Week 5 of the legislative session was another busy one on Capitol Hill. We’ve been hard at work strengthening Utah’s water future, supporting families, and enhancing public safety in communities across our state.

Committee meetings and floor debates are in full swing, and thoughtful discussions are happening every day about the policies that will shape Utah’s future. As we move closer to the final weeks of session, you can feel the momentum building. Lawmakers are collaborating, refining ideas, and working toward practical solutions that will make a real difference for Utahns.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve you and to represent our community’s priorities at the Capitol.

Highlights from week 5 include meeting Mr Ogden Jr High students, a visit from the Weber College Republicans, passing bills for the Great Salt Lake and disabled veterans, progress on PID transparency, and celebrating Youth Impact Ogden's new kitchen with them. Thanks for following along - stay updated at le.utah.gov and feel free to reach out.

Water is absolutely essential to our way of life here in Utah, and this year the Legislature has taken proactive steps to safeguard that resource for families, farmers, and future generations. We’ve passed a series of bills that strengthen how water rights are managed, streamline voluntary contributions of water to benefit critical waterways like the Great Salt Lake, and ensure funds from natural resources funds can be directed toward long-term conservation and lake health efforts. We’ve also created a more flexible process for water rights holders to dedicate water without forfeiting existing rights, secured ongoing funding to support the lake, and put a framework in place to plan for this limited resource in a growing state. Protecting Utah’s water requires everyone at the table and every tool in the toolbox; the legislature is committed to securing our most valuable resource and will continue to explore more year after year. You can learn more about how we're protecting our water resources in my recently published op-ed.

Supporting families isn’t just good policy — it’s essential to Utah’s future. This session, we’re working to provide meaningful relief to parents by expanding the child tax credit, allowing more working families to qualify and keep more of what they earn. We’re also strengthening paid leave policies through extending postpartum recovery leave, adoption leave, and foster leave. We’re also encouraging employers — especially small businesses — to expand child care options by increasing incentives for both on-site and off-site child care support. Together, these efforts help ease financial pressure, expand access to care, and give working parents the stability they need to raise strong families here in Utah.

As technology continues to shape our classrooms, we have a responsibility to use it wisely. H.B. 273 Classroom Technology Amendments, which passed the House with bipartisan support, sets clear, age-appropriate standards for technology and AI use in schools. This bill reduces unnecessary screen time in early grades, increases transparency for parents, protects student privacy, and ensures AI is used to support, not replace, quality teaching. It also strengthens computer science education and creates safe, supervised opportunities for students to explore emerging technologies. We can embrace innovation while still putting parents, teachers, and student well-being first.

Our firefighters put their lives on the line for us every single day, and they deserve more than just our gratitude — they deserve our support. That’s why we passed H.B. 416 Firefighter Cancer Amendments, which builds on groundbreaking cancer screening legislation from last year by creating a dedicated Firefighter Cancer Benefit Trust Fund to provide benefits to firefighters who develop job-related cancers. This legislation leverages existing funding, ensures responsible oversight through a board of trustees, and builds a self-sustaining structure to support those who have sacrificed so much for our communities. I’m deeply grateful for our firefighters and proud to stand by them and their families when they need it most.

Unsubscribe from future updates