Legislature to tackle taxes, vaccine passport ban, end of life prescriptions

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Legislature has laid the groundwork for the 2022 session that begins this week with another tax cut, vaccine passports, and other topics on the agenda. 

This will the second straight year with COVID-19 precautions in place and the virus part of proposed legislation. 

The 2022 general session begins on Tuesday. 

VACCINE REQUIREMENTS 

House Bill 60 would ban requirements for vaccine passports. The legislature has balked at mask and vaccine mandates since the shots were made available.  

HB 60 would make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on that person’s immunity status. 

It also would make it illegal for a “governmental entity or employer from requiring an individual to receive a vaccine if the vaccine is authorized for emergency use or undergoing safety trials.” 

Representative Walt Brooks is the bill’s chief sponsor. 

INCOME TAX CUT 

Three separate income tax cut bills are already waiting for the legislature. Republican leaders have said they support some kind of cut.  

The income tax currently sits at 4.95%. 

Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers proposed to lower the income tax to 4.9%, Rep. Travis Seegmiller proposed 4.75%, and Sen. Dan McCay a 4.6% cut. 

CHILD CARE 

Rep. Susan Pulsipher introduced House Bill 15 which would let local agencies spend money used for housing to be used for child care facilities. 

END OF LIFE PRESCRIPTIONS

House Bill 74 would allow terminally ill people to get a prescription to end their life. It would lay out conditions for getting that prescription and responsibilities for an attending physician. It would also prohibit euthanasia or mercy killing. 

DEATH CERTIFICATE AMENDMENTS

Utah’s pollution is an ugly problem that gives the state some notoriety. Utah has been ranked as one of the states with the worst on average air quality. 

The smog is caused by a frequent inversion that traps the dirty air near the surface. 

House Bill 109 sponsored by Rep. Stephen G. Handy would allow health professionals to indicate on a death certificate whether air pollution contributed to someone’s death. 

DRIVERS LICENSE TESTS 

Another bill would allow the Driver License Division to offer driver’s license exams in their native language. It would also allow a translator for some people.

House Bill 130 is sponsored by Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion and Sen. Karen Mayne. 

BALLOT AMENDMENTS

Voters would see a short title or summary on ballots for initiatives or referendums under Senate Bill 38 sponsored by Sen. Daniel Thatcher. 

It would include a ballot proposition insert for voter reference. 

MEDICAL CANNABIS PROTECTION 

Employees would be protected from getting fired if it was discovered that they had medical cannabis or a medical cannabis card. 

The sponsors of Senate Bill 46 are Sen. Daniel Thatcher and Rep. Joel Ferry. 

The Utah Legislature has listed all of the 2022 session proposed bills listed here.