The 2025 session of the Utah State Legislature officially began on Tuesday, Jan. 21. In the weeks leading up to the session, various bills were prefiled with the body, giving the general public a look into what may be in store for the session. 

Rep. Christine Watkins, Rep. Logan Monson and Sen. David Hinkins are all tasked with representing the Castle Country Area and Eastern Utah. Examining the prefiled bills, several priorities can be seen for the 2025 session.

Entering her third term as a representative, Watkins has filed eight bills. The first, HB04, simply funds and sets the budget for economic and community development.

HB33 is one of many bills sponsored by Watkins that looks to change how law enforcement handles cases of child abuse. HB33 in particular amends concerns over a false report when it comes to child abuse. According to the text, the bill “requires the Division of Child and Family Services to notify law enforcement when the division determines that a person knowingly made a false report of child abuse or neglect.”

HB79 is another that serves a singular purpose. In this case, that purpose is enacting a sales tax exemption on purchasing adaptive driving equipment. “A vehicle dealer shall collect sales tax required by this chapter on the purchase price of the vehicle after subtracting the amount of the purchase price attributed to the adaptive driving equipment.” If passed successfully, this exemption would take effect on Oct. 1, 2025

Returning to bills dealing with child abuse and neglect, HB83 is a piece of legislation that Watkins has previously previewed. Speaking to Castle Country Radio, the Representative explained,” After the tragic summer we had with kids, one of my bills will allow DCFS and the police to decide when they need to get a warrant to go into a home. And this is only if a family doesn’t answer the door, doesn’t answer the phone, and can’t get eyes on kids. So I’m not anticipating any problems with that one.”

In a bill that focuses on higher education – a topic that has been heavily discussed leading up to the session by the legislature – HB91 handles the fund-requesting process and capital development projects for technical colleges. The bill reads,” The board’s recommendations shall be available for presentation to the governor and to the Legislature at least 30 days before the convening of the Legislature, and shall include schedules showing all funding distribution models and the recommended amounts for each institution, including separately funded programs or divisions.”

It also adds,” A funding distribution model utilized for a technical college shall include equivalent funding value for secondary and adult students and reflect the full responsibility of the technical college’s statutorily required services.”

In layman’s terms, this bill changes what technical colleges need to present to the legislature and governor when requesting funding; specifically creating the requirement for a funding distribution model that must be shown.

HB116 or the Public Safety Answering Points amendments would require the Department of Public Safety to,” pay the ongoing operational costs of a public safety answering point maintained by the bureau under Section 53-10-502 located within a county of the fourth, fifth, or sixth class.” Carbon, Emery and Duchesne County all fit underneath this banner of fourth or fifth-class counties.

HB181 changes how schools request a waiver for a four-day school week. This creates requirements for schools wanting to move to the four-day school week to present data and information on how this is expected to impact student achievement, show community support and a plan on how the district would plan to optimize instructional time among other requirements.

The final piece of legislation filed by Watkins thus far is HB212, which amends the Energy Resource Procurement Act by outlining the process of approval for large-scale energy projects that use grid-enhancing technologies. This bill would require developers of these projects to provide a cost analysis and timetable for these technologies to the Public Service Commission. It also makes the utility deploying this technology eligible for a shared savings incentive.

Rep. Monson, who is entering his first term as a legislator, has only one bill currently filed. That bill is HB275, which creates a tax credit for volunteer first responders. It also establishes the parameters for how much this credit will be valued at,” A qualifying claimant may claim a nonrefundable tax credit in an amount equal to: (a) for a qualifying claimant who during the taxable year performs at least 100 but less than 200 documented hours of volunteer work within the state as a first responder volunteer, $500; or (b) for a qualifying claimant who during the taxable year performs 200 or more documented hours of volunteer work within the state as a first responder volunteer, $1,000.”

For the area’s lone Senator, Hinkins has introduced three pieces of legislation. Much like Rep. Watkins, the first is a budget bill in SB05. This sets the budget for the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality committee, of which Hinkins serves as the appropriations subcommittee chair.

Hinkins’ SB57 or the Newborn Relinquishment Amendments defines where newborn children can be safely relinquished. These locations include a hospital or a law enforcement station, fire station, or emergency medical service provider that is staffed 24/7. It also permits these locations to utilize newborn safety devices for the anonymous relinquishment of a newborn child.

Hinkins’ final bill SB60 would require the Department of Health and Human Services to screen for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency (PDCD). PDCD is a neurodegenerative disorder that can result in poor muscle tone, abnormal eye movements or seizures. This adds to the testing already required of newborns which includes,” heritable disorders which may result in an intellectual or physical disability or death and for which: (i) a preventive measure or treatment is available; and (ii) there exists a reliable laboratory diagnostic test method.”

It is important to know that these bills have not officially been passed, but it gives a peek into some of the areas our local representatives may be focusing their attention in the 2025 session.

*Photo Courtesy of the Utah House of Representatives