state have in addition to this, um, a certain amount weeks, days of time off that they would take as, as PTO?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Repeats the question about how many additional days or weeks of paid time off employees receive.
▶ Watch at 58:55Read what they said
Do, uh, so how many, so we're offering in this, in this, uh, bill, nine weeks of total time off for childbirth, do employees of the state have in addition to this, um, a certain amount weeks, days of time off that they would take as, as PTO?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks how many additional weeks of time off employees receive beyond the nine weeks.
▶ Watch at 58:55Read what they said
Do, uh, so how many, so we're offering in this, in this, uh, bill, nine weeks of total time off for childbirth, do employees of the state have in addition to this, um, a certain amount weeks, days of time off that they would take as, as PTO?
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asked how many additional days employees receive beyond the nine weeks.
▶ Watch at 59:30Read what they said
Okay. To be just maybe a little more specific, we're offering nine weeks off. How many additional days do they get off as part of their benefits package? Is it another three weeks or four weeks of personal time off or vacation or sick leave or whatever For
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks how many additional days of paid time off employees receive.
▶ Watch at 59:30Read what they said
Okay. To be just maybe a little more specific, we're offering nine weeks off. How many additional days do they get off as part of their benefits package? Is it another three weeks or four weeks of personal time off or vacation or sick leave or whatever For
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Asks for a more specific number of additional days or weeks of paid time off.
▶ Watch at 59:30Read what they said
Okay. To be just maybe a little more specific, we're offering nine weeks off. How many additional days do they get off as part of their benefits package? Is it another three weeks or four weeks of personal time off or vacation or sick leave or whatever For
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Said the total time off could be more than nine weeks depending on each agency's benefits.
▶ Watch at 59:51Read what they said
Okay. So if I'm understanding this correctly, we have nine weeks plus an additional number that is maybe individual to different, um, agencies. So we might be looking at 10, 11, 12, 13, some number weeks off total.
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Says he supports promoting childbirth and families but opposes the bill because there is no fiscal note for coverage during long absences.
▶ Watch at 59:51Read what they said
Okay. So if I'm understanding this correctly, we have nine weeks plus an additional number that is maybe individual to different, um, agencies. So we might be looking at 10, 11, 12, 13, some number weeks off total. Um, where I'm in favor of course of promoting childbirth and families, um, I struggle with the lack of a fiscal note because in reality people will need to be covering while, while someone is away for potentially many weeks and when they're away. Um, I know that I check my emails and my wife complains that even when we're on vacation, I'm checking my emails and answering phone calls. But we can't necessarily expect that of everyone at every time. And …
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Estimates total leave could be about ten to thirteen weeks, raises concern about the lack of a fiscal note for coverage, and opposes the bill.
▶ Watch at 59:51Read what they said
Okay. So if I'm understanding this correctly, we have nine weeks plus an additional number that is maybe individual to different, um, agencies. So we might be looking at 10, 11, 12, 13, some number weeks off total. Um, where I'm in favor of course of promoting childbirth and families, um, I struggle with the lack of a fiscal note because in reality people will need to be covering while, while someone is away for potentially many weeks and when they're away. Um, I know that I check my emails and my wife complains that even when we're on vacation, I'm checking my emails and answering phone calls. But we can't necessarily expect that of everyone at every time. And …
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Estimates total leave could be about 10 to 13 weeks, raises concern about coverage without a fiscal note, and speaks in opposition to the bill.
▶ Watch at 59:51Read what they said
Okay. So if I'm understanding this correctly, we have nine weeks plus an additional number that is maybe individual to different, um, agencies. So we might be looking at 10, 11, 12, 13, some number weeks off total. Um, where I'm in favor of course of promoting childbirth and families, um, I struggle with the lack of a fiscal note because in reality people will need to be covering while, while someone is away for potentially many weeks and when they're away. Um, I know that I check my emails and my wife complains that even when we're on vacation, I'm checking my emails and answering phone calls. But we can't necessarily expect that of everyone at every time. And …
H.B. 329 State Employee Maternity and Leave Amendments · House floor debate (day 28) · Feb 17, 2026
Said he favors promoting childbirth and families but opposes the bill because of the lack of a fiscal note for coverage costs.
