Herbert Calls Special Session To Address COVID-19, Budget & Police Methods Of Restraint
Jun 16, 2020, 10:14 AM | Updated: 2:27 pm
Crews wash away graffiti from the grounds of the Utah State Capitol Building on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Garna Mejia, KSL TV)
(Garna Mejia, KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday announced the Utah legislators will be called to a special session to address a list of items, including budget adjustments, issues relating to the coronavirus, and methods used by police officers.
The Utah Legislature’s fifth special session will begin Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
Lawmakers will be considering adjustments to the 2020 and 2021 budgets as well as providing rent and mortgage assistance for people and businesses affected by the pandemic, according to the governor’s office.
Legislators will also be looking at extending the COVID-19 state of emergency, among several other coronavirus-related topics.
According to the governor’s office, the state will also be addressing “certain methods of restraint by peace officers.”
Here’s the list in its entirety:
The following items will be considered:
1. Adjusting the fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021 budgets and making statutory changes relating to those budgets;
2. Making changes to data privacy provisions relating to the State’s response to COVID-19;
3. Providing rent and mortgage assistance for individuals and small businesses affected by COVID-19;
4. Recognizing the students graduating from high school and institutions of higher education in 2020;
5. Changing private investigator residency requirements;
6. Amending provisions relating to the unveiling of the statue of Martha Hughes Cannon in the United States Capitol and extending the repeal date of the Martha Hughes Cannon Capitol Statue Oversight Committee;
7. Correcting a mistake made in S.B. 90 from the 2020 General Session;
8. Making technical corrections to the Utah Code;
9. Making changes to municipal annexation requirements;
10. Modifying alcohol policies at the Salt Lake City International Airport;
11. Modifying unemployment insurance provisions;
12. Addressing certain methods of restraint by peace officers;
13. Extending the COVID-19 state of emergency;
14. Making changes to the Federal Funds Procedures Act and the Emergency Management Act to require notification by the governor to the Legislature before the expenditure of federal funds received during a pandemic emergency;
15. Addressing the operation of the Open and Public Meetings Act during an emergency;
16. Addressing governmental immunity related to exposure to COVID-19;
17. Addressing exposure to bodily fluids by first responders and correctional facilities staff;
18. Addressing testing for COVID-19 of staff and residents of residential care facilities;
19. Establishing targeted assistance programs with CARES Act Funding;
20. Making adjustments to the Utah Fund of Funds;
21. Providing approval of the purchase of two pieces of real property and transferring funds from the Fleet Motor Pool Fund to the State Fuel Network Fund for the purchase of the real property;
22. Approving a proposed settlement agreement to resolve the Hepatitis C class action lawsuit against the State of Utah and the Department of Corrections;
23. Addressing the transfer of reserve funds from the state health insurance pool to the state;
24. Modifying Section 53F‐8‐303 to allow school districts to use revenue generated by the Capital Levy to fund the school district’s general fund for the FY21;
25. Making changes to the state’s workers’ compensation insurance program related to first responders who allege that they contracted COVID-19 during the performance of their job duties; and
26. For the Senate to consent to appointments made by the Governor.
