2020 Legislative Session Week 4

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Checking In At The Legislature: 2020 Session Week 4

Upcoming Events:

Bagels and Briefings 10-11:30 am my home Saturday, February 29th

WXHS Tarzan musical February 24th, 27th, 28th, 29th, and March 2nd @7pm (and 2 pm Sat matinees) Click here for online ticket purchase.

In this issue:

Week 4 legislation passed in the House (as of 2/24/20)
My bills
Insulin Pricing HB207, and my bill HB249
Electronic Cigarettes in Schools HB58
Outdoor Adventure Commission HB283
Honoring fallen Herriman City Police K9, Hondo
Congressional Delegation visits
Intern Corner: Byron Day
Davis County Visitors to the Capitol

Legislation Passed As of February 24th 2020

To see a list of bills that have been passed during the 2020 Legislative Session, click here.

My Bills

Many great organizations and groups support the bills I’m leading this session throughout Utah. Getting the right bills and the proper legislation takes many months (and sometimes years) of refinement and dialogue with experts and stakeholders around the state. I am grateful for the many dedicated people who help to make my bills the best they can be.

HB67 passed Senate Education Committee Unanimously
HB236 Safe School Routes passed House Transportation committee unanimously
HB40 1st substitute bill will be heard Monday afternoon in House Natural Resources Committee
HB313 Telehealth is Public: (watch for a substitute bill to be made public soon). Allows any doctor who wants to do telehealth instead of a select few and be paid a commercially viable price for their service. Records can be sent within two weeks to your primary care doctor if a patient desires (currently, there is no way to notify your primary care doctor of telehealth visits). HB313 has been assigned to House Business and Labor Committee
HCR12 has been passed in both houses and a declaration signed by the governor
HJR13 waiting to be heard in committee

HB236 with UDOT Policy and
Legislative Services Director Linda Hull

HB67 with members of State Board of Education

HB67 and HB236: Thanks to great education leaders throughout our state who gave input to these bills.

Davis School Board Member John Robinson

Associate Superintendent Jordan School District Mike Anderson, Alpine School District Assistant Superintendent Rob Smith

Davis School District Superintendent Reed Newey

Some Additional Highlights

Insulin Pricing HB207 And My Bill HB249

The House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed HB 207 this week, helping bend the cost curve on insulin pricing for all Utahns. In 2002, a vial of insulin would cost a patient $20. Today that cost has skyrocketed to about $350.00 per vial. HB 207 and my bill HB 249 address this urgent need by helping mitigate the cost of this lifesaving drug.

Electronic CIgarettes in Schools HB58

This week the House passed HB 58 Electronic Cigarettes in Schools Amendments (70-0-5), which addresses student use of alcohol, tobacco, and electronic cigarette products through education, prevention, and discipline programs. Today, over 12% of Utah's youth actively vape. The Legislature is working to combat this crisis and keep our kids safe and healthy.

Outdoor Adventure Commission HB 283

It is no secret that Utah is home to incredibly diverse natural landscapes that give us some of the best outdoor recreation in the world. It's part of what makes living in Utah exceptional. We want to maintain the outdoors we love for future generations to enjoy.

However, as our state continues to grow, some of our recreation assets are not keeping pace. We need a state-wide, comprehensive outdoor recreation plan to preserve and protect the outdoors while creating sufficient access for all Utahns.

HB 283 creates the Outdoor Adventure Commission, which will help us preserve and grow this essential benefit for future generations to enjoy. The Outdoor Adventure Commission's goal is to:

Create strategic planning for state-wide collaboration with all organizations and entities.
Increase access to outdoor recreation opportunities for all Utahns.
Focus on stewardship to preserve these assets for future generations.

The Outdoor Adventure Commission will be made up of various stakeholders representing the many aspects of our state, outdoor recreation, conservation, industry, and so on. Together they will work towards addressing these goals.

Watch this video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VKLrSWb-h8&t=4s

Honoring Fallen K9 Hondo

Last week, K9 Hondo with Herriman City Police was killed in the line of duty. The House was pleased to honor him and his handler, Sgt. Ricks, with over 33 officers and their K9 partners.

Congressional Delegation Visits Caucus

Throughout the session, we are visited by members of our federal delegation. On Tuesday, Senator Mike Lee spoke to our caucus. On Thursday, we were visited by Congressman Ben McAdams and Congressman John Curtis.

Intern Corner

My name is Byron Day and I am a Junior at the University of Utah studying operations and supply chain. I have always been interested in how our government works and so when my mother, who works as a Page in the House, told me about the internship, I decided to apply. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of meetings, but it has been a great experience meeting a lot of people and getting a behind the scenes look at the legislative process. The best part has been seeing a bill that we have worked on pass favorably. Overall, it has been a great experience.