▶ Watch at 1:00:10Read what they said
Um, where I'm in favor of course of promoting childbirth and families, um, I struggle with the lack of a fiscal note because in reality people will need to be covering while, while someone is away for potentially many weeks and when they're away. Um, I know that I check my emails and my wife complains that even when we're on vacation, I'm checking my emails and answering phone calls. But we can't necessarily expect that of everyone at every time. And so I, uh, I hesitantly speak in opposition to the bill for, for these reasons. And thank you, Mr. Speaker.
H.B. 337 Nicotine Product Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Rep. Strong said the $2 cigarette increase is large and falls mainly on lower-income people, suggested directing revenue to reducing use rather than the general fund, and supported the hold.
▶ Watch at 2:07:17Read what they said
Thank you. Like, who doesn't wanna talk about this? Hey, go ahead. Might as well join in. I, I'll parrot a a couple of things. The rate is a concern. Uh, we're talking mostly about Zen today, it feels like, but we have a $2 per pack increase on the tobacco. That's huge. And we know that that is gonna be a tax primarily on people with lower incomes. Ran some things in chat. GPT, kind of show me where those are going. It's a significant tax, this is a significant tax increase, and it's a general fund tax increase. Uh, I might even be warm to the idea of, of looking at the rates, of course. But okay, let's …
H.B. 365 Taxation Notification Requirements · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Asked whether a date between April 1 and June 1, such as May 1, would work for school districts.
▶ Watch at 2:28:14Read what they said
Yeah. Thank, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, Todd? Yes. Um, Good to see you again. Good appear. So if April 1st is problematic, and I think Representative Corinne Peterson's bill is June 1st. Is there a time in between like, uh, say May 1st that still moves the, the line sum, you know, that would actually allow you to make that better and still accomplish the desire
H.B. 365 Taxation Notification Requirements · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Asked whether the same timing problem would occur for municipalities and other organizations.
▶ Watch at 2:29:17Read what they said
Okay. And would this same, in your opinion, would this, if I may Yes, go ahead. Sorry. Would this the, um, same, uh, problem occur in municipalities and other organizations?
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Asks what the rule is for children age seven or six.
▶ Watch at 58:50Read what they said
Okay. A couple of questions actually. Um, so we have this, uh, 8-year-old threshold. What, what is the situation with say, a seven or a 6-year-old?
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Asks about the age-8 threshold for younger riders and whether the bill changes current age rules for electric devices on highways.
▶ Watch at 58:50Read what they said
Okay. A couple of questions actually. Um, so we have this, uh, 8-year-old threshold. What, what is the situation with say, a seven or a 6-year-old? So, uh, that's an excellent question. My, my understanding is that current law, uh, also o only allows those eight and older to, uh, operate electric assisted scooters or electric bikes. This does not change that. It clarifies that, uh, as, as, uh, those younger than eight are not au uh, are not authorized to operate electric vehicles on a highway. That doesn't mean they can't ride a bike. Uh, only electric, uh, vehicles or electric bikes and electric scooters on a highway in traffic. My, uh, so that's the answer. Okay. Um, thank …
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Asks whether riders with a certificate must carry it and how officers would know.
▶ Watch at 59:52Read what they said
Um, what about those that have a certificate? Do they need to carry that certificate with them? Or is how do, if something occurs, how would they know? How would a, a law enforcement officer know?
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Moves to circle the bill, saying the second substitute could allow 8-year-olds with parental supervision to ride on certain highway corridors.
▶ Watch at 1:01:13Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Proton. Motion to circle Motion is to circle, would like to speak to it, Um, yes. In reviewing the language on the second substitute, and after confirming with the drafter, it appears that the language would do, um, go beyond what I believe the sponsor is intending and would actually allow eight year olds with parental supervision to operate these on the I 15 corridor, west Davis Corridor, mountain View Corridor, um, and so forth. And I appreciate what he is trying to do. We just wanna make sure we can get that language clear.
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Moves to circle the third substitute, saying the language could allow eight-year-olds with parental supervision to ride on certain highway corridors and needs clarification.
