My Work on the Legislature

During the 2024 General Legislative Session, I served on the:

Criminal Code Subcommittee
House Health and Human Services Committee
House Judiciary Committee
Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee

During the session, I sponsored and passed several pieces of legislation regarding health and human services, especially for disabled individuals; law enforcement and training for officers; and government transparency.

Here is a list of my bills and what they proposed:

My Sponsored Legislation

HB73 - Rehabilitation Services Amendments [PASSED] - Modified provisions regarding the funding of neurological and brain injury rehabilitation services and combined several rehabilitation committees, thereby streamlining the healthcare process for individuals affected by traumatic neurological or brain-related injuries.

HB102 - Peace Officer Standards and Training Council Amendments [PASSED] - Modified the annual training requirements for law enforcement officers, allowing them to focus on specialized training for the field they serve in.

HB125 - Procurement Code Amendments [PASSED] - Improved the procurement process for the Department of Health and Human Services, making it easier for a person to see their preferred medical provider.

HB134 - Marriage Modifications [PASSED] - Protected the validity and recognition of marriages regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origins of the parties to the marriage.

HB266 - Government Records Ombudsman Amendments [PASSED] - Enhances the efficiency of records requests by allowing a requester and governmental entity to mediate a dispute with the Government Records Ombudsman, if the request is denied by the chief administrative officer of the governmental entity.

HB274 - Underinsured Motorist Coverage Amendments - Would have ensured certain protections to employees driving company cars who are not covered by their employers' insurance and allowed them to collect benefits under their private car insurance.

HB432 - Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Amendments [PASSED] - Provides criminal and civil liability protections to members of the clergy who report ongoing child abuse or neglect.

HB439 - Workers' Compensation Revisions - Would have clarified the workers' comp requirement for the self-administered services program.

HB457 - Governmental Accounting Amendments - Would have revised the financial certification language on a political subdivision's annual statement to generally accepted accounting principles and industry standards.

HJR20 - Joint Resolution Honoring the Paraguayan Community - Highlights the history and significant contributions of the Paraguayan community to the great state of Utah.

Floor Sponsored Legislation

SB81 - County Clerk Amendments [PASSED] - Clarified rules around marriages performed virtually to protect against plural marriages and marriages involving minors.
SB167 - Court Transcript Fee Amendments [PASSED] - Increased pay for court transcribers.
SB180 - Court Jurisdiction Modifications [PASSED] - Clarified jurisdiction of the juvenile justice courts for low-level offenses committed by older high school students.
SB193 - Arbitration Amendments [PASSED] - Increased the cap award for arbitration from $50,000 to $75,000 while keeping the policy limits cap in place, and granted additional time for discovery following an appeal, from 90 days to 120 days.

Co-Sponsored Legislation

HB35 - Metro Township Modifications [PASSED] - Changed the classification of Copperton, Kearns, Magna, Emigration Canyon, and White City from metro townships to municipalities, granting them more autonomy.
HB192 - Local Education Agency Employee Paid Leave [PASSED] - Requires a minimum of three weeks parental leave and an additional three weeks postpartum leave for teachers, with no retaliation against them by the school district, and gives schools local control over leave bank sharing.
HB228 - Public Employee Leave Amendments [PASSED] - Allows public employees elected to the state legislature to be granted, at minimum, leave without pay without retaliatory action by their employer.
HB251 - Post Retirement Reemployment Restrictions Amendments [PASSED] - Allows retired Utahns to be reemployed as needed in public sectors such as education and public safety.
HB324 - Disability Services Amendments - Would have provided leftover Medicaid funds to a pilot program to help disabled children who are under full-time medical care by their families.
HB355 - Residential Rental Modifications - Would have required landlords to give tenants at least 60 days notice when increasing rent.
HB406 - Firearms Financial Transaction Amendments [PASSED] - Prohibits the use of a firearms merchant code to track purchases related to firearms.
HB431 - Teacher Retention [PASSED] - Created an educator hotline to support teachers with professional development opportunities, sponsored a master teacher pilot program, and now requires school districts to provide a minimum of three weeks maternity leave for teachers.
HB438 - Higher Education Revisions [PASSED] - Requires universities to follow certain standards when granting tenure to their professors, ensuring that college education remains relevant and affordable for our students.
HB453 - Great Salt Lake Revisions [PASSED] - Ensures water conserved by Utah farmers, businesses, governments, and citizens will make it to the Great Salt Lake and remain in the lake. It also allows mineral companies to continue extracting critical minerals, while ensuring Utahns receive fair compensation in the form of conservation and management efforts.

