SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Senate advanced a broad set of measures on Tuesday, reading multiple bills for a third time and moving them to the next stage of the legislative process.

The most consequential measure for health-care providers was Senate Bill 193, a bill that sets an automatic annual Medicaid reimbursement adjustment tied to the state’s general fund growth factor. Sponsor Senator Owens said the change is intended to provide predictability for providers and reduce the need for repeated one-off rate requests. “This bill mandates an annual Medicaid reimbursement rate increase for health care providers, ensuring ongoing adjustments based on Utah's general fund growth factor,” Senator Owens said on the floor.

Why it matters: Supporters said the formula helps long-term budget planning for providers such as nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, behavioral-health services and private duty nursing. The bill’s text and floor comments identify affected categories including Medicaid accountable care organizations, behavioral-health plans, air ambulance providers, intermediate care facilities for individuals with disabilities, nursing facilities, Department of Human Services/Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) providers, and professional Medicaid medical services. The sponsor estimated a recent request trajectory at about $25,000,000 for the sector; the bill phases increases across fiscal years, with specific provisions applying to fee-for-service categories in 2026, a matching requirement in 2027, and behavioral analysis services in 2028.

Other debated items included bills that would alter legal standing rules, change parental-time statutes and tighten property-tax administration.

- On standing for lawsuits, Senator Brammer said the bill aims to ensure organizations bringing litigation can identify injured members and that lawyers plead those injuries up front. “All this does is ask that they do so at the beginning so that it's not a hypothetical,” Brammer said during floor questions.

- Senator Wyler presented changes to the statutory parent-time schedule, including protections for parents relocating because of family or domestic violence and adjustments tied to a child turning 5. Sponsor Wyler said the bill clarifies when a changed-circumstances hearing is required and updates which holidays are included in statutory schedules.

- Senator Wilson presented a bill responding to a 2023 audit of property-tax administration. The measure requires standardized notices for truth-in-taxation hearings, education for county hearing officers and county-level reporting of appeals to the Tax Commission, and authorizes corrective actions if a county officer materially fails in duty.

Votes at a glance (selected measures moved forward)

- Senate Bill 93 (workforce/juvenile-justice training pipeline): Read for a third time; 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent. Sponsor: Senator Owens.

- First substitute Senate Bill 57 (newborn safe-haven age change; appropriation): Read for a third time; 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent. Sponsor: Senator Hankins. The bill appropriates $104,000 and changes the statutory newborn safe‑haven age from 30 days to 90 days in the presented text.

- Third substitute Senate Bill 193 (Medicaid provider reimbursement amendments): Read for a third time; 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent. Sponsor: Senator Owens. Includes phased increases tied to general fund growth and lists multiple provider categories. Sponsor cited a recent aggregate request figure of about $25,000,000.

- First substitute Senate Bill 238 (abandoned-aircraft amendments): Read for a third time; 21 yeas, 0 nays, 8 absent. Sponsor: Senator Wilson. The substituted language clarifies when airports may seize or remove aircraft left without payment or not actively operated or under repair, and conforms language to federal law around claims/inspections.

- First substitute Senate Bill 180 (law enforcement use of artificial intelligence disclosure requirements): Read for a third time; 21 yeas, 0 nays, 8 absent. Sponsor: Senator Pitcher. Requires disclosure when law enforcement uses AI in investigations or reports and that an official certify review of AI-produced content.

- First substitute Senate Bill 203 (judicial standing amendments): Read for a third time; 19 yeas, 6 nays, 4 absent. Sponsor: Senator Brammer. The bill raises pleading requirements for associations claiming to represent injured members and clarifies third‑party standing rules.

- First substitute Senate Bill 204 (right-to-appeal amendments): Read for a third time; 19 yeas, 6 nays, 4 absent. Sponsor: Senator Brammer. The measure creates an expedited appeal path to the Utah Supreme Court for some constitutional challenges to laws.

- First substitute Senate Bill 208 (parent time and custody amendments, second substitute adopted): Read for a third time; 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent. Sponsor: Senator Wyler. Changes include protections for parents relocating for family‑violence reasons, adjustments as a child turns 5, and holiday‑schedule coordination.

- Third substitute Senate Bill 121 (property-loss compensation related to homelessness; amendment adopted): Read for a third time; 15 yeas, 7 nays, 7 absent. Sponsor: Senator Plumb. The bill would establish a fund and committee to consider compensation or low‑interest loans for property losses allegedly tied to homelessness‑related impacts; sponsors and opponents debated whether this creates a de facto state insurer and how municipalities would participate.

- First substitute Senate Bill 239 (Inland Port authority amendments): Read for a third time; 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent. Sponsor: Senator Stevenson. Changes include flexibility in infrastructure payback periods and governance clarifications.

- Senate Bill 254 (state grant revisions): Read for a third time; 23 yeas, 0 nays, 6 absent. Sponsor: Senator Escamilla. The bill standardizes reporting, deliverables and performance metrics for state grants.

- Senate Bill 32 (class-size / instructional support retooling): Read for a third time as amended; 21 yeas, 2 nays, 6 absent. Sponsor: Senator Fillmore. The measure refocuses an existing class-size line to target K–3 literacy/numeracy while offering limited flexibility for high‑performing districts.

- First substitute Senate Bill 202 (property-tax administration revisions): Read for a third time; 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent. Sponsor: Senator Wilson. Includes standardized truth-in-taxation notices, training, and county reporting requirements.

- First substitute Senate Joint Resolution 5 (Juab County correctional facility placement resolution): Read for a third time; 25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent. Sponsor: Senator Owens. A joint resolution authorizing state consideration of prisoner placement in Juab County Correctional Facility.

- First substitute Senate Bill 207 (local impact mitigation amendments): Read for a third time; 22 yeas, 3 nays, 4 absent. Sponsor: Senator Winterton. Creates a formula for payments to counties producing oil and gas to assist road departments (a per-barrel/per-MCF mechanism described on the floor).

- Senate Bill 229 (organ-donor informational line addition): Read for a third time; recorded as passed with a substantial yes vote. Sponsor: Senator Reebie. Sponsor noted organ donation can save lives and increase registrants.

What was discussed but left for later action: Several bills were discussed and substituted on the floor, and sponsors often adopted committee substitutions or second/third substitutes before final votes. Several items drew technical questions from colleagues about implementation details, fiscal notes and local participation.

Context and next steps: Sponsors frequently noted that many substitutes were intended to conform statutes to federal standards, to clarify implementation language, or to narrow scope after committee discussion. Most measures that received a third‑reading roll call in this session advanced to the next stage of the legislative calendar; specific effective dates and administrative rules will be set in the bills’ final text if enacted by both chambers and signed by the governor.

Ending: The Senate adjourned and scheduled reconvening; several bills will continue through the legislative process in the coming days. The floor transcript records detailed roll-call tallies and the substituted language for many measures; sponsors and committee chairs noted additional drafting and coordination will occur as bills move forward.