▶ Watch at 1:01:13Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Proton. Motion to circle Motion is to circle, would like to speak to it, Um, yes. In reviewing the language on the second substitute, and after confirming with the drafter, it appears that the language would do, um, go beyond what I believe the sponsor is intending and would actually allow eight year olds with parental supervision to operate these on the I 15 corridor, west Davis Corridor, mountain View Corridor, um, and so forth. And I appreciate what he is trying to do. We just wanna make sure we can get that language clear.
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Summarizes the motion to circle, saying a child under eight may not operate on a highway and asking for clarity on the I-15 corridor.
▶ Watch at 1:03:50Read what they said
Thank you. Um, the third sub in line 1393 still references. It says that a child under eight years old may not operate on a highway. Um, I don't believe you should be on the I 15 corridor without a driver's license, regardless of what mode of transportation that you're using. Um, so I just wanna make sure that we can make this very clear.
H.B. 381 Electric Mobility Device Amendments · House floor debate (day 25) · Feb 13, 2026
Summarizes the motion to circle, saying a child under eight may not operate on a highway and the language should be made clear.
▶ Watch at 1:03:50Read what they said
Thank you. Um, the third sub in line 1393 still references. It says that a child under eight years old may not operate on a highway. Um, I don't believe you should be on the I 15 corridor without a driver's license, regardless of what mode of transportation that you're using. Um, so I just wanna make sure that we can make this very clear.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Introduced the bill, saying it requires a county buying property in another county to notify that county and obtain express permission from its legislative body, and introduced Morgan County Commissioner Mike Newton.
▶ Watch at 1:35:29Read what they said
Madam Chair or Vice chair and committee. Um, I've talked to a number of you about this bill. Um, and I've, I've brought, uh, well, so the impetus of the bill is that we had, uh, a county that was purchasing property in another county and there was no notification. And when it finally came to, uh, the, um, when, when the county, Morgan County became aware of this, they were concerned. And, uh, in the end, uh, everything worked out. But the, uh, what we're trying to accomplish here is that if a county is gonna purchase property in another county, they need to notify and they need to have a vote from the, the legislative body. So, um, …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Pointed to the bill's taxation provisions and said such issues can be addressed when counties discuss a purchase beforehand through formal legislative action.
▶ Watch at 1:46:11Read what they said
Uh, just a, a couple other little things. Um, in addition to what he said, we've got some scenarios. Um, there is, and I didn't mention at the beginning, on lines 4 76 to 4 87, there are some discussions about taxation on that land. And, um, I'm happy to discuss that. We've kind of heard some, some grumblings maybe about that. But that can all be addressed if the counties come together and have the discussion. And it requires an official action from the legislative body. Um, and I think that would, uh, that's fair to say, to have those discussions. Counties are concerned about their boundaries and, uh, in the case of this, uh, nine 10 Ranch, it …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Said he did not know the answer and deferred to the drafting attorney.
▶ Watch at 1:47:34Read what they said
Uh, I, I guess I don't know the answer to that question. I did ask Ruth Ann to come if, uh, I don't know if she can answer that question.
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Said municipalities and districts could be studied later, offered to remove the tax portion, described his call to hold federal funding, and said the bill applies only going forward.
▶ Watch at 2:11:56Read what they said
Uh, just a couple, little, little clarifications. Um, well we did talk a little bit about municipalities and special districts. It becomes far more complicated and I'm happy to delve into that in a future session. Maybe it's something you may even consider as a committee in the interim. Um, this was kind of a simple starting point. Um, there's also, uh, to a large extent, uh, the counties in favor versus those that are opposed, kind of surround money as well. And there's a large tax component here. In fact, the tax portion of it that we have written in there, I'm not even positive that we have to have it in there because if the counties come together, …
H.B. 445 County Government Land Purchasing · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Declined to speak further.
▶ Watch at 2:14:18Read what they said
So. Okay. Or unless you want me to talk some more. I don't wanna talk anymore.
H.B. 268 Towing Notice and Ownership Rights Modifications · House floor debate (day 22) · Feb 10, 2026
Presents H.B. 268 as a bill that requires towing companies to send certified notice to the lien holder or owner within two business days, and says a company that does not send proper notice cannot collect towing charges or hold a lien on the vehicle.
