By Representative Christine Watkins, District 69
Last week, we were officially done with our Appropriation Subcommittees. As a result, we have Standing Committees more often as well as longer floor times to debate bills more quickly and effectively. It is that time in the session when we experience many early mornings and late nights. With only two more weeks remaining, we need to debate and vote on as many bills as we can to pass the legislation our constituents want.
HB 64 S02
Last Monday, I presented HB 64, the second substitute, Drinking Water Amendments, to the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Standing Committee. This bill passed the Senate Standing Committee with a unanimous vote and was sent to the Senate floor for further discussion.
Once my bills go to the Senate floor, they are in the hands of my floor sponsor, Senator Hinkins, who will be presenting this bill during Senate Floor Time. It has since passed the Senate Second Reading with zero no votes and is now on the Senate Third Calendar for the bill’s final hearing.
HB 292
My bill, HB 292, Microenterprise Home Kitchen Amendments, adds an amendment to the bill I passed last session. It is a simple amendment that modifies the 2018 Edition of the International Fire Code to provide an exemption from the Type 1 hood requirement for a cooking appliance in a permitted microenterprise home kitchen. This bill passed in committee with a unanimous vote and was placed onto the Consent Calendar, meaning there would be no debate on this bill. It passed the House Floor and I will be presenting the bill in a senate committee this week.
Meeting with District Schools
I was so excited last week when two different schools from my district visited me at the Capitol. I met with Centennial Elementary Students and Green River High School students. It is crucial to teach kids the importance of being involved in their state and country at a young age because they are our future leaders.
Helicopter Tour Over the Great Salt Lake
During this session, we are facing many issues due to our lack of water in the state. One of them is our shrinking Great Salt Lake. House Speaker Brad Wilson has a bill that will address the concerns of the Great Salt Lake with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Program.
Last week, all the legislators were invited to go on a Black Hawk helicopter tour offered by the Utah National Air Guard. We flew over the Great Salt Lake to see for ourselves the effects of drought. This provided a clear visual of what is happening with the lake and helps us make informed decisions on the matter. It is a sad sight and I hope with coordinated community and business involvement, the lake will recover and thrive.
HB11
HB11, Student Athletics Participation, is a bill creating a path to play while preserving women’s sports. It offers a data-driven, individualized assessment to determine the eligibility of transathletes to compete in a gender-specific sport. The bill creates a commission that will establish a baseline of physical characteristics of athletes playing a given sport.
Characteristics such as height, weight, body mass, wingspan, bone density and whether the athlete has ever played sports in a different gender-designated sport will all be considered. The commission will consider mental health issues and safety of student athletes as well as protect against any competitive advantage that a transgender athlete may have. The bill passed the House and is now in the Senate.
Thank you for your support during this session. As always, please feel free to reach out to me by email (christinewatkins@le.utah.gov) or phone (435-650-1969).
