[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6359295,"mediaKeyId","2187579-6d4bb51d00f11eff9f7148d66e5dec8d","parentId",2187579,"title","Utah Senate approves animal-protection, care‑provider and sentencing bills; removes trustee compensation cap","audioSeconds",272,"startMs",2930000,"endMs",3202000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2187579-6d4bb51d00f11eff9f7148d66e5dec8d&start=2930&end=3202","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2187579-6d4bb51d00f11eff9f7148d66e5dec8d/thumbnail_2930000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6359295/Utah/Utah-Senate-approves-animal-protection-careprovider-and-sentencing-bills-removes-trustee-compensation-cap","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6359295-90d6ce238574cc0e83508ef36a67099f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141113&Signature=Putl~fQjlj9BVik3LpAidHQxmk64-WghbruAlnW~SdfNJm-fFPIjZOj1OfugeOsMwa7554NktHJ~cW-YB~AYg2wArrnS0qfnBks5xpAub-vUhTe9QCIV9UW-MZNa4xCmX8vAqLm1SlntABMfvsVDU2yhEyAyuLVUhyb80zfQbR3zosD1X63jYt9IPdBHrbR~uOWsGM6~UYyDMkeCwqFUsETCJOzUOKITNt1LRRnlkWSzNQ1qtNdjavuqdZiXGaYGjI9ermV0xi5O-8NH4m5qWdaJoZPez2HT7MxhnW4o~kepTwRjJLNgZXUeteo-vyAz~Q9PSADm-9aEytvRmfX1zQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Utah State Legislature","date","2025-01-31T00:00:00Z","article","The Utah State Senate approved several bills on the floor, moving policy changes on public‑safety animals, caregiver conduct in care settings, DUI sentencing, estate planning recodification and trustee compensation for limited‑purpose local governments forward.

The most consequential floor actions were roll‑call approvals of five Senate bills after brief presentations by sponsors. Senate Bill 77, which expands criminal protections to cover animals beyond dogs used in public‑safety roles, passed 25‑0 with four senators absent. Second substitute Senate Bill 81, which creates a misdemeanor A prohibition on certain consensual intimate activity between caregivers and patients in care settings, passed 26‑0 with three absent. Senate Bill 87, allowing Veterans Treatment Court to count as a problem‑solving court for purposes of certain DUI sentencing relief, passed 27‑0 with two absent. Senate Bill 100, an estate‑planning recodification, passed 26‑0 with three absent. Senate Bill 50, removing the statutory cap on trustee compensation for some limited‑purpose local government boards while adding public‑notice requirements, passed 26‑0 with three absent.

Why it matters: the measures change criminal‑code descriptions and sentencing options (SB77, SB81, SB87), update statutory organization (SB100), and shift local governance flexibility and transparency (SB50). Sponsors emphasized narrow drafting and transparency safeguards; floor debate was limited and focused on technical clarifications rather than policy disputes.

Sponsor presentations and floor actions
- SB 77 (Public Safety Animal Amendments): Sponsor Senator Jen Plumb told the Senate the bill “basically all it does is it expands and clarifies the criminal provisions relating to police service canines to include other animals used by public safety, to assist with duties related to public safety.” No penalties were changed; the measure passed 25‑0 with four absent and was ordered read a third time.

- SB 81 (Care Provider Abuse Modifications), second substitute: Sponsor Senator Jen Plumb said the measure arose from victim‑services and attorney‑general concerns about vulnerable adults in care settings. “What this bill essentially does is … there is a misdemeanor A for folks who engage in consensual intimate activities with patients in care facilities,” she said, adding the provision is intended to address problematic power dynamics in care settings (not to replace existing laws that cover sexual assault). The second substitute was adopted on the floor and the bill passed 26‑0 with three absent.

- SB 87 (DUI Sentencing Modifications): Sponsor Senator Pitcher explained the bill “would allow Veterans Treatment Court to count as one of the problem solving courts someone with a DUI conviction can participate in to shorten or suspend their driver’s license revocation.” The bill was approved 27‑0 with two absent.

- SB 100 (Estate Planning Recodification): Sponsor Senator Weiler described this as a periodic recodification to preserve code integrity; he said the bill is part two of an estate‑planning recodification effort. The Senate approved the bill 26‑0 with three absent.

- SB 50 (Limited‑Purpose Local Government Entities — Trustee Compensation): Sponsor Senator Musselman said the bill removes a statutory cap on trustee compensation for some small, limited‑purpose local districts and requires a separate public meeting with advance notice for any compensation changes. He noted additional transparency is available through state pay‑records systems. SB 50 passed 26‑0 with three absent.

Other floor business
- The Senate adopted the rules committee report assigning multiple incoming bills to standing committees. Senator Lincoln Fillmore, who signed the rules report as committee chair, presented the list of assignments and the Senate adopted the report by voice vote.