▶ Watch at 29:34Read what they said
Thank you. Speaker. Um, so HB 2 68 is a very simple bill. It changes really nothing as far as any of the notifications and those sorts of things having to do with towing. It just simply does this one thing. If you do not, uh, when, when a vehicle is towed, um, they have two business days to send a certified letter to the lien holder, the owner, or whatever the case is. Um, before this bill, there was really no penalty if you didn't. And so someone would come and say, well, you didn't send me notice. And they said, sorry, we're keeping your car, or whatever it is, they towed. Um, and there was really no recourse …
H.B. 293 Public Education Student Athlete Protections · House floor debate (day 22) · Feb 10, 2026
Asks whether the sport-specific moratorium applies to one sport or to all sports at a school.
▶ Watch at 2:48:30Read what they said
So when you say sports specific, are you referring to all sports or just a specific sport? So if I play, say, um, football, and we're gonna be sure all the football players have this six week period off for this period of time, or, uh, does it refer to that or saying that there'll be a six week period of time where no sports will take place in our school?
H.B. 293 Public Education Student Athlete Protections · House floor debate (day 22) · Feb 10, 2026
Asks whether the sport-specific moratorium applies to all sports or only one sport.
▶ Watch at 2:48:30Read what they said
So when you say sports specific, are you referring to all sports or just a specific sport? So if I play, say, um, football, and we're gonna be sure all the football players have this six week period off for this period of time, or, uh, does it refer to that or saying that there'll be a six week period of time where no sports will take place in our school?
H.B. 293 Public Education Student Athlete Protections · House floor debate (day 22) · Feb 10, 2026
Asks whether the moratorium would fall in different months for different sports.
▶ Watch at 2:50:01Read what they said
Okay. So then that say January, February range for football, for, uh, women's volleyball. It might be in, um, March or April or whenever their season is off.
H.B. 293 Public Education Student Athlete Protections · House floor debate (day 22) · Feb 10, 2026
Asks whether a sport-specific moratorium would fall at different times for different sports.
▶ Watch at 2:50:01Read what they said
Okay. So then that say January, February range for football, for, uh, women's volleyball. It might be in, um, March or April or whenever their season is off.
H.B. 210 Tax Penalties Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Asked the commissioner for suggestions on addressing the possible negative effects on single-parent households.
▶ Watch at 35:05Read what they said
Thanks, commissioner Valentine. Um, so two, a couple of the other comments about this possibly having some negative effects on, uh, how to household single parent families. Do you have any suggestions on how that might be addressed?
H.B. 290 Child Tax Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Asked whether the credit applies to all families, whether working or not working.
▶ Watch at 58:32Read what they said
Yeah. Representative Strong. Yeah, I have a couple of questions. Just to be clear. This applies to all families, whether they're working or not working. Correct?
H.B. 290 Child Tax Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Confirmed that the credit applies to families with children, including stay-at-home parents.
▶ Watch at 58:55Read what they said
Correct? Yes. Stay at home moms. So yes. Families with, with kids. And They're six stay home parents. Sorry.
H.B. 290 Child Tax Credit Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Spoke in favor of the motion, saying as a father of six that families drive the economy and that the bill is a step forward for young families despite the fiscal note.
▶ Watch at 1:00:50Read what they said
Yeah, thanks. As a, as a father of six, um, and as a, you know, young, when I was a young father and we had all the kids at home, and you know, you're pinching every penny. Understand, I understand that it, it, it would be great if we lived in a perfect world where we didn't have to do this all the time. There's a big fiscal note I that's always subject to, you know, to be determined, um, especially in a tight year. But, um, I think we need to make some steps forward, um, to help, uh, young families. It's the family that drives the economy and it's the family that drives the values. And, uh, the …
H.B. 190 Child Care Business Tax Credit · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Questioned the 77 percent childcare desert figure and said many children are cared for informally by family or friends.
