Bill Tracking 2019
Thank you, in advance, to the members of the Utah Legislature for the work you’ll do this session. The 2019 session starts Jan. 28, 2019, and runs for 45 days. Below is the list of bills we will be following. You can see the bills we tracked last year six links down. Learn about the Utah Legislature here.
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First responder bills of interest
Other bills of interest
Bills of interest not yet numbered
Track up to 150 bills of your choosing for fun!
Bills we tracked in previous years
DEM at the Legislature
This section will highlight appearances by DEM staff at the Utah Legislature.
Emergency Management Specific Bills Before the Utah Legislature – 2019
HB0305 Post Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Restricted Account
Sponsor: Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork
Status: Passed/Sent for enrolling
This bill:
creates the Post Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Restricted Account; designates the purposes, limitations, and sources of the restricted account; sets standards and requirements for receiving a grant from the restricted account; and grants rulemaking authority to the Division of Emergency Management.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2020: to the General Fund Restricted — Post Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Restricted Account — as an ongoing appropriation: from the General Fund, $300,000 to the Department of Public Safety — as an ongoing appropriation from the General Fund Restricted — Post Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Restricted Account, $300,000.
HB0423 Disaster Recovery Fund Amendments
Sponsor: Rep. Joel Ferry, R-Brigham City
Status: Passed/Sent for enrolling
This bill:
increases the amounts the Division of Emergency Management may expend or commit to expending from the Disaster Recovery Restricted Account during an emergency or declared disaster; adds the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee and the Legislative Management Committee to the list of entities to receive notice of expenditures of commitments to expend funds; and allows an expenditure of up to $3,200,000 during fiscal year 2019 for operational costs.
First Responder and Public Safety Bills of Interest
HB0061 State Databases Amendments
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton
Status: Signed by Gov. Herbert
This bill:
encourages counties and municipalities to receive a recommendation from the public safety answering point before approving a plat; requires counties and municipalities to submit, to the Automated Geographic Reference Center, information for inclusion in the unified statewide 911 emergency service database; requires the State Geographic Information Database to contain certain information regarding each public highway in the state; requires conformity to the Utah Coordinate System by a specified date and other changes.
HB0099 Catastrophic Wildfire and Other Public Nuisance Revisions
Sponsor: Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan
Status: Passed/Sent for Enrolling
This bill:
provides that, under certain circumstances, the state shall indemnify, defend, and hold a chief executive officer or county sheriff harmless from any claims or damages, including court costs and attorney fees that are assessed as a result of the chief executive officer’s or county sheriff’s action in abating a catastrophic public nuisance.
HB0120 Student and School Safety Assessment
Sponsor: Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful
Status: Passed/Sent for Enrolling
This bill:
amends provisions of the International Fire Code related to routine emergency evacuation drills; directs the Department of Public Safety to employ a public safety liaison; directs the State Board of Education (Board) to develop and maintain a central repository database for purposes of school safety; authorizes the Board to share certain student data as requested by local law enforcement for specified purposes; creates the Student Safety Restricted Account with a 2024 sunset date; creates the Threat Assessment and Student Support Team Program; requires the Board to develop model policies and procedures for threat assessment and student support teams (team); requires a public school to establish a team and conduct a school climate survey; establishes duties of a team, including working with and responding to an individual who poses a threat of violence or harm to the individual, a school employee, or a student; enacts provisions granting immunity from liability for a member of a team; requires law enforcement to report a student to the student’s school if that student poses a threat of violence or harm; directs the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to employ a school-based mental health specialist; classifies certain records created by a team as protected; and other changes.
HB0135 Wildfire Preparedness Amendments
Sponsor: Rep. Derrin Owens, R-Fountain Green
Status: Passed/Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
This bill:
creates the Wildland Fire Preparedness Grants Fund, including sources of money; directs the state forester to make one or more grants to fire departments or volunteer fire departments to assist in the suppression of wildland fire; requires the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands to make rules establishing criteria for receiving a grant from the Wildland Fire Preparedness Grants Fund; and makes technical and conforming amendments.
HB0173 Emergency Services Volunteer Employment Protection Act
Sponsor: Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise
Status: Passed/Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
This bill:
prohibits an employer from terminating an employee for being an emergency services volunteer; permits an employer to request written verification that an employee missed work to respond to an emergency as an emergency services volunteer; and creates a civil cause of action for violation of the Emergency Services Volunteer Employment Protection Act.
HB0215 Silver Alert Program
Sponsor: Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry
Status: Signed by Gov. Herbert
This bill:
defines “endangered adult” as a person 60 years of age or older with dementia; requires the Department of Public Safety to develop an alert system similar to the Amber Alert System for endangered adults; requires that the system utilize highway signage in the geographical area where the person went missing; and allows the department to make rules to set requirements for alerts.
HB0380 Avalanche Awareness Week
Sponsor: Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding
Status: Passed/Sent for Enrolling
This bill:
designates Avalanche Awareness Week; encourages collaborative efforts to decrease annual avalanche accidents and fatalities and honor Utah residents who have lost their lives in avalanches, including those who lost their lives working to prevent avalanches; organizes commemorative days and periods chronologically; makes technical and conforming changes.
HB0384 Search and Rescue Amendments
Sponsor: Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Sanpete County
Status: Passed/Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
This bill:
reduces the number of search and rescue volunteers from three to two members; and provides for three sheriffs to be on the board.
HCR005 Concurrent Resolution Urging Policies That Reduce Damage From Wildfires
Sponsor: Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful
Status: Passed/Sent for Enrolling
This resolution:
notes that recent wildfire seasons have been exceptionally destructive; notes the impact that wildfire has on air quality in Utah; urges the federal government to pursue forest fuel load reductions to mitigate wildfire risk; and urges the federal government to pursue policies that minimize additional climate change.
HJR014 Joint Resolution To Harden the Utah and United States Electrical Grids
Sponsor: Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry
Status: Passed/Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
This resolution:
encourages Utah’s state and congressional delegations to continue supporting legislation and practices that enhance electrical grid security against natural, accidental, or intentional occurrences, including disruption from electromagnetic pulses, that could potentially interrupt reliable electricity services.
Other Bills of Interest
None at this time
Bills of Interest – Not Yet Numbered
Status will be bolded once numbered.
| Legislator | Bill Title | Status |
| Perry, L. | Silver Alert Program | Numbered above |
| McKell, M. | Post Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Fund | Numbered above |
| Perry, L. | Resolution in Support of Hardening the Electrical Grid | Numbered above |
| Ferry, J | Disaster Recovery Fund Amendments | Numbered above |
| Winder, M. | School Safety Funding Amendments | In process |
| Harper, W. | BCI Amendments | In process |
| Watkins, C. | Disaster Recovery Funding Amendments | Abandoned |