Under the Dome 1/23
Congratulations! We've nearly survived the first week of Utah’s 45-day legislative marathon. Lawmakers returned to the Capitol with all the usual fanfare: hundreds of bills already filed, heated debates before any actual hearings, and big talk about affordability that hasn’t produced any real relief. Democrats spent the week trying to pull the session back toward issues that matter to everyday Utahns - pushing back on voter access restrictions, warning against cuts to education and literacy programs, and calling out power grabs targeting local control and judicial independence.
In the last five days we’ve seen a parade of tax cuts, flag policing, voting restrictions, and more “solutions” that feel like they were brainstormed during a lobbyist happy hour. Meanwhile, affordability remains a crisis, education funding gets slashed, and working families are left wondering what, exactly, the legislature is doing for them.
Before anyone could blink, over 500 pieces of legislation were already in the hopper, because nothing says “urgent priorities” like reinventing every policy wheel from voting rules to wildlife access in the first five business days. Strap in - if this pace holds, by March 6 we’ll either have plenty of new laws or a new wing on the Capitol just to store all the wasted paper.
This Week on the Hill
STATE OF THE STATE
Gov. Spencer Cox’s State of the State address leaned heavily on familiar themes of virtue, character, and government restraint, offering virtue-signaling and founding-era rhetoric but too few concrete solutions for the challenges Utah families face today. His message suggested that many problems require less legislation, even as costs and pressures continue to rise.
Cox outlined priorities ranging from early literacy and housing supply to homelessness, social media restrictions for children, and fentanyl-driven addiction, returning repeatedly to personal responsibility as the foundation of good governance.
Democrats responded by calling out the gap between rhetoric and reality. Party leaders, including Chair Brian King, argued that values only matter when they show up in policy and right now, too many Utahns are being left behind. With housing costs climbing, classrooms overcrowded, and healthcare increasingly out of reach, Democrats argue that Utah needs action, not moral lectures.
Restricting ICE
Sen. Nate Blouin introduced SB136 as a “Utah Compact on Immigration” bill designed to keep places like churches, libraries, healthcare facilities, and courthouses safe from immigration enforcement activity. As we all know, ICE actions have gone well beyond targeting serious criminals, fueling fear in immigrant communities and raising concerns about agents entering homes without proper judicial warrants.
Committee Republicans focused less on those concerns and more on whether the state has the authority to set limits on federal enforcement, warning the bill could disrupt coordination with ICE. Public testimony, however, underscored the real-world consequences of current practices, with community members describing families afraid to seek medical care, legal help, or mental health services. Law enforcement and local conservative groups opposed the bill, framing any limits on enforcement or face coverings as threats to officer safety and public security.
Despite a motion from Sen. Luz Escamilla to advance the bill, Sen. Brammer moved to table it, dismissing the proposal as symbolic and seizing on testimony unrelated to the bill itself. The committee voted 6-3 to kill the bill, leaving immigrant communities with little reassurance and even fewer protections.
Packing the State Supreme Court
SB134, sponsored by Sen. Chris Wilson, triggered an extended hearing as lawmakers debated whether expanding the Utah Supreme Court from five to seven justices would improve efficiency or simply inject more politics into the judiciary. Supporters cited population growth and past court expansions, while others questioned whether adding justices would actually speed rulings or just multiply opinions and dissent.
There was broad agreement on one point: Utah’s district courts need help. The committee unanimously approved amendments to add district court judges in overburdened areas. But judges, attorneys, and legal experts repeatedly noted that the Supreme Court has already cleared its pandemic backlog, tightly controls its caseload, and has not requested additional justices.
Even though it is technically allowed, reshaping the Court during a politically charged moment risks eroding public trust and creating the appearance that lawmakers are responding to decisions they don’t like by changing the institution itself. Courts work best when shielded from political pressure, not redesigned midstream.
Despite unresolved questions about necessity, the committee voted 8-1 to move the bill forward.
Bell-to-Bell School Cellphone Ban Bill
SB69, a bill that would tighten Utah’s school cellphone rules by banning student phone use from the first to last bell cleared a Senate committee 6-1. Backers, including Gov. Spencer Cox and Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, says it builds on last year’s class-time restrictions and promotes focus in classrooms.
Democratic lawmakers called the proposal heavy-handed and warned phones can be important for safety or learning. Local districts would still have flexibility to tailor policies.
