A proposal to require all Utah schools to conduct seismic evaluations of their buildings passed favorably out of a House committee on Thursday.

HB162 is sponsored by Rep. Larry Wiley, D-Sugarhouse who testified in the hearing that statistics indicate that a 7.0 earthquake would kill 500 students in Salt Lake County alone.

"If we had a 7.0 earthquake, we'd lose a lot of infrastructure ... and a lot of school buildings, as well," Wiley said. The bill will help identify which buildings are prone to collapse, recognize problem areas and began the process of mitigating those issues.

Jake Watson from the Utah Seismic Safety Association testified on behalf of Wiley's bill.

"We don't currently have a statewide priority plan," Watson said. "This gives the tools and information to districts to implement their own plans."

An amendment introduced and passed in the hearing releases schools from liability issues related to seismic survey information. Rep. Douglas Aagard, R-Kaysville, questioned what a school district's obligation would be to address issues highlighted in a seismic survey. Wiley said the decision whether or not to address issues, and how to prioritize mitigation, would be left to individual districts.

The debate came less than two hours after an 6.0 magnitude earthquake just outside of Wells, Nev. shook buildings in northern Utah.

HB162 now moves to the House floor for further action.