My Work on the Legislature

During the 2024 General Legislative Session, I served on the:​

​

Criminal Code Subcommittee​

House Health and Human Services Committee

House Judiciary Committee

Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee

​

During the session, I sponsored and passed several pieces of legislation regarding health and human services, especially for disabled individuals; law enforcement and training for officers; and government transparency.

Here is a list of my bills and what they proposed:​

My Sponsored Legislation

​

HB102 - Peace Officer Standards and Training Council Amendments [PASSED] - Modified the annual training requirements for law enforcement officers, allowing them to focus on specialized training for the field they serve in.

​

HB125 - Procurement Code Amendments [PASSED] - Improved the procurement process for the Department of Health and Human Services, making it easier for a person to see their preferred medical provider.

​

HB134 - Marriage Modifications [PASSED] - Protected the validity and recognition of marriages regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origins of the parties to the marriage.

​

HB266 - Government Records Ombudsman Amendments [PASSED] - Enhances the efficiency of records requests by allowing a requester and governmental entity to mediate a dispute with the Government Records Ombudsman, if the request is denied by the chief administrative officer of the governmental entity.

​

HB274 - Underinsured Motorist Coverage Amendments - Would have ensured certain protections to employees driving company cars who are not covered by their employers' insurance and allowed them to collect benefits under their private car insurance.

​

HB432 - Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Amendments [PASSED] - Provides criminal and civil liability protections to members of the clergy who report ongoing child abuse or neglect.

​

HB439 - Workers' Compensation Revisions - Would have clarified the workers' comp requirement for the self-administered services program.

​

HB457 - Governmental Accounting Amendments - Would have revised the financial certification language on a political subdivision's annual statement to generally accepted accounting principles and industry standards.

​

HJR20 - Joint Resolution Honoring the Paraguayan Community - Highlights the history and significant contributions of the Paraguayan community to the great state of Utah.

Floor Sponsored Legislation

​SB81 - County Clerk Amendments [PASSED] - Clarified rules around marriages performed virtually to protect against plural marriages and marriages involving minors.

SB167 - Court Transcript Fee Amendments [PASSED] - Increased pay for court transcribers.

SB180 - Court Jurisdiction Modifications [PASSED] - Clarified jurisdiction of the juvenile justice courts for low-level offenses committed by older high school students.

SB193 - Arbitration Amendments [PASSED] - Increased the cap award for arbitration from $50,000 to $75,000 while keeping the policy limits cap in place, and granted additional time for discovery following an appeal, from 90 days to 120 days.

Co-Sponsored Legislation

HB35 - Metro Township Modifications [PASSED] - Changed the classification of Copperton, Kearns, Magna, Emigration Canyon, and White City from metro townships to municipalities, granting them more autonomy.

HB192 - Local Education Agency Employee Paid Leave [PASSED] - Requires a minimum of three weeks parental leave and an additional three weeks postpartum leave for teachers, with no retaliation against them by the school district, and gives schools local control over leave bank sharing.

HB228 - Public Employee Leave Amendments [PASSED] - Allows public employees elected to the state legislature to be granted, at minimum, leave without pay without retaliatory action by their employer.

HB251 - Post Retirement Reemployment Restrictions Amendments [PASSED] - Allows retired Utahns to be reemployed as needed in public sectors such as education and public safety.

HB324 - Disability Services Amendments - Would have provided leftover Medicaid funds to a pilot program to help disabled children who are under full-time medical care by their families.

HB355 - Residential Rental Modifications - Would have required landlords to give tenants at least 60 days notice when increasing rent.

HB406 - Firearms Financial Transaction Amendments [PASSED] - Prohibits the use of a firearms merchant code to track purchases related to firearms.

HB431 - Teacher Retention [PASSED] - Created an educator hotline to support teachers with professional development opportunities, sponsored a master teacher pilot program, and now requires school districts to provide a minimum of three weeks maternity leave for teachers.

HB438 - Higher Education Revisions [PASSED] - Requires universities to follow certain standards when granting tenure to their professors, ensuring that college education remains relevant and affordable for our students.

During the 2024 General Legislative Session, I served on the:

Criminal Code Subcommittee

Here is a list of my bills and what they proposed:

SB81 - County Clerk Amendments [PASSED] - Clarified rules around marriages performed virtually to protect against plural marriages and marriages involving minors.