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Western
HVAC News
Utah 2016 Legislative Session: What
You Need to Know.
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 The
2016 Utah Legislative session adjourned late on the final
day, Thursday, March 10th, after lawmakers considered 488
House Bills and 259 Senate Bills, together with various
resolutions. Among the long list of bills presented, the
UMCA addressed the 14 bills summarized in the Bill Tracker
which can be found
here.
House Bill 251, that initially proposed the elimination of
all non-compete agreements between employers and employees,
topped the list of bills concerning the Construction
Industry. This controversial legislation had numerous
amendments proposed, many of which were adopted, then later
deleted, resulting in 10 substitute bills being submitted.
At the end of the session, HB251 Sub 10 was adopted and
Governor Herbert signed the bill on March 22, 2016.
The bill was opposed not only by the UMCA, but by a broad
segment of the Business Community, with some success in
finally amending the bill to include some limitations and
exemptions from coverage under the Act. Those elements are
summarized in the
Bill
Tracker.
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Also of particular
interest to the UMCA were House Bills 108, which would have
allowed certain exemptions for payment of license application
fees, and 109, which would have placed restrictions on
Contractor Continuing Education provisions, both of which were
opposed by the UMCA. These bills failed to pass. On the other
hand, House Bill 112 which expanded the list of providers of
Continuing Education to include State Executive agencies, the
Workers Compensation Fund and recognized colleges and
universities was supported by the UMCA. It passed. House Bill
171, that would have created an Apprentice Executive Board
within the Department of Work Force Services, was also opposed
by the UMCA and it failed to pass.
The UMCA supported Senate Bill 33 which amended the Occupational
Health and Safety Act to preclude employer retaliation against
employees reporting or testifying as a witness regarding an
alleged violation of the Act. This bill passed early in the
session. The UMCA will continue to monitor and work with the
Utah Legislature during the Interim Sessions where the
Legislature meets once per month throughout most of the year.
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