The House Government Operations Committee voted to advance the first substitute of Senate Bill 17, a proposal to extend certain licensing and education benefits to civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD) who relocate to Utah for work.

Senator Milner, presenting the bill, said Utah increasingly relies on a "total force" that includes DOD civilian employees and that the measure would extend to those civilians the same supports already provided to military personnel. "It says for professional licensing that we would grant exemptions for occupational and professional licensing for DOD employees and their spouses, provided they have valid licenses in another state," Milner told the committee. The substitute also provides for in-state tuition for their school-age children and parallels K-12 supports already extended to military families.

Committee members asked about the fiscal note and the scale of the population affected. Milner said the fiscal note reflects that institutions would receive less revenue if more students pay in-state rather than out-of-state tuition but that the change would not cut state budgets. He also said the precise number of DOD civilian transfers into Utah is difficult to predict because many in the civilian workforce already live in-state.

Representative Thompson asked whether the change could affect local professionals by increasing competition; Milner said he had no negative feedback from local stakeholders and framed the bill as helping recruit and retain workers such as teachers and nurses who meet licensing standards from other states.

There were no public commenters recorded on the bill. The committee voted to pass the first substitute of SB17 with a favorable recommendation to the full House. Testimony indicated the bill has been discussed with higher education and public education administrators and that local military leadership supports the measure.

If enacted, SB17 would allow DOD civilian employees and their spouses who hold valid licenses from another state to obtain occupational or professional licensure in Utah without restarting the licensing process and would grant in-state tuition to their children while they serve in positions tied to the DOD mission.