We are officially halfway through the 2014 General Legislative Session, and things are progressing up here on the hill. Every day more and more bills receive committee hearings, debate on the House floor, and are passed over to the Senate. This year alone there have been 1,216 requests for legislation. Of those, 595 bills have been numbered, 314 have been dropped, and 257 are still being drafted. Utah’s legislative process is unique and this session we’re enjoying the opportunity to be part of the policy-making process.
This week we heard from Senator Mike Lee, Congressman Jim Matheson, and Congressman Rob Bishop and got their Washington D.C. perspectives.  
            Come join Representative Jim Dunnigan on the House floor. The times available for next week are listed below.
Monday, February 24, 2014
            10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
            10:00 am – 12:00 pm     &      2:00 pm – 3:50 pm
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
            10:00 am – 12:00 pm,     &     2:00 pm – 3:50 pm
Thursday, February 27, 2014
            10:00 am – 12:00 pm,     &     2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Friday, February 28, 2014

            10:00 am – 12:00 pm,     &     3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
The Fire Caucus, made up from firefighters and fire marshals throughout the state, presented an award.  This year Representative Dunnigan received the Legislator of the Year Award at the Fire Caucus. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Feb. 25Museum Day on the Hill– Join us as we learn about the wonderful museums located in Utah
Feb. 27 Non-Profit Day on the Hill
Join us for a day of non-profit education in the Capitol Rotunda.
Representative Dunnigan and his grandson Nixon on the House Floor.

Bills That Passed The House

HB 80 – Speed Limit Amendments (Dunnigan, J.)

            This bill allows the Department of Transportation to establish posted speed limits on freeways or other limited access highways that exceeds the current speed limit based on highway traffic engineering and safety study.

HB 88 – Autism Program Amendments (Menlove, R.)

            This bill requires that ongoing programs for the treatment of qualified children with autism spectrum disorder to be established by the Department of Health and the Public Employee Insurance and Benefit Program.

HB 215 S1 – Public School Employee Background Checks (Handy, S.)

            This bill requires a notification to be provide to certain entities when a new entry is made against an employee or volunteer whose fingerprints are held on file regarding any matters involving an alleged offense against property.

HB 248 S1 – Crime Victims Restitution Amendments (McKell, M.)

             This bill allows for a person who claims pecuniary damages as a result of a defendant’s criminal activities to seek restitution individually through a representative.

HB 301 – Concealed Weapon Permit for Servicemembers (Peterson, V.)

            This bill exempts an active duty service member from the Utah concealed firearm permit reciprocity requirement if stationed out of state.

SB 145 – Background Check Amendments (Bramble, C.)

            This bill clarifies that criminal history record information that does not relate to a conviction may not be released to an entity requesting an employment background check.

SB 108 – Judiciary Amendments (Hillyard, L.)

   This bill requires a peace officer or public official to include on a citation whether the offense was a domestic violence offense; requires a petitioner applying electronically for the expungement of records to follow certain proceedings; changes the filing fee for a domestic relations order.


Honoring former Lt. Greg Bell and his wife, JoLynn Bell on the House floor.