Non-Compete Ban Signed Into Law in Utah

Despite the TV station owners and management fighting hard not to get the bill passed, lawmakers and the Governor of Utah did the right thing by making non-compete clauses in Utah illegal. 

Utah’s governor Gary Herbert has signed a controversial bill limiting the use of employee noncompete clauses by local broadcasting outlets.

Both Sinclair and Nexstar strongly opposed the bill and did their best to fight against it. 

House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, a key player in driving the bill, said Tuesday it was one of the toughest political challenges of his career.

“I think we’re standing up for the little guy,” Hughes said. “Life is a two way street and you should treat it that way and I think those employers should be able to hire and fire as they feel is beneficial to their business and the employees that work there, but certainly people should be able to find gainful employment where they think they’re qualified and where people would be willing to hire them.”

HB241 outlaws noncompetes for staff members earning less than $47,500 per year. It also allows contract players to accept employment with rival stations as soon as those contracts expire. Most current noncompetes prevent workers from accepting employment for at least a year after separation.

This is great news for people working in TV news in Utah and we can only hope that other states will follow Utah's lead. 

H/T GephardtDaily

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