▶ Watch at 1:54:13Read what they said
Yes. Thank you. So I want to question one of your points on your page here says that licensed, uh, providers meet only 36% of childcare demand leaving 70%, 77% of Utahans in childcare deserts. Well, I'm assuming that that 77%, now, I'm not saying there's not a need for more childcare, but that 77% would be what I would maybe refer to as better childcare because it would typically be mom or grandma, well not mom, I guess grandma or uncle or aunt or friend, or, Hey, we're gonna, you know, I'm gonna help you, you're gonna help me, but it's not necessarily licensed. Um, which I don't see as a negative. And so, and we call that 74 …
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Asked whether current non-judicial referrals are reported and whether data exists on them.
▶ Watch at 1:19:41Read what they said
Thank you. Hey, just to be clear, um, so currently they can have two offenses that become non-judicial Currently. Okay. If they're actually reported, like referred. Okay. So that's another question is are they reported and do we have that data that says, oh, we have this many non judicials, We probably have numbers on how many non judicials we have, but we would not have numbers on how many are not reported because they're not reported Obviously. Yeah. So that,
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Agreed with the sponsor and said data on recidivism would be helpful.
▶ Watch at 1:21:28Read what they said
Yeah, I don't disagree. It'd be nice to have some of that data though on, I I think this is what we're trying to get in a way with this collecting some of this recidivism data, right? We're trying to get more
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Asked to confirm that drug distribution is not eligible for non-judicial adjustment under the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:21:45Read what they said
Okay. Alright. Thanks Representative. I wanna make sure I understand it's my, under what you're saying, it's my understanding that drug distribution is not eligible for non-judicial, Correct? In this bill?
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Said he understood the change to distribution rules was needed.
▶ Watch at 1:22:01Read what they said
Okay. Well if that's the case, then I suppose that would be the same, but, um, I, it was my understanding that that change needed to be made. Okay. Okay.
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Moved to hold the bill so the sponsor can gather more answers on current law and data before returning to the agenda.
▶ Watch at 1:27:48Read what they said
Yeah. I'd like to make a motion that we hold this bill That's an, uh, substitute. He didn't Make a motion. He didn't make a motion. Yeah, we're good. That's an order. Would you like to speak to it? Yeah, I would. Um, there's been a lot of questions and I guess I kind of assumed that there'd be maybe a couple people here to testify of this. Um, your data is in your drawer and, and I think, I think there's just enough pause here to say, Hey, let's, let's let you regroup and come back. I like it. In principle, there was a couple questions about what the current law is, uh, on the, the, um, distribution and, …
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Said the committee has enough open questions and asked to keep the motion to hold for return on a future agenda.
▶ Watch at 1:33:05Read what they said
Yeah, I, I, I don't doubt that we've had all those conversations. Um, I think maybe get some of them here, uh, when we get the bill back on the agenda and, uh, I think it's a big enough change and I just, I feel like there's enough questions on our side that, uh, we'd like to maybe take, just pause. And so I'd like to stick with the motion to hold.
S.C.R. 2 Concurrent Resolution Concerning Remembrances of the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Shares a personal memory of learning about the September 11 attacks and a family connection to a person killed at the Pentagon. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 2:09:36Read what they said
I'll, I'll just say real quick, um, uh, I had maybe a similar experience. Remember my wife, we were married and she said, wow, I think, uh, an airplane hit the Twin Towers. And I said, no, they just talk about that sometimes. 'cause you know, they say it's designed to be able to take a hit like that. And then we kind of watched the news and in the next few minutes we're like, uh, actually, you know, this happened. Um, I was thinking, um, there was, uh, a young man that my daughter, uh, my sister Uintah school with who was in the Pentagon and was killed that day. Yeah. In fact, it's President Mortenson's, uh, from brother-in-law, …
H.B. 192 Vehicle Inspection Fee Amendments · House floor debate (day 17) · Feb 5, 2026
Asks whether the bill removes the previous $40 maximum fee for inspections and lets shops charge what they choose.
▶ Watch at 29:50Read what they said
Okay. So previously, if somebody came in for an inspection, just, Hey, I'm going on a trip, I need my car inspected, would they could only charge $40 for that. Uh, maximum of $40. Right. Okay. So now currently that's gone and they can charge whatever is appropriate for whatever type of inspection you want.
H.B. 192 Vehicle Inspection Fee Amendments · House floor debate (day 17) · Feb 5, 2026
Asks whether the posting requirement applies to a customized inspection agreed on with a shop.
