| Members Present: Rep. Michael K. McKell, Chair Rep. V. Lowry Snow, Vice Chair Rep. Kim F. Coleman Rep. Bruce R. Cutler Rep. Brian M. Greene Rep. Ken Ivory Rep. Brian S. King | Rep. Karianne Lisonbee Rep. Dixon M. Pitcher Rep. Susan Pulsipher Rep. Tim Quinn Rep. Mark A. Wheatley Staff Present: Mr. Joseph T. Wade, Policy Analyst Mr. Steve Benard, Committee Secretary |
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the
meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| Vice Chair Snow called the meeting to order at 4:21 p.m. |
| MOTION: Rep. Ivory moved to approve the February 27, 2018, meeting minutes. The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-2. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays-0 | Abs-2 | |
| Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. K. Ivory Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. T. Quinn Rep. V. Snow | Rep. K. Coleman Rep. M. Wheatley |
| 1. H.B. 466 Wildland Fire Liability Amendments (McKell, M.) |
| Rep. Mike K. McKell explained the bill with the assistance of Brett Parkinson. |
| Mr. Brian Cottam, Director, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Dan Petersen, Fire Chief, Unified Fire Authority, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Jeff Peterson, Utah Rural Electric Co-ops, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Eric Maxfield, attorney for Intermountain Power Agency, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Jon Cox, Rocky Mountain Power, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Karl Lieb, Salt Lake City Fire Dept Chief, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Brian Nelson, Director of Risk Management, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Ryan Loose, Utah League of Cities and Towns, spoke against the bill. |
| MOTION: Rep. King moved to amend H.B. 466 with Amendment 3. The motion passed with a vote of 12-0-0. | |||
|
Amendment 3
H.B. 466 12 ▸ states that a person who negligently, recklessly, or intentionally causes a wildland 13 fire shall be liable for damages and the cost of suppressing the fire; 14 ▸ states that a person that negligently, recklessly, or intentionally causes a wildland fire through the operation, maintenance, 15 or use of any instrumentality of the person's shall be liable for all damages resulting 16 from the wildland fire; 17 ▸ states that a person or a property owner who suffers damage from a wildland fire may bring an 18 action to recover damages, costs, and reasonable attorney fees; 41 (2) (a) The conduct described in Subsection (1) includes any negligent, reckless, or 42 intentional conduct, and is not limited to conduct described in Section 65A-3-2. 43 (b) Notwithstanding { 44 Governmental Immunity Act of Utah, when a person negligently, recklessly, or intentionally causes a wildland fire through the 45 operation, maintenance, or use of any instrumentality of the person, the person shall be liable 46 for all damages resulting from the wildland fire, including the cost of suppression. 47 (3) (a) [ 48 fire, including incurring costs to suppress a wildland fire, may bring an action under this section to 49 recover [ |
| Yeas - 12 | Nays-0 | Abs-0 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. K. Ivory Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. T. Quinn Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley |
| MOTION: Rep. King moved to amend H.B. 466 with Amendment 4. The motion passed with a vote of 11-1-0. | |||
|
Amendment 4
H.B. 466 43 (b) { 44 45 operation, maintenance, or use of any instrumentality of the person, the person shall be liable 46 for all damages resulting from the wildland fire, including the cost of suppression. |
| Yeas - 11 | Nays-1 | Abs-0 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. K. Ivory Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. T. Quinn Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley | Rep. B. Greene |
| Rep. King moved to report a favorable recommendation on H.B. 466, as amended. |
| SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Rep. Quinn moved to hold H.B. 466. The Substitute motion passed with a vote of 7-5-0. | |||
| Yeas - 7 | Nays-5 | Abs-0 | |
| Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. K. Ivory Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. T. Quinn Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley | Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher |
| Rep. Greene assumed the chair. |
| 2. H.B. 427 Custody Amendments (Snow, V. L.) |
| Rep. V. Lowry Snow explained the bill with the assistance of Stewart Ralphs, Legal Aid Society. |
| Ms. Cherie Raymond, spoke in favor of the bill. |
| Ms. Melinda Robinson, Stop Abuse Campaign, spoke in favor of the bill. |
