SALT LAKE CITY – Bills to end COVID-19 health restrictions and limit the powers of a public health order are advancing in the Utah state legislature.
The House Government Operations Committee voted 7-3 to approve House Bill 294, which was described as the “final game” of COVID-19 by its sponsor, Rep. Paul Ray. The project would lift restrictions such as the mask mandate and physical distance once Utah reaches the vaccine and hospitalization limit.
“This will end immediately, as soon as we check these boxes,” Rep. Ray, R-Clearfield, said on Monday.
FOX 13 first reported on the project on Friday. It was the subject of weekend negotiations between the Utah Department of Health, Governor Spencer Cox’s office and the legislature.. The latest version would lift restrictions once Utah reached 1.5 million doses of the allocated COVID-19 vaccine; an average rate of 101 people per 100,000 positive cases and an ICU utilization rate of less than 15%.
Deputy Ray acknowledged that the project made “some people nervous”, but said he had a lot of support.
“I received nothing but positive responses from the public. ‘We are done, we are ready, give us an end date,'” he said.
In the committee, public comments were divided, with even some supporters opposing the provisions of the bill. Some protested government intrusions on freedom, while others called for support for public health orders. (When the hearing began, the committee chairman had to remind some unmasked people in attendance that masks were necessary to attend the meeting.)
Utah Department of Health executive director Rich Saunders was negotiating the project, but asked for it to include some more time for vaccines to take effect.
“We think it is worth waiting, giving about 2-3 weeks, to vaccinate people so that we can obtain collective immunity,” he said.
Governor Cox’s office told FOX 13 that it is continuing to negotiate with Congressman Ray to find a “balance” with the policy he is proposing.
About that, a bill that would limit the governor’s powers over the state of emergency and give the legislature more control over public health orders in the future, approved by the same committee in a 10-1 vote. Senate Bill 195 would allow a governor to issue such an order, but after 30 days it is reviewed by the legislature.
“Actually, these are some adjustments to the checks and balances that exist,” said Rep. Peterson, R-Orem, who is co-sponsoring the project.
The bill is supported by the leadership of the Chamber and the Senate in both parties and had no problems getting through the session. Governor Cox also said he negotiated with lawmakers on the matter.
A new bill introduced on Monday to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic would exempt the state income tax on wage protection loans that the government has granted to small businesses in Utah.
“Many of these companies have received PPP loans and did not expect to receive another invoice from us,” said Rep. Suzanne Harrison, D-Draper, who is sponsoring House Bill 445.
But his project faces some opposition from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill. Republican leaders in the Senate indicated on Monday that they were not inclined to push for this particular tax cut. Deputy Harrison asked small business owners to call their legislators and encourage them to support the bill.
“In fact, we need to help these small companies that are experiencing difficulties. They are the backbone of our economy, ”she said.