MINUTES OF THE
SENATE JUDICIARY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE STANDING COMMITTEE
Friday, February 27, 2026 • 4:07 p.m. • 210 Senate Building


Members Present:
Sen. Todd Weiler, Chair
Sen. Heidi Balderree
Sen. Lincoln Fillmore
Sen. Michael K. McKell
Sen. Calvin R. Musselman
Sen. Stephanie Pitcher

Members Absent:
Sen. Brady Brammer
Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore
Sen. Luz Escamilla

Staff Present:
Taylor Calabrese, Policy Analyst
An Bradshaw, Committee Secretary

Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.

Chair Weiler called the meeting to order at 4:26 p.m.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to approve the minutes of the February 26, 2026 meeting.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
1.1st Sub. H.B. 114 Adult-oriented Performance and Material Amendments(Jack, C.)
Rep. Colin Jack presented the bill with the assistance of Daniel Strong, Director, Sentencing Commission.
Melanie Mortenson, resident, spoke in favor of the bill.
Felix Espinoza, Director, Utah for Rational Sex Offense Laws, spoke in opposition to the bill.
Alexis Ence, resident, spoke in favor of the bill.
Joann Brinton, resident, spoke in favor of the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0114S01 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
2.H.B. 90 Sexual Offenses Amendments(Gwynn, M.)
Rep. Matthew Gwynn presented the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Pitcher moved to replace HB0090 with HB0090S02.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
MOTION:Sen. Pitcher moved to pass HB0090S02 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
3.1st Sub. H.B. 123 Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registration Amendments(Acton, C.K.)
Rep. Cheryl Acton presented the bill.
Marlesse Jones, Director, Victim Services Commission and representing the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ), spoke in favor of the bill.
Felix Espinoza spoke in opposition to the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0123S01 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-5.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. S. Pitcher
4.1st Sub. H.B. 134 Offender Transfer Amendments(Acton, C.K.)
Rep. Acton presented the bill.
Felix Espinoza spoke in opposition to the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0134S01 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 6-0-3.
Yeas - 6Nays- 0Abs- 3
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
5.3rd Sub. H.B. 94 Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments(Miller, G.)
Rep. Grant Miller presented the bill.
Carl Hollan, Executive Director, Statewide Association of Prosecutors and Public Attorneys, spoke in favor of the bill.
Richard Mauro, Executive Director, Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, spoke in favor of the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Pitcher moved to pass HB0094S03 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
6.3rd Sub. H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments(Peck, N.)
HB 188 Handout
Rep. Nicholeen Peck presented the bill with the assistance of David McKechnie and Samantha Beaubien, Tooele High School staff.
Phyllis Kimpel, Worldwide Organization for Women, spoke in favor of the bill.
Van Nguyen, Director, Juvenile Justice Policy and Research, CCJJ, spoke in favor of the bill.
Ben Horsley, Superintendent, Granite School District, spoke in favor of the bill.
Maryann Christensen, Executive Director, Utah Legislative Watch, spoke in favor of the bill.
Seth Stewart, resident, spoke in opposition to the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Musselman moved to pass HB0188S03 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 3-1-5.
Yeas - 3Nays- 1Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. M. McKell
7.1st Sub. H.B. 345 Victim Amendments(Romero, A.)
Rep. Angela Romero presented the bill.
Marlesse Jones spoke in favor of the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0345S01 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-5.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. M. McKell
8.3rd Sub. H.B. 280 Third Party Litigation Funding Amendments(Dunnigan, J.)
Rep. James Dunnigan presented the bill.
Machi Johnson, American Legal Finance Association, spoke in favor of the bill.
Kurt London, Utah Association for Justice, spoke in favor of the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0280S03 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 3-0-6.
Yeas - 3Nays- 0Abs- 6
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. S. Pitcher
9.H.B. 289 Child Sexual Abuse Material Amendments(Defay, A.)
Rep. Ariel Defay presented the bill with the assistance of Carl Hollan.
Steve Burton, Director, Utah Defense Attorney Association, spoke to the bill.
Daniel Strong spoke in favor of the bill.
Felix Espinoza spoke to the bill.
Seth Stewart spoke in opposition to the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0289 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
10.1st Sub. H.B. 158 Unlawful Tracking Amendments(Owens, D.)
Rep. Doug Owens presented the bill.
Michelle Palmer, President, Private Investigators Association, spoke in favor of the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0158S01 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
11.1st Sub. H.B. 207 Competency Amendments(Abbott, N.)
Rep. Nelson Abbott presented the bill.
Mark Moffat, Utah Defense Lawyers Association, spoke in favor of the bill.
Seth Stewart spoke in opposition to the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to replace HB0207S01 with HB0207S02.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-5.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. C. Musselman
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0207S02 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-5.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. C. Musselman
12.H.B. 216 Child Support Calculation Amendments(Teuscher, J.)
HB 216 Handout
Rep. Jordan Teuscher presented the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HB0216 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
13.1st Sub. H.C.R. 2 Concurrent Resolution Authorizing Adult Sentencing and Supervision Length Guidelines and Juvenile Disposition Guidelines(Clancy, T.)
Rep. Tyler Clancy presented the bill with the assistance of Daniel Strong, who also spoke in favor of the bill.
Steve Burton spoke to the bill.
Felix Espinoza spoke in opposition to the bill.
Seth Stewart spoke in opposition to the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to replace HCR002S01 with HCR002S02.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-5.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. M. McKell
MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to pass HCR002S02 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 4-0-5.
Yeas - 4Nays- 0Abs- 5
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. M. McKell
14.H.B. 346 Sexual Abuse of a Child Amendments (Cutler, P.)
Rep. Paul Cutler presented the bill with the assistance of Carl Hollan.
Marlesse Jones spoke in favor of the bill.
Felix Espinoza spoke in favor of the bill.
MOTION:Sen. Pitcher moved to pass HB0346 out favorably.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
MOTION:Sen. Musselman moved to adjourn.The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-4.
Yeas - 5Nays- 0Abs- 4
Sen. H. Balderree
Sen. L. Fillmore
Sen. C. Musselman
Sen. S. Pitcher
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. B. Brammer
Sen. K. Cullimore
Sen. L. Escamilla
Sen. M. McKell
Chair Weiler adjourned the meeting at 6:02 p.m.