▶ Watch at 30:29Read what they said
Okay. And one last question if I could, Mr. Speaker, um, they have to post this fee. I mean, if you're getting a safety inspection similar to what we used to have, I'm assuming, you know, they would post that, but I might take my car in and say, Hey, inspect my vehicle for me. Um, meaning, you know, whatever we'd agree upon, does that have to be posted?
H.B. 170 School Board Referendum Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Moves to pass HB 170 first substitute out favorably.
▶ Watch at 13:20Read what they said
I move that we, um, pass out with a favorable recommendation. HB one 71st substitute.
H.B. 170 School Board Referendum Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Supports the bill, saying school districts may need to raise taxes and that property tax pressure on fixed-income residents makes a referendum option worthwhile.
▶ Watch at 13:30Read what they said
Yeah, I would. Um, we've been looking at this for a few years now. Um, and I know that it may cause a little consternation from, from our school districts. Um, I know that there's times when they have to increase taxes in order to meet some statutory issues. Um, and I'd hope that we can address those issues as well if we haven't already. I don't think we have though. And, uh, I, I just think it's, I mean, if you've ever been to these meetings, there's a lot of, especially people on fixed incomes that are really struggling to pay their property taxes. And if they've got the gumption to go out and, and do a referendum, it …
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Jokingly remarks on the audience leaving and asks the sponsor to pay attention.
▶ Watch at 49:03Read what they said
Yeah, thanks. You just lost your crowd. I guess he didn't like what you were saying. Senator Musselman And What The class of children have departed the room. We're back to normal size In this class. Are you listening?
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Asks whether the listed offenses currently carry a life sentence.
▶ Watch at 49:28Read what they said
I see. Um, okay, so just 'cause I'm a little bit of a slow study on some of these things. Currently, any of these, any of these offenses are tend to life. So if somebody,
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Asks whether a business is treated differently from a household under the bill.
▶ Watch at 50:06Read what they said
So does, does a business say get treated differently than perhaps say a household or something like that?
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Gives a hypothetical of hiring an unknown worker from a parking lot and asks whether the bill applies.
▶ Watch at 50:31Read what they said
somebody goes down to Home Depot and hires some people standing there wanting to get some work. Mm-hmm. Does that apply here at all?
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Asks whether the hypothetical would potentially be a third degree felony under the bill and whether that is better or worse.
▶ Watch at 50:57Read what they said
Okay. So under this bill now, I'm potentially a third degree Potentially, yeah. Or, yeah, I don't know. I I, I Do you think that that's worse or better? I think that's a better, well better shot at. So I'm kind of feeling like both are pretty, uh, well,
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Says the hypotheticals are divergent and asks about a middle case where someone should have known a worker was trafficked.
▶ Watch at 51:22Read what they said
And I'm painting these really divergent pictures. There's probably something more in the middle where they would actually pursue prosecution, right? Where an individual hires somebody that is, that they should have known but didn't, or maybe they could have known but didn't know Right. In that circumstance, how would you know? Right. So, yeah.
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Asks whether a felony is still harsh compared with a misdemeanor for minor scenarios and comments on the hypothetical.
▶ Watch at 52:15Read what they said
Okay. Okay. I'm just wondering if, if even a felony's still pretty harsh versus a misdemeanor of some type or something. Uh, depending upon, you know, the severity. 'cause I, I mean, I can see that scenario happening as people go find someone, someone on the side of the road that needs some work. And I'm happy to let you do some work for me. So anyway, just a thought. Thanks.
S.B. 30 Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Smuggling Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 2, 2026
Says he is not an expert but that the substitute gives judges tools based on what actually happened and appears to be good legislation.
▶ Watch at 1:02:42Read what they said
Um, sure. Um, it, I'm not an expert in this area, but sounds like we've just given some tears that, uh, that judges can work with based upon what's actually happened and it's looks like, sounds like good legislation. So
H.B. 268 Towing Notice and Ownership Rights Modifications · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Jan 30, 2026
Presented H.B. 268, saying it adds a penalty so that a tow company that does not follow the notice procedures cannot collect towing and storage fees.
