| Members Present: Sen. Wayne A. Harper, Chair Rep. Kay J. Christofferson, Chair Sen. Emily Buss Sen. Keith Grover Sen. Kathleen A. Riebe Sen. Ronald M. Winterton Rep. Kristen Chevrier Rep. Ariel Defay Rep. Rosalba Dominguez Rep. Ken Ivory Rep. Ashlee Matthews | Rep. Michael J. Petersen Rep. Karen M. Peterson Rep. Candice B. Pierucci Rep. Calvin Roberts Rep. Angela Romero Rep. Jake Sawyer Rep. Norman K Thurston Staff Present: Rachel Brooks, Policy Analyst Kurt P. Gasser, Managing Associate General Counsel Riley Williams, Associate General Counsel Gabi Prior, Administrative Assistant |
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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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| Chair Harper called the meeting to order at 8:39 a.m. |
| 1.Committee Business |
| MOTION:Rep. Sawyer moved to approve the minutes of the November 19, 2025, and November 20, 2025, meetings.The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-9. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 9 | |
| Sen. E. Buss Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. A. Defay Sen. W. Harper Rep. K. Ivory Rep. M. Petersen Rep. J. Sawyer Rep. N. Thurston Sen. R. Winterton | Rep. K. Chevrier Rep. R. Dominguez Sen. K. Grover Rep. A. Matthews Rep. K. Peterson Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. K. Riebe Rep. C. Roberts Rep. A. Romero |
| 1 - Open and Public Meetings Act Overview (Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel) |
| Rachel Brooks, Policy Analyst, Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, presented an overview of the Open and Public Meetings Act. |
| Rachel Brooks explained the changes to the legislative rule regarding committee bill files and answered questions from the committee. |
| MOTION:Rep. Christofferson moved to authorize the committee chairs to open committee bill files and the committee discussed.The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-9. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 9 | |
| Sen. E. Buss Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. A. Defay Sen. W. Harper Rep. K. Ivory Rep. M. Petersen Rep. K. Peterson Rep. J. Sawyer Rep. N. Thurston | Rep. K. Chevrier Rep. R. Dominguez Sen. K. Grover Rep. A. Matthews Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. K. Riebe Rep. C. Roberts Rep. A. Romero Sen. R. Winterton |
| 1 - Required Reports Overview (OLRGC) |
| Rachel Brooks presented an overview of statutorily required reports and answered questions from the committee. |
| 2.Adoption of Study Items |
| 2 - Proposed Interim Study Items List (OLRGC) |
| Rachel Brooks presented an overview of the proposed study items list. |
| MOTION:Rep. Peterson moved to add "e-bikes" to the study items list and approve the study items list as amended.The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-9. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 9 | |
| Sen. E. Buss Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. A. Defay Sen. W. Harper Rep. K. Ivory Rep. M. Petersen Rep. K. Peterson Rep. J. Sawyer Rep. N. Thurston | Rep. K. Chevrier Rep. R. Dominguez Sen. K. Grover Rep. A. Matthews Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. K. Riebe Rep. C. Roberts Rep. A. Romero Sen. R. Winterton |
| 3.Sunset Reviews |
| 3 - Sunset Reviews Overview (OLRGC) |
| Rachel Brooks briefed the committee on upcoming sunset reviews. |
| 4.Sunset Review: Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Advisory Council |
| 7 - Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Council Sunset Review (OLRGC) |
| 7 - Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Council Sunset Review Presentation (OLRGC) |
| Rachel Brooks presented an overview of the Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Council. |
| 7 - Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Council Presentation (Division of Outdoor Recreation) |
| Jason Curry, Director, Division of Outdoor Recreation, presented on the Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Council. |
| Committee members asked clarifying questions. |
| Sen. Winterton spoke in favor of extending the sunset date and recommended that the committee put all the sunset reviews in one bill at the end of the year. |
| Committee members continued to ask clarifying questions. |
| 5.Motorcycle Safety |
| 4 - Department of Public Safety Presentation (Department of Public Safety) |
| Greg Holley, Colonel, Department of Public Safety, gave a presentation on motorcycle safety. |
| Committee members asked clarifying questions. |
| Rachel Brooks responded to a question from the committee regarding motorcycle license classifications. |
| Chair Harper asked a clarifying question. |
| 6.Sunset Review: Lane Filtering |
| 5 - Lane Filtering Sunset Review (OLRGC) |
| 5 - Lane Filtering Presentation (OLRGC) |
| Rachel Brooks gave a presentation on the lane filtering sunset review. |
| Rep. Thurston asked a clarifying question. |
| 4 - Department of Public Safety Presentation (Department of Public Safety) |
| Colonel Holley gave a presentation on lane filtering. |
| Rep. Christofferson asked a clarifying question. |
| Rep. Walt Brooks gave an overview of his lane filtering legislation. |
| Committee members continued to ask clarifying questions. |
| Dean Rogers, President, American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE) Salt Lake Chapter, spoke in favor of lane filtering and spoke to rider training. |
| Committee members asked clarifying questions. |
| Eric Stine, President, ABATE Weber Chapter, spoke in favor of lane filtering. |
| Chair Harper asked Eric Stine his position on mandatory helmets for riders under 21 years of age. |
| Jason Danielson, resident, spoke in favor of lane filtering. |
| Dale Bell, Chief Instructor, Utah Rider Education, spoke in favor of lane filtering. |
| Michael Sonntag, Representative, Bear River Insurance, spoke on insurance companies insuring individuals without a motorcycle endorsement. |
| Rachel Brooks read a statement written by Sen. Buss in support of lane filtering. |
| Rep. Thurston suggested extending the sunset five years to collect more data and reevaluating at a later time. |
| Rep. Christofferson spoke in favor of extending the sunset to gather more data and asked a clarifying question. |
| Colonel Holley answered questions from the committee regarding lane filtering. |
| Chair Harper recommended reevaluating the sunset at a later date, looking into enhanced rider education and education for the general public, and forming a working group. |
| Rep. Pierucci spoke to the importance of motorcycle safety. |
| 7.Distracted Driving |
| 4 - Department of Public Safety Presentation (Department of Public Safety) |
| Colonel Holley gave a presentation on distracted driving. |
| Rep. Matthews thanked the Department of Public Safety for their work and asked a clarifying question. |
| Committee members continued to discuss and ask clarifying questions. |
| 8.Non-domiciled Commercial Driver License (CDL) Program |
| 8 - Non-domiciled Commercial Driver License Program Presentation (DPS) |
| Hillary Koellner, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Safety Driver License Division, and Jeremy Bergener, Commercial Driver License and Driver Improvement Manager, Utah Driver License Division, gave a presentation on the Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver License (CDL) Program. |
| Rep. Pierucci asked a clarifying question. |
| Committee members continued to ask clarifying questions. |
| 9.Other Items/Adjourn |
| MOTION:Rep. Peterson moved to adjournThe motion passed with a vote of 15-0-3. | |||
| Yeas - 15 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 3 | |
| Sen. E. Buss Rep. K. Chevrier Rep. K. Christofferson Rep. A. Defay Sen. K. Grover Sen. W. Harper Rep. K. Ivory Rep. A. Matthews Rep. M. Petersen Rep. K. Peterson Rep. C. Roberts Rep. A. Romero Rep. J. Sawyer Rep. N. Thurston Sen. R. Winterton | Rep. R. Dominguez Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. K. Riebe |
| Chair Harper adjourned the meeting at 10:53 a.m. |