| Ms. Annika Coleman, Stop Abuse Campaign, spoke in favor of the bill. |
| Ms. Amber North, Stop Abuse Campaign, spoke in favor of the bill. |
| Ms. Brinley North spoke in favor of the bill. |
| Ms. Jaycey Skinner, Administrative Office of the Courts, spoke to the bill. |
| MOTION: Rep. Pitcher moved to report a favorable recommendation on H.B. 427. The motion passed with a vote of 12-0-0. | |||
| Yeas - 12 | Nays-0 | Abs-0 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. K. Ivory Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. T. Quinn Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley |
| Chair McKell resumed the chair. |
| 3. H.B. 440 Presentence Investigation and Probation Report Amendments (Hutchings, E.) |
| Rep. Eric K. Hutchings explained the bill with the assistance of Dr. Victor Kersey. |
| MOTION: Rep. Cutler moved to report a favorable recommendation on H.B. 440. The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-3. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays-0 | Abs-3 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow | Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn Rep. M. Wheatley |
| MOTION: Rep. Pitcher moved to place H.B. 440 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-3. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays-0 | Abs-3 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow | Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn Rep. M. Wheatley |
| 4. H.J.R. 17 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution -- Right to Pursue Trade, Vocation, Occupation, or Career (Greene, B.) |
| Rep. Brian M. Greene explained the bill. |
| Ms. Kate Bradshaw spoke against the bill. |
| MOTION: Rep. Greene moved to amend H.J.R. 17 with Amendment 1. The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-2. | |||
|
Amendment 1
H.J.R. 17 28 Government may not infringe on the individual, inalienable right of the people to 29 pursue an honest trade, vocation, occupation, or career, unless the infringement is narrowly 30 tailored to protect against { 31 safety. |
| Yeas - 10 | Nays-0 | Abs-2 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley | Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn |
| MOTION: Rep. Coleman moved to report a favorable recommendation on H.J.R. 17, as amended. The motion failed with a vote of 3-7-2. | |||
| Yeas - 3 | Nays-7 | Abs-2 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Greene Rep. D. Pitcher | Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley | Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn |
| 5. H.B. 451 Court Commissioner Amendments (Miles, K.) |
| Rep. Kelly B. Miles explained the bill. |
| MOTION: Rep. Pitcher moved to report a favorable recommendation on H.B. 451. The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-2. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays-0 | Abs-2 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley | Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn |
| MOTION: Rep. Pitcher moved to place H.B. 451 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed with a vote of 10-0-2. | |||
| Yeas - 10 | Nays-0 | Abs-2 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Cutler Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow Rep. M. Wheatley | Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn |
| Vice Chair Snow assumed the chair. |
| 6. H.B. 359 Allocation of Fault Amendments (McKell, M.) |
| Rep. Mike K. McKell explained the bill with the assistance of Mr. Edward Havas, Utah Association for Justice. |
| Mr. Joseph Rust spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Dave Davis, President, Retail Merchants Association, spoke to the bill. |
| Mr. Marshall Thompson, Utah Sentencing Commission, spoke in favor of the bill. |
| Mr. Dave Gessel, Utah Hospital Association, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Todd Turnblom, Utah Defense Lawyers Association, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Michael Parker, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, spoke against the bill. |
| Mr. Lance Milne, UAJ, spoke to the bill. |
| MOTION: Rep. McKell moved to hold H.B. 359. The motion passed with a vote of 8-0-4. | |||
| Yeas - 8 | Nays-0 | Abs-4 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow | Rep. B. Cutler Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn Rep. M. Wheatley |
| MOTION: Rep. Pitcher moved to adjourn. The motion passed with a vote of 8-0-4. | |||
| Yeas - 8 | Nays-0 | Abs-4 | |
| Rep. K. Coleman Rep. B. Greene Rep. B. King Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. M. McKell Rep. D. Pitcher Rep. S. Pulsipher Rep. V. Snow | Rep. B. Cutler Rep. K. Ivory Rep. T. Quinn Rep. M. Wheatley |
| Vice Chair Snow adjourned the meeting at 7:35 p.m. |