▶ Watch at 1:24:30Read what they said
Um, so HB two 60 eight's a relatively simple bill. Um, we're not changing any code or anything involving towing. Um, what what we found is, uh, so when a vehicle is towed, um, the tow has 40, uh, two business days is what it is. Actually, I was gonna say 48 hours, but it's actually two business days to notify of the tow. And we're not changing anything with the notification. The problem has been that there have been a few bad players that didn't make this notification, and then they wanted to be reimbursed for their towing and some storage fees. Um, but they didn't necessarily follow the proper, um, the proper procedure of notification. So you have …
H.B. 268 Towing Notice and Ownership Rights Modifications · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Jan 30, 2026
Said most tow companies comply, and the bill adds an incentive to send the notice letter quickly.
▶ Watch at 1:32:57Read what they said
Yeah, I'm briefly, uh, most ho companies are doing great at this. This is just a very small number of these things that happened. There was just zero downside if they didn't do that. So it just adds a little bit of impetus to get them to send that letter out quickly.
H.B. 195 Precious Metals Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 29, 2026
Asks whether there are amendments, confirms the first substitute is under discussion, and moves to pass HB 195 first substitute out favorably.
▶ Watch at 1:48:40Read what they said
Yeah. Thank you. Uh, I, do we have any amendments or anything? No. Okay. Well, this is the first sub that we're on, right? This Is, I think it was a, I think it was subbed in rules. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, so we're discussing the first sub, so there's no, okay. Need to make, just making sure. Yep. Okay. So I move that we pass out with a favorable recommendation, HP 1 95 Precious medals amendments. Okay. Would you like to speak to that? Um, uh, I just appreciate, uh, the bill appreciate, uh, sponsor and, um, the comments that were made, I think kind of explained it all.
H.B. 56 Vehicle Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Asked whether there is a point at which a refund is no longer available and how it is calculated.
▶ Watch at 45:07Read what they said
Thank you. Um, so what is, what is the, I was trying to find it. Is there like a point of no return, you go a certain point where they say, or is it a percentage of, so if I say a cancel of 11 months,
H.B. 56 Vehicle Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Said he did not catch the detail about the minimum.
▶ Watch at 45:45Read what they said
You know, I, I, okay. I I didn't get the part about the minimum. Yeah, sorry.
H.B. 56 Vehicle Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Moved to pass HB 56 with a favorable recommendation, beginning with adoption of the first substitute.
▶ Watch at 49:29Read what they said
Yeah. I move that we pass out HP 56 with a Favorable first. We need to adopt the sub first, The first substitute.
H.B. 56 Vehicle Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Moved to pass HB 56 first substitute with a favorable recommendation.
▶ Watch at 50:19Read what they said
Would you like to take that? Yeah, Move that we pass out HB 56 sub first substitute with a favorable recommendation. Okay.
H.B. 56 Vehicle Registration Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Expressed support for the bill and described a personal example of a vehicle whose registration expires soon.
▶ Watch at 51:30Read what they said
Yeah. Thanks. You know, this is a great bill. Even this year, and especially this year, and last year was great too. I've got this piece of trash van and it's, the kids have all driven it and the it, the registration expires next month. And I was like, yeah, Cindy, do we register that again? 'cause I got a daughter that's gonna drive it for just a month or two, and then we're gonna donate it to kidney cars or, or drive it off a cliff or something. We don't know yet. And, uh, we'll, we'll put it to good use. But anyway, I'm like, Hey, I forgot about this. So I'm really excited about this and I hope, …
H.B. 107 Vehicle Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Said the proposed $50 late fee seems heavy compared with registration costs and might affect owners of less expensive cars, and asked what happens to the credit if the fund runs out before everyone applies.
▶ Watch at 1:17:05Read what they said
Represents, yeah, it's good. Oh, strong. I'm sorry. Yeah, no Worries. Okay. Few things. $50 late fee. You missed my, my van speech I gave a few minutes ago, but there this piece of trash van and we're deciding, um, if we're gonna renew the registration or just wait and then drive it for a few more months and gamble on it. I'm just kidding. Mm-hmm. But I think the registration's on it, it's an old van, it's not worth much. The registration's on it, 125 bucks and we're talking about a $50 late fee on $125 fee, a hundred, a hundred, 150, whatever it is. It's, it seems like it's a pretty heavy amount and it might, it might …
H.B. 107 Vehicle Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Said a small fund could lead some people to sell to a dealer instead, said he supports the policy, and asked to share further thoughts on the fee.
