The days are ticking by at the Capitol, and lawmakers are rushing to advance legislation before time runs out. With just two weeks and 10 working days left in the session, committees and floor calendars are filled up.
Bills that don’t move soon risk running out of time entirely. The final stretch of the session is now underway, where priorities rise or fall fast.
As always, you can follow the bills we’re tracking in real time through the Libertas Legislative Tracker.
Here’s your recap of what happened this week.
- Senate Bill 262, sponsored by Sen. Daniel McCay, will place new limits on how law enforcement officers can use unmarked vehicles during traffic enforcement. This is a top priority for Libertas. It passed out of the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee this week.
- Legislation to make it easier to start a microschool is one step closer to becoming law after clearing the Senate Education Committee this week. House Bill 126 is sponsored by Rep. Ariel Defay. Earlier in the session, Jon England, our Education Policy Analyst, testified in support of this bill at the Capitol.
- HB 261, sponsored by Rep. Jason Kyle, passed the House this week. It will strengthen existing laws regarding warrant requirements for government to access your personal information from another entity. Our Director of Public Policy, Jason Chipman, testified in support of this legislation during a hearing last week.
- HB 215, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Peterson, will allow property owners in higher wildfire-risk areas to clear vegetation on their property, even when local landscaping rules would otherwise prohibit it. It passed the Senate this week after clearing the House earlier in the session.
- SB 286, sponsored by Sen. Luz Escamilla, makes minor, but meaningful, deregulation of occupational licensure for interior designers. It has advanced out of the Senate Business and Labor Committee.
- SB 275, sponsored by Senator Kirk Cullimore, establishes a “digital identity bill of rights,” which guarantees individuals the right to manage and control their digital identity as a way to protect their privacy
- HB 236, sponsored by Rep. Karen Peterson, will require local taxing entities to make preliminary public statements about proposed property tax increases and present alternative budgets showing operations with and without the proposed tax increase. It cleared the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.
- SB 67, sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler, bans law enforcement agencies from requiring officers to meet quotas. It passed out of the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee this week.
- HB 512, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, creates additional licensing pathways for land surveyors. It has cleared the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee.
