Week 6 Legislative Update: Transit, National Security & School Fees

Dear Constituents, 

I hope you and your family are doing well. We are entering into the final week of the legislative session and I wanted to give you an update on what I’ve been working on:

HB 430: Local Government Transportation Services Amendments Amendments

This week I presented HB 430: Local Government Transportation Services Amendments on the house floor, the bill passed 64-7. This is a bill that I have spent hours negotiating with UDOT and UTA to try and redirect existing transit funds to cities with areas of high-growth and high transportation needs. Using a portion of transportation revenue generated through county taxes that has historically been earmarked for UTA, HB 430 creates a Public Transit Innovation Grant, that would allow cities to apply to create local transit options (like bus lines or shuttles) to demonstrate ridership and address immediate transit needs. This is a big win for our area, I’m hopeful I’ll be able to get this passed out of the Senate next week.



HB 516: State Land Purchase Amendments

This bill prohibits Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran and any companies owned by them, or subsidiaries that they have majority interest in, from buying and owning land in Utah. According to a Congressional Research report, “Utah is one of the highest-ranking states in Chinese land holdings with Chinese firms owning more than 35,000 acres in the state.” This is a major security concern that this bill will address.

HB 404: Public Entity Restrictions

This bill does three things:

• Prohibits state agencies from purchasing technology made by restricted foreign entities (Russia, China, North Korea, Iran), this is something the Department of Defense has already implemented and put in place for its employees.

• Prohibits a city from entering into a sister-city relationship with provinces or cities around the globe that are housing slave labor camps. 



• Enforces the work that was done by Congress in 2023 in the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by prohibiting the state from purchasing products made entirely by slave labor. 

You can watch my video below to learn more about these bills and why they matter.

Reducing School Fees

Many parents and students have been overwhelmed by the amount and cost of school registration fees, particularly for high schoolers. HB 415, passed the House with bipartisan support, and will eliminate fees for any classes a student is required to take for graduation. This is an issue we studied over interim and a policy I have supported for the past several sessions. It's important that we keep our education system in Utah affordable and first-rate.

School Safety and Security

This week we joined law enforcement officials, and education leaders in discussing the School Security Task Force and legislation aimed to improve safety and security at Utah schools. The following bills will help teachers focus on teaching and students focus on learning:

• H.B. 84: School Safety Amendments: Improves training, communication, infrastructure, and response to better protect students, teachers, and other staff in the event of an emergency. 

• H.B. 14: School Threat Penalty Amendments: Increases the penalties for threats against schools.

Thank you for your many emails and texts this session, I appreciate your feedback and am doing my best to get back with you in a timely manner. As a reminder, if you would like to follow along as we discuss important issues or give public comment at a committee hearing, please visit le.utah.gov to join online or view committee schedules. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our district. Please feel free to email me with any concerns or questions you have at cpierucci@le.utah.gov. Be sure to include your home address so I know you live in my district!



Sincerely,



Candice B. Pierucci

State Representative for House District 49

Bills Passed by the House this Week:

