Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 15 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Romero, Angela

Final action

House/ filed 3/7/2025

Outcome

Failed / filed without passage

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines terms;
• reestablishes the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force, with the membership consisting of nine members from government and community organizations;
• requires that any vacancy in the task force be filled in the same manner as the original appointment;
• designates the appointees from the Senate and House of Representatives as the cochairs of the task force;
• establishes that a quorum of the task force consists of five members and that majority action of the quorum is required for task force decisions;
• establishes compensation requirements for both legislator members and non-legislator members of the task force;
• requires that the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel provide staff support to the task force;
• provides for the responsibilities of the task force;
• provides that the task force must report its findings to the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee; and
• provides for the repeal of the task force.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

4
36-29-107.6
63I-2-236
Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Angela Romero
LONG TITLE
Committee Note:
 The Native American Legislative Liaison Committee recommended this bill.
Legislative Vote:
8 voting for
0 voting against
3 absent
General Description:
This bill reestablishes the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Task Force.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
reestablishes the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force, with the 
membership consisting of nine members from government and community organizations;
requires that any vacancy in the task force be filled in the same manner as the original 
appointment;
designates the appointees from the Senate and House of Representatives as the cochairs 
of the task force;
establishes that a quorum of the task force consists of five members and that majority 
action of the quorum is required for task force decisions;
establishes compensation requirements for both legislator members and non-legislator 
members of the task force;
requires that the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel provide staff 
support to the task force;
provides for the responsibilities of the task force;
provides that the task force must report its findings to the Law Enforcement and Criminal 
Justice Interim Committee; and
provides for the repeal of the task force.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
63I-2-236
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Third Special Session, Chapter 5
ENACTS:
36-29-107.6
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
36-29-107.6
 is enacted to read:
36-29-107.6. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force -- Creation 
-- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties -- Interim 
report.
(1)
As used in this section, "task force" means the Murdered and Missing Indigenous 
Relatives Task Force created in Subsection (2).
(2)
There is created the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force consisting 
of the following nine members:
(a)
one member of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate;
(b)
one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House 
of Representatives;
(c)
the following three members, appointed jointly by the president of the Senate and the 
speaker of the House of Representatives:
(i)
a member of a nonprofit organization primarily serving Utah's Native American 
community;
(ii)
a representative of a Utah Native American tribe; and
(iii)
a representative of a victim advocate organization serving Utah's Native 
American population;
(d)
the director of the Division of Indian Affairs, or the director's designee;
(e)
the executive director of the Department of Health Human Services, or the executive 
director's designee;
(f)
the attorney general, or the attorney general's designee; and
(g)
the commissioner of public safety for the Department of Public Safety, or the 
commissioner's designee.
(3)
A vacancy in a position appointed under Subsection 
(2)(a)
, (b), or (c) shall be filled by 
appointing a replacement member in the same manner as the member creating the 
vacancy was appointed under Subsection (2)(a), (b), or (c).
(4)
(a)
The member of the Senate appointed under Subsection 
(2)(a)
 is a cochair of the 
task force.
(b)
The member of the House of Representatives appointed under Subsection 
(2)(b)
 is a 
cochair of the task force.
(5)
(a)
A quorum consists of five members.
(b)
The action of a majority of a quorum constitutes an action of the task force.
(6)
(a)
Salaries and expenses of the members of the task force who are legislators shall 
be paid in accordance with Section 
36-2-2
 and Legislative Joint Rules, Title 5, 
Chapter 3, Legislator Compensation.
(b)
A member of the task force who is not a legislator:
(i)
may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service associated with 
the task force; and
(ii)
may receive per diem and travel expenses incurred as a member of the task force 
at the rates the Division of Finance establishes in accordance with:
(A)
Sections 
63A-3-106
 and 
63A-3-107
; and
(B)
rules the Division of Finance makes in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, 
Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to carry out the provisions of Sections 
63A-1-106
 and 
63A-3-107
.
(7)
The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support to 
the task force.
(8)
The task force shall:
(a)
conduct appropriate consultations with tribal governments on the scope and nature of 
the issues regarding murdered and missing indigenous individuals;
(b)
develop model protocols and procedures to apply to new and unsolved cases of 
murdered or missing indigenous individuals, including the best practices for:
(i)
improving the way law enforcement investigators and prosecutors respond to the 
high volume of the cases and to the investigative challenges that might be 
presented in cases involving female victims;
(ii)
collecting and sharing data among various jurisdictions and law enforcement 
agencies; and
(iii)
better using existing criminal databases;
(c)
seek input from multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional persons, including 
representatives from tribal law enforcement and federal agencies, about how to 
review cold cases involving murdered and missing indigenous individuals; and
(d)
address the need for greater clarity concerning roles, authorities, and jurisdiction 
throughout the life cycle of cases involving murdered and missing indigenous 
individuals, by discussing:
(i)
best practices in cases involving murdered and missing indigenous individuals, 
including best practices related to communication with affected families from 
initiation of an investigation through case resolution or closure; and
(ii)
education programs and outreach campaigns to communities that are most 
affected by crime resulting in murdered and missing indigenous individuals, that 
help to identify and reduce the crime that results in murdered and missing 
indigenous individuals.
(9)
(a)
On or before September 30, 2026, the task force shall provide a report to the Law 
Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee.
(b)
The report described in Subsection 
(9)(a)
 shall include a summary of the task force's 
findings under Subsection 
(8)
 and recommendations for improvements to the 
criminal justice and social service systems for preventing and addressing crimes 
involving murdered and missing indigenous individuals in the state.
Section 2, Section 
63I-2-236
 is amended to read:
63I-2-236. Repeal dates: Title 36.
(1)
Section 
36-12-8.2
, Medical cannabis governance structure working group, is repealed 
July 1, 2025.
(2)
Section 
36-29-107.5
, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force -- 
Creation -- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties -- 
Interim report, is repealed November 30, 2024.
(3)
Section 
36-29-107.6
, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Task Force -- 
Creation -- Membership -- Quorum -- Compensation -- Staff -- Vacancies -- Duties -- 
Interim Report, is repealed July 1, 2027.
(3)
(4)
Section 
36-29-109
, Utah Broadband Center Advisory Commission, is repealed 
November 30, 2027.
(4)
(5)
Section 
36-29-110
, Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force, is repealed 
November 30, 2024.
Section 3. 
Effective date.
This bill takes effect on 
May 7, 2025
.
12-13-24 3:45 PM