Votes at a glance (third‑reading outcomes)
- First substitute Senate Bill 77 (Public Safety Animal Amendments): Passed 25‑0; 4 absent.
- Second substitute Senate Bill 81 (Care Provider Abuse Modifications): Passed 26‑0; 3 absent.
- Senate Bill 87 (DUI Sentencing Modifications): Passed 27‑0; 2 absent.
- Senate Bill 100 (Estate Planning Recodification): Passed 26‑0; 3 absent.
- Senate Bill 50 (Limited‑Purpose Local Government Trustee Compensation Amendments): Passed 26‑0; 3 absent.

What the Senate did not decide today: Several bills were “circled” (held for further review or until substitutes were posted online) including bills on public sector labor union amendments and ballot distribution revisions; the Senate also received numerous committee reports and first‑read bill transmissions from the House and placed items on second‑reading and consent calendars.

The Senate adjourned and scheduled its next floor session for Monday, Feb. 3 at 11:00 a.m.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate - 2025 General Session - Day 11 - January 31, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Utah State Senate approved several bills on the floor, moving policy changes on public‑safety animals, caregiver conduct in care settings, DUI sentencing, estate planning recodification and trustee compensation for limited‑purpose local governments forward.","taxTitle","2025 Utah Legislature, Utah Legislature, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",78171,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6359291,"Utah Senate issues citations honoring Dr. Michael Goode and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office",194,1045000,1239000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2187579-6d4bb51d00f11eff9f7148d66e5dec8d&start=1045&end=1239","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2187579-6d4bb51d00f11eff9f7148d66e5dec8d/thumbnail_1045000.jpg","/articles/6359291/Utah/Utah-Senate-issues-citations-honoring-Dr-Michael-Goode-and-the-Salt-Lake-County-Sheriffs-Office","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6359291-96eaaa8371954a14b3f40484a40f98bf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141113&Signature=Pngnz-lRB0c64C0rH7mXExe62ptou8Vzei1zLXwEUFbnJ0hGMGhvqu1ih4dY9cGdU2mbgGCvl6jfwPne8zNLbx-qjFEjKnHTf24acIHuEUVGhmBYsRh72-CHrLew6zWDWVUg4hbiDLDswnZXocqIFzEugfvXqbNDrc-wsYd~oS3a00pjeZRgbG6RacC6Tef1B0S7pERrgmRcJxiv9jp5lTjJCk0EEctlCvimzQIY5SWSLv74-9w5siprGg7NM3hvmt3q3QeZs327BRWMCxOBjUJr05OVhrrQsrtRwH-ryGHK4yJFNc19wxsFdg~us-RYX7JySq01o2CeYXG44DL1xw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Utah State Senate presented official citations honoring Dr. Michael (Mike) Goode for his role advising the state during the COVID‑19 pandemic and recognizing the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office for more than a century of service.

Dr. Michael Goode, retired CEO of University of Utah Health, received an official citation read into the record by the Senate reading clerk. In floor remarks introducing the citation, Senator Baldry recounted Dr. Goode’s work on the state’s public‑health and economic emergency commission in 2020 and credited him with helping shape the state’s reopening protocols and vaccine prioritization. The citation noted Utah’s nationally ranked pandemic outcomes on measures cited by the legislature and repeated a fatality‑rate figure used in the citation text: “just 0.00495 percent.” President J. Stewart Adams and Speaker Mike Schultz were listed as signatories on the citation.

Senator Luz Escamilla introduced a separate official citation for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, marking the office’s long history of service (the citation text described the office as established in 1849). Reading clerk Eaton Clark read the citation on the floor, which thanked deputies and staff for “exceptional bravery, integrity, and dedication” and recognized the office’s anniversary. Sheriff Rosie Rivera was introduced to the Senate gallery during the presentation.

Why it matters: Both citations are ceremonial recognitions placed into the Senate record. The Dr. Goode citation reiterates the legislature’s view of his role in advising pandemic policy; the sheriff’s citation formally acknowledges long‑standing county law‑enforcement service in the state capital’s county.

Key remarks and procedural notes
- Senator Baldry presented the Dr. Goode citation and said Goode “was a calm and trusted voice for the entire state.” The reading clerk read the text of the citation into the record, which thanked Dr. Goode for service during the pandemic and credited him with roles on the public health and economic emergency commission.

- Senator Luz Escamilla introduced the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office citation and asked gallery guests to be recognized; reading clerk Eaton Clark read the citation honoring the office’s anniversary and service.

No formal votes were required for the citations; both were ceremonial recognitions read into the legislative record during floor time. The Senate proceeded afterward to committee reports and bill readings.","On the Senate floor, members presented official citations recognizing Dr. Michael Goode for his role during the COVID‑19 pandemic and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office on its anniversary; both citations were read and accepted during floor time.","actionData","errors"]

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Utah Senate approves animal-protection, care‑provider and sentencing bills; removes trustee compensation cap

Utah Senate issues citations honoring Dr. Michael Goode and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office