▶ Watch at 1:19:14Read what they said
And so if the fund's small, then you're not gonna get to partake much and you would change your business decision otherwise. I mean, I might, if the fund doesn't collect much, I might go, well, it's better for me to sell my car to the dealer. I, in principle, I love this, this is, this needs to happen and we just need to say, you know, this is the fair, this is the right thing to do. Forget about the, you know, trying to pay for it in, in this creative attempt. But, um, it just, I don't know. I'm, I'm struggling with, uh, this process. I'm highly supportive of this. In fact, my parents used to live in …
H.B. 107 Vehicle Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Said the fiscal estimates rely on uncertain figures, including fee revenue, how many people would apply, and the difference between new and old vehicle prices.
▶ Watch at 1:22:14Read what they said
Here's, here's part of the challenge that I'm having. There's so much estimating going on on this fiscal note because you're estimating how much is, is a fee going to bring in? How much, um, are people going to take advantage of that? How, how often, you know, what, what is the, the, the difference between what people are selling their new cars for and their old cars?
H.B. 107 Vehicle Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Agreed that the credit could encourage accurate reporting of vehicle sale prices.
▶ Watch at 1:23:40Read what they said
Yeah, that's a great point too. 'cause this happens so many times you buy a vehicle and they say, oh, I'm not gonna put anything in there. You can put whatever you want in that dollar amount on the sale. And I'm like, no, write it. So I can't afford the cost of not doing that. Right. As a legislator and, and as a, trying to be an honest person. So, great points. Thanks.
H.B. 107 Vehicle Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Asked whether there is a current fine for unregistered vehicles, whether the new fee would be collected, and how the credit could be abused through under-reported sale prices.
▶ Watch at 1:28:09Read what they said
Um, I do have a couple questions on that if we could. So going back to that fee, so right now, the really, the only penalty to not register your vehicle is the, the odds of you getting pulled over, then you'd pay the registration fee. Is there a fine currently? I can't remember. I don't think there is. Is there, If you get pulled over and right Now Yeah, it's just, it's a ticket. There would be a fine, it's Just the ticket. Yeah, you'd get a ticket and I, I, I don't know how much it is. Maybe 120 bucks or something. Okay. So let's say that, so I'm thinking there, they're being assessed a fee, say 50 …
H.B. 99 Eyewear Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Asks whether reading glasses bought online without a prescription would be exempt, and is told the exemption applies only to eyewear made from a prescription.
▶ Watch at 1:40:48Read what they said
Thank you. Um, okay. Help me understand. This is prescription eyewear only. Yes. So my readers don't count. That's correct. And what if I have a prescription for a reader, but I bought these on Amazon. They would be, the way the statute is, if there's a written prescription, I I the exemption in the code is for, uh, prosthetic device for which a prescription is, is needed. So I would assume That that would, I'm not buying them through a glasses place.
H.B. 99 Eyewear Sales Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Describes his experience getting reading prescriptions from an optometrist and comparing the cost with buying readers online.
▶ Watch at 1:42:00Read what they said
Okay. And, and, uh, representative, I'll just say this from my own experience, and correct me if I'm wrong on this, but, uh, I've gone to my optometrist and said I need some readers, and I think I'm like one 20. And, uh, and so he does the whole measurement thing and then I get a prescription that's not plus one 20 or whatever. It's whatever the language they use for prescriptions. And uh, so when you, if you do like readers in a prescription, you're gonna get a prescription for those that are basically your readers. Yeah. But you're gonna pay a hundred, 200, $300, whatever, where I've got my prescription, but I can go on Amazon and get …
H.B. 33 Political Signs Amendments · House floor debate (day 4) · Jan 23, 2026
Asks how the bill would affect political signs in park strips.
▶ Watch at 1:02:06Read what they said
Thank you. Um, there was, there has been a little bit of discussion about Park Strip. Can you tell me if this affects or how this would affect park strips?
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