Rep. Jake Sawyer

Maddy summaryHB 493 establishes a tiered penalty system for businesses violating weights and measures standards enforced by the Department of Agriculture and Food. It sets specific civil fines: $500 for a second violation, $1,000 for a third, $5,000 for a fourth, and up to $10,000 for a fifth or subsequent violation, plus costs for department inspections. Businesses selling goods by weight or measure (like grocery stores or retailers) directly face these penalties for inaccuracies. The bill also makes technical updates to the enforcement process and requires collected fines to fund the department's enforcement efforts.

Maddy summarySB 139 amends Utah's Notaries Public Reform Act to update requirements for notaries, primarily affecting those receiving commissions after May 6, 2026. Key changes include requiring new notaries to maintain a physical or electronic journal of notarial acts, modifying journal content rules, and clarifying that journals are not public records under Utah's government records law. The bill also creates new criminal penalties for unauthorized use or forgery of notary records and specifies actions notaries must take if crimes occur or journals are lost. Attorneys, law firms, and title agencies are exempt from certain journal requirements. These changes aim to modernize notarization procedures while enhancing record security and accountability.

Maddy summarySB 303 amends Utah's expungement law to adjust eligibility rules for removing criminal records. It specifically clarifies that individuals with criminal protective orders, stalking injunctions, or civil protective orders may still qualify for expungement, and changes numerical limits that previously disqualified some applicants based on the number of offenses. The bill maintains the requirement that applicants must pay all fines and restitution before expungement can be granted. This affects people with criminal records seeking to have those records removed from public view, including those with certain protective orders in place.

Maddy summaryHB 267 limits annual salary increases for school district administrators (including superintendents, business administrators, and deputies) to the weighted pupil unit (WPU) inflation rate, unless specific conditions are met. To exceed this cap, school boards must hold a public hearing, tie raises to measurable performance outcomes (like student literacy rates or graduation rates), and secure a majority vote. The bill also restricts certain benefits and sets new pay scales for deputy administrators and new superintendents. It directly affects school district leadership compensation decisions across Utah, with no new state funding required.

Maddy summaryHB 395, the Utah Real Estate Cybercrime Prevention Act, requires real estate professionals - including appraisers, escrow agents, mortgage lenders, and brokers - to use a designated communication network for transaction-related communications. The bill creates the Real Estate Communication Commission within the Department of Commerce to oversee the network, including issuing certificates to network operators, approving fee schedules, and enforcing rules. It defines failing to use the network or violating its rules as unprofessional conduct, mandates background checks on network owners, and automatically revokes certificates for owners with undisclosed fraud-related criminal histories. The Commission must review and approve all network rules and fees before they take effect.

Maddy summarySB 48 amends Utah's controlled substances laws to regulate specific kratom compounds. It designates 7-hydroxymitragynine (if exceeding 2% concentration) and Mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (including synthetics) as Schedule I controlled substances. The bill requires kratom processors to label products with mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine content and prohibits mixing kratom with harmful substances or selling unregistered products. Violations carry a class C misdemeanor penalty, directly affecting kratom businesses operating in Utah.

Maddy summaryHB 100 prohibits the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for minors under 18 in Utah's mental health system. It directly affects children in residential or inpatient care settings where ECT might previously have been administered. The bill removes ECT from the list of treatments requiring a formal commitment proceeding (which previously included antipsychotics and psychosurgery) by amending Utah Code sections governing minors' mental health care. This change ensures ECT cannot be provided to minors without specific legal authorization, aligning with existing due process protections for other treatments. The law makes no new funding or procedural changes beyond this prohibition.

Maddy summaryHB 345 updates Utah's legal descriptions of highway access routes to 12 state parks, including Hyrum, Jordanelle, and Kodachrome Basin. The bill amends two sections of Utah law (72-3-204 and 72-3-206) to add precise details about starting points, directions, distances, and governing authorities for each park's access roads. It directly affects park visitors and local jurisdictions managing these routes by clarifying official access points without changing park operations or fees. The bill contains no new funding or policy changes, solely providing updated, standardized descriptions for public reference.