Wrapping Up a Productive Session: Wins for Our Community & Future

It’s a wrap! This week felt like a year with so much happening. So happy to announce that all four of my priority bills passed the senate unanimously and will be signed into law. These changes will help to lower your property taxes (while keeping school funding revenue neutral), ensure students have easier access to life saving epinephrine, enable parents flexibility in supervising their teen drivers, and perhaps most importantly will get more water to the Great Salt Lake to help preserve this natural resource and the important habitat around the lake.

Thank you to Liberty Elementary, Riverdale Elementary and St Joseph’s Jr High - Utah’s oldest Catholic School - students who visited the Capitol and had great questions. The house recognized many of these students while they were in the gallery, and it was great to see our district so well represented by our students. This session has been productive for our district and filled with robust conversations. Thank you to those of you who reached out and were so engaged in the process. There were a few items we didn’t get to this session, and I am already working on concerns and policy changes for constituents who have reached out. I believe that often it is in the small and simple things where we can impact big changes for Utah families.

For Utah: The 2025 General Legislative Session

As your legislator, I am deeply proud of all that we have been able to accomplish during the 2025 General Legislative Session. Over seven weeks, we passed legislation to strengthen our economy, invest in education, enhance public safety, and secure Utah’s future.

We gave teachers a $1,446 pay raise, expanded Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs, and cut taxes to provide relief for families and businesses. We invested in transportation, energy production, and water infrastructure while enacting policies to make homeownership more attainable.

To keep Utah safe, we increased criminal penalties and cracked down on illegal immigrants who commit crimes. We also strengthened our election security while preserving vote-by-mail and put safeguards in place to keep government agencies accountable.

These achievements reflect our commitment to building a stronger, safer, and more prosperous Utah. While the session has ended, our work continues. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to keep our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Tax Relief for Utah Families

Over the last five years, the Legislature has cut taxes by more than $1.4 billion. This year, we’re continuing to build on the previous years’ savings by:

Reducing the income tax rate to 4.5%
Eliminating the income tax on social security for individuals earning up to $90,000
Expanding the child tax credit for children up to 6 years old
Providing a tax credit for businesses that build and operate a childcare facility for their employees

These incremental, consistent tax cuts build upon each other and, over time, add up to significant savings for Utahns, especially for those living on a budget. A young family with two kids making $75,000 a year has saved over $1,200 thanks to these cuts, and an individual living on social security has saved $4,545. That’s real money that will make a real difference for hard-working Utahns, and we’re putting it back where it belongs - in your pockets.

Honoring our Firefighters

Our firefighters risk their lives daily to protect our communities, facing not only immediate dangers but also long-term health risks. In fact, cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters, with 60% of line-of-duty deaths linked to occupational cancers. HB 65 expands access to cancer screenings, early detection, and necessary medical benefits. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all firefighters and are committed to protecting those who protect Utah’s communities.

Fiscal Responsibility

If you want to understand what matters most to our state, look at where we invest our dollars. This year, we’re prioritizing investments that will make a lasting impact. The largest share—over 45%—goes directly to public education, demonstrating our commitment to students, teachers, and the future workforce of our state. We’re increasing teacher pay to support the educators who shape the next generation, modernizing infrastructure to strengthen Utah’s energy, water, and transportation systems, and enhancing public safety to keep our communities secure. These strategic allocations ensure that our state remains strong, resilient, and prepared for the future.

Transparency and accountability are at the core of our budgeting process. To see exactly how your tax dollars are being spent, visit our Taxpayer Receipt Tool here. Together, we’re building a better Utah.

Safe Communities, Safe Utah

Utah is one of the safest states in the nation, thanks to our strong families, communities, and proactive approach to public safety. However, new challenges, including the impacts of the Southern Border crisis, gang violence, and fentanyl trafficking, require us to take further action to protect our neighborhoods and hold criminals accountable.

This session, we took real steps to ensure that our communities remain safe by increasing penalties for drug traffickers, particularly those distributing dangerous substances like fentanyl, to curb the devastating effects of illicit drug activity. At the same time, we are cracking down on gang-related crimes by imposing stricter consequences for those who bring violence and crime into our communities. These measures build on our continued investments in crime prevention, accountability, and rehabilitation, ensuring that Utah remains a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

School Lunch Program

HB0100 Food Security Amendments takes an important step toward ensuring that no child in Utah goes without a nutritious meal. This bill establishes a program to provide lunch at no cost to eligible students, helping families facing food insecurity and ensuring that children have the nourishment they need to succeed in school. By investing in our students' well-being, we are strengthening Utah’s future and supporting families across the state.