Legislature day 14: Debates over class size and newborn relinquishment you need to tune in for

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The session continues as the Legislature enters into its 14th day as committees are set to debate Utah’s class sizes and newborn relinquishment policies. Here are bills, votes, and hearings you need to tune in for.

Upcoming votes

Since yesterday the Legislature has passed seven new bills that will go to the Governor for signing. Bringing the total up to 33 bills passed this session. With two voting sessions scheduled today for both houses at

11 a.m. and 2 p.m., bills continue to move up each chamber’s reading calendar.

In the House, H.B. 129 — or Adoption Records Access Amendments — has made its way up the reading calendar. This bill would allow adopted individuals to access the records related to their adoption when they turned 18 years old. We’re also tracking H.B. 128, which clarifies that minors are also subject to charges related to weapon possession on school property. H.B. 231 is also waiting for a vote on the House floor, which would mandate run-off elections in the state for primary elections.

With yesterday’s passage of H.B. 269, the House will have to approve the added Senate amendment before it can move forward to the Governor.

In the Senate, S.B 142 — or App Store Accountability Act — a bill that would regulate app stores and how minors access them and apps, waits for a vote on the second reading calendar. S.B. 24, which would make child torture a separate crime, remains circled along with S.B. 11, which would change how certain ballots are mailed in the state.

Having passed 2nd reading, S.B. 54, which would ban nicknames and regulate how names appear on ballots, now waits for a final vote in the Senate.

Hearings you won’t want to miss

As far as hearings go for today, there are four that we are watching. Starting today at 3:40 p.m., the first hearing is the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which will hear a presentation and debate regarding S.B. 57 — or Newborn Relinquishment Amendments — which is a bill that designates new areas where someone can relinquish their child and designates required care and equipment to use in an “anonymous relinquishment.”

The second hearing we are watching is that of the Senate Education Committee. Which is set to hear S.B. 32, which would set certain regulations for how many teachers there need to be for a certain number of students and requires local school districts to draft policies that reflect this.

The next hearing we are watching is the House Political Subdivisions Committee. This committee will be hearing debate on H.B. 262, which sets “education requirements” for those serving on HOA boards. Also, on the agenda is H.B. 88, which allows for the building of single-family dwellings in urban municipalities.

Finally, the last hearing you should tune in for is the House Government Operations Committee, which will hear three bills of note. The first is H.B. 270, which makes reforms to who can access voter registration data and reforms the “private” designation in statute. The second is H.B. 292, which regulates where you can place political signage, and criminalizes violators. Lastly, H.B. 299 will be heard, which modifies deadlines and how time is calculated in the election code.

For more updates on the 2025 General Session, visit Inside Utah Politics!