• H.B. 143 Shooting Range Requirements

• H.B. 159 Bears Ears Visitor Center Advisory Committee Repeal Amendments

• H.B. 219 Divorce Imputed Income Requirements

• H.B. 220 Divorce Amendments

• H.B. 224 Medical Surgery Amendments

• H.B. 246 Office of Families

• H.B. 323 Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Modifications

• H.B. 327 Limitations on the Use of Polygraphs

• H.B. 335 State Grant Process Amendments

• H.B. 338 Mentally Ill Offenders Amendments

• H.B. 344 Judicial Rules Review Amendments

• H.B. 347 Educational Rights Amendments

• H.B. 372 Legislative Committee Staff Requirements

• H.B. 379 Federalism Commission Amendments

• H.B. 382 Wildlife Amendments

• H.B. 394 Homeless Services Funding Amendments

• H.B. 402 State Campgrounds Amendments

• H.B. 412 Legislative Auditor General Amendments

• H.B. 413 Student Mental Health Amendments

• H.B. 414 Due Process Amendments

• H.B. 415 School Fees Amendments

• H.B. 419 Charter School Funding Amendments

• H.B. 427 Access to Protected Health Information

• H.B. 429 State Employment Revisions

• H.B. 435 Truth in Advertising Amendments

• H.B. 438 Higher Education Revisions

• H.B. 469 Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Amendments

• H.B. 475 School Prescription Amendments

• H.B. 560 Licensing Modifications

• S.B. 25 Financial Institution and Consumer Notification Amendments

• S.B. 44 Alternative Education Scholarship Combination

• S.B. 65 Online Student Funding Amendments

• S.B. 115 Higher Education Tuition Amendments

• S.B. 125 Secondary Water Amendments

• S.B. 137 Teacher Empowerment

• S.B. 148 Aircraft Property Tax Amendments

• H.R. 5 House Resolution Regarding the Trade Policies of the United States

• H.J.R. 4 Joint Rules Resolution - Fiscal Note Process

• H.J.R. 8 Joint Resolution Amending Rules of Civil Procedure on Change of Judge as a Matter of Right

• H.J.R. 27 Joint Resolution Encouraging Water-efficient Landscaping Ordinances for New Construction

• H.C.R. 10 Concurrent Resolution Honoring Utah's Salvadoran Community

• S.J.R. 9 Joint Resolution Honoring Utah's Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Cultures and Communities

• S.J.R. 13 Joint Resolution Expressing Friendship and Support for Taiwan

• H.J.R. 17 Joint Rules Resolution - Agency Fees

• H.R. 2 House Rules Resolution - Amendments to House Rules

• S.B. 50 Aggravated Assault Modifications

• S.B. 165 Title Recording Notice Requirements Amendments

• S.B. 171 Municipal Rental Dwelling Licensing Amendments

• S.B. 201 Municipal Incorporation Modifications

• S.B. 59 Government Leased Property Tax Exemption

• H.B. 290 Ranked Choice Voting Amendments

• S.B. 150 Exercise of Religion Amendments

• H.B. 395 DUI Offense Amendments

• H.B. 470 Federal Agency Regulatory Review Amendments

• S.B. 116 Eviction Notice Requirements Amendments

• S.B. 143 Military Occupational Licensing Renewal Amendments

• S.B. 187 Utah Fair Housing Act Amendments

• S.B. 131 Information Technology Act Amendments

• H.B. 376 Jail Photo Amendments

• H.B. 421 Homelessness and Vulnerable Populations Amendments

• H.B. 146 Human Trafficking Amendments

• H.B. 337 Amendments to Mandatory Courses for Family Law Actions

• H.B. 476 Municipal Land Use Regulation Modifications

• H.B. 153 Child Care Revisions

• H.B. 425 Health Insurance Benefit Amendments

• H.B. 404 Public Entity Restrictions

• H.B. 112 Sex Education Instruction Amendments

• H.B. 269 Public School History Curricula Amendments

• H.B. 324 Disability Services Amendments

• H.B. 420 School Code of Conduct Protections

• H.B. 448 State Water Program Reporting Requirements

• H.B. 101 Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements

• H.B. 330 Unincorporated Areas Amendments

• H.B. 488 Transportation Funding Modifications

• H.B. 465 Housing Affordability Revisions

• H.B. 515 Election Administration Modifications

• H.J.R. 13 Joint Resolution Amending Court Rules of Procedure and Evidence Regarding Preliminary Hearings

• H.B. 405 Public Health Amendments

• H.B. 80 Candidate and Officeholder Disclosure Modifications

• H.B. 464 Social Media Amendments

• H.B. 263 Statewide Online Education Program Funding Amendments

• H.B. 457 Governmental Accounting Amendments

• H.B. 236 Sales and Use Tax Modifications

• H.B. 348 Precious Metals Amendments

• H.B. 472 Water Revisions

• H.B. 442 Local Option Sales Tax Amendments

• H.B. 408 Ride-share Amendments

• H.B. 483 Construction Trade Amendments

• H.J.R. 23 Joint Rules Resolution - Legislative Process Amendments

• H.B. 485 Special Education Amendments

• H.B. 477 Criminal Investigations of School Employees

• H.B. 480 Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Amendments