Open Carry on College Campuses
HB84, sponsored by Rep. Walt Brooks, would clarify that both open and concealed carry are allowed on public college and university campuses, removing the requirement that a concealed-carry permit is needed to open carry, while still allowing students in dorms to request a roommate without a gun.
HB180, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Stoddard, would ban open carry on public college and university campuses for those with concealed-carry permits and would also expand open-carry restrictions to include daycares and K-12 schools.
HB166, sponsored by Rep. Verona Mauga, is broader and would ban open carry within 500 feet of large public gatherings, such as protests or rallies with 200 or more people, rather than focusing on campuses.
Rep. Stoddard said he planned to seek an initial committee hearing to gauge legislative support before advancing changes.
Proof of Citizenship to Vote
Utah lawmakers advanced HB209, a bill that would require voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to participate fully in state and local elections by eliminating the option to register based solely on an affidavit and instead requiring documentation such as a birth certificate, naturalization papers, or other evidence of citizenship. If someone can’t provide such proof, they would only be permitted to vote in federal elections.
Supporters, including sponsor Rep. Cory Maloy, argue the measure strengthens election integrity by tightening safeguards even though citizenship is already legally required and only a tiny number of non-citizen registrations have been identified.
The bill moved forward out of the House Government Operations Committee on a party-line 9-3 vote and is headed to the full House for consideration.
HB302 aims to tighten rules on how cities and counties adopt and display flags by limiting each local government to one “official” flag and allowing additional “ceremonial” flags only in narrow, preapproved circumstances, and by subjecting every new official or ceremonial flag to review by the Legislature’s Rules Review and General Oversight Committee - effectively giving the legislature a de facto veto over city-adopted flags such as Salt Lake City’s Pride or other symbolic banners.
The bill is widely seen as a response to last year’s HB77, a broader measure that restricted which flags (like Pride flags) could be displayed on government property and schools, prompting Salt Lake City to adopt modified “official flags” incorporating Pride and other designs to work around that law.
Despite housing and living costs skyrocketing, it’s reassuring to see lawmakers concentrating on the real emergency - what flags cities are allowed to display.
Constitutional Amendments
Utah lawmakers are considering HJR13, a proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Rep. Walt Brooks that would allow the Legislature to call a “special retention election” for a judge deemed “unfit or incompetent” before the regular six-year retention cycle. This would be based on criteria such as persistent delays, conduct violating a judge’s oath, or creating an appearance of impropriety and would allow the GOP Legislature to establish state law governing how and when such elections are held if voters approve the amendment.
The proposal is part of broader legislative efforts aimed at changing how the judiciary is held accountable amid ongoing tensions between legislative leaders and the courts.
This legislation is a dangerous power grab that threatens judicial independence by allowing lawmakers to pressure or remove judges for unpopular rulings, undermining the separation of powers and turning courts into political targets.
Reducing Income Tax
SB60, sponsored by Sen. Dan McCay would directly lower the income tax rate from 4.5% to 4.45%, creating an “across-the-board tax cut” for all taxpayers.
SB116, sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, would create a triggered tax reduction based on state revenue performance, meaning the income tax rate would drop automatically only when state revenues exceed forecasts, and the rate change would depend on how much revenue surpasses expectation.
Process & Definitions
Some quick and simple definitions and key things you might need to know.
Quick info:
General Session runs 45 days (January - March).
Special Sessions happen whenever lawmakers decide they simply must act immediately.
Bills
A bill is a proposed law. They’re labeled HB (House Bill) or SB (Senate Bill).
Most bills get rewritten multiple times.
Committees
Bills usually start in a committee, which is a small group of lawmakers who decide whether a bill lives or dies.
Committee hearings are where the public can testify.
Floors & Votes
If a bill passes committee, it goes to the floor of the House or Senate for a vote.
Bills must pass both chambers in the same form to move forward. Committee - floor - committee - floor - Governor
Substitutes & Amendments
A Substitute bill is a rewritten version of the original.
Amendments are short changes made during committee or floor debate.
The Governor
Once passed, bills go to the Governor, who can sign them, veto them, or let them become law without a signature.
Veto overrides are rare but always possible considering Republicans’ supermajority control.
Reach Out
All questions, comments, or feedback can be sent to: ktunstall@utdem.org
What’s Next
Thank you for being here and for staying engaged. Keep an eye out for our next update, which will highlight the most important legislative activity from week two and outline the bills gaining momentum.
We’re focused on what comes next, and we look forward to building it together!
