Utah House approves measures on adoptee records access, fentanyl trafficking and fraud penalties; several other bills advanced

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 6 approved multiple measures affecting adoption records, drug trafficking and fraud enforcement as part of a busy floor session that also advanced other bills to committees and calendars.

The chamber approved a first substitute to House Bill 129, which allows an adult adoptee to request access to their original birth certificate. Representative Brady Ward, the bill sponsor, told colleagues, “this is a bill that makes it easier for an adult adoptee to access their original birth certificate when they become an adult.” The substitute adds a process that allows a birth parent who believes disclosure would cause harm to petition a court to keep the certificate sealed.

The change drew personal testimony and mixed reaction in committee and on the floor. Representative Shepherd, who said they are an adoptee, described having searched years for an original birth certificate and thanked Ward for working with stakeholders to add protections. Representative Auxier said they had voted no in committee originally because of privacy concerns but supported the substitute on the floor after revisions.

House members voted to adopt the first substitute; the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.

Also on the floor, Representative Gwyn presented first substitute House Bill 87, which raises penalties for trafficking large quantities of fentanyl. “It recognizes that fentanyl is the worst of the worst and those who traffic in fentanyl are the worst of the worst,” Gwyn said, adding that the bill presumes prison for persons entering Utah with 100 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to traffic. Gwyn cited state seizure data and federal reporting on potency and said the measure targets supply while lawmakers continue demand-reduction and treatment efforts.

Representative Gwen (Sponsor) summarized the bill as aimed at interrupting supply; members voted to pass the first substitute and the measure will be sent to the Senate.

Representative Sam Cutler introduced House Bill 96, a measure that restructures penalties for certain organized fraud schemes and creates a tiered penalty schedule tied to the value of the loss. “Currently in Utah, the penalty for fraud is a misdemeanor,” Cutler said on the floor, arguing prosecutors need stronger tools to pursue organized schemes that hide high-value collateral such as vehicles, boats or RVs from repossession. Rep. Thurston questioned whether some escalated felony penalties were appropriate for property crimes and pressed for clarification about prison terms; Cutler said the aligned second-degree penalty carries “1 to 15 years at the judge’s discretion.” The House approved HB 96; the bill will be transmitted to the Senate.

Separately, the House approved first substitute House Bill 297, a cleanup and amendment package on expungement procedures that sponsors described as clarifying and streamlining the earlier overhaul. The bill was the subject of procedural motions on the floor before final substitution and passage.

The chamber also concurred with Senate amendments to substitute House Bill 12 (procurement-related language) and placed numerous committee-reported bills on the third-reading or consent calendars for later action. Several committee reports were adopted without extended floor debate.

Votes at a glance

- Substitute House Bill 12 (concurrence with Senate amendments; procurement language): House passage reported; recorded yes votes reported by the clerk (House tally reported on the floor).

- First substitute House Bill 129 (adoption records access amendments): Passed the House; will be transmitted to the Senate.

- First substitute House Bill 87 (drug trafficking amendments — fentanyl): Passed the House; will be transmitted to the Senate.

- House Bill 96 (fraud amendments; tiered penalties for large-value fraud): Passed the House; will be transmitted to the Senate.

- First substitute House Bill 297 (expungement/cleanup amendments): Passed the House after substitution and procedural reconsideration; will be transmitted to the Senate.

What the floor debated

Floor debate mixed policy and process. Supporters of the adoption-records bill argued the measure restores an adoptee’s access to their own birth record while preserving a judicial option when disclosure could harm a birth parent. Supporters of the fentanyl trafficking measure emphasized recent overdose trends and potency of available synthetic opioids as justification for escalating trafficking penalties; sponsors said the bill is intended to reduce supply while treatment and prevention continue.

Critics of the fraud bill urged caution before elevating some property-related conduct to felony levels; Representative Thurston asked sponsors to justify second-degree felony exposure and to compare penalties to other serious offenses. Sponsors said the bill aligns fraud penalties with theft statutes and surrounding-state approaches to allow prosecutors to pursue large-scale, organized fraud more effectively.

Context and next steps

Passed measures will be transmitted to the Utah Senate for consideration. Committee reports and bills placed on calendars will return to the House for third-reading action or final votes per the schedule set on the floor. Several items were circled or moved to time-certain calendars for later consideration during the same day.

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