Hello friends,

 

By 1895, a precedent had been set that states wanting to be admitted to the Union should hold a Constitutional Convention. When the Salt Lake Convention met in 1895, it was their eighth attempt to write a Constitution. This convention contained 107 delegates from 41 counties. There were over 30 committees created to discuss the familiar questions of private property, public provision for education, labor and employment rights, debt provisions, water and agricultural rights, and taxation. One of the Convention’s most controversial decisions was granting women the right to vote and hold office. The final Constitution proposed had broad support and helped Utah to become a state in 1896. Although it now has 100 amendments, it still reflects the work and spirit of those original Framers (source: UVU Constitutional Studies). 

 

When I started serving in the Legislature, I took the oath of office, saying, "I do solemnly swear that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Utah, and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity." 

 

Every day during the Legislative Session, as we continue to address the same issues our state founders did, it has been an honor to strive with all my strength to fulfill my oath and carry on the legacy of our great Framers. It is a privilege to serve and work with you.

As the 2025 Legislative Session comes to an end, I’m grateful for the hundreds of residents of our House District 63 who came to the Capitol to personally visit with me. I’ve loved being with you in person and listening to what is on your mind. The word TEAM stands for ‘together everyone achieves more.’ I’m grateful for our House District TEAM and for your involvement. As we continue to work together, we can and will achieve more to help our area and state remain the best place to live, work, learn, and play.

You are invited to my post-legislative session community information meeting where I will provide a review of the session and be accountable to you. I’m looking forward to being with you.

The number one priority of the legislature is the state’s budget. Because of the foresight of our state’s founding fathers, our state constitution requires us to have a balanced budget, from which all Utahns benefit.

 

This year’s budget was difficult to determine due to limited funds. For every $125 requested, the state budget only had $1. As a result, many of the requested items could not be funded. As part of the budgeting process, we cut expenditures that were not performing and reallocated those funds to other needs. Using fiscally conservative principles and approaches, we have passed a budget that is balanced, and fiscally prudent, with long-term thinking. 

Utah has been awarded and recognized throughout the country as the best managed state in the nation. This is in vast contrast to our federal government and surrounding states. For example, Arizona is facing a nearly $1.8 billion deficit in their budget. California’s budget deficit is $46.8 billion. Through careful analysis, disciplined decisions, and thinking to the future, Utah has a $0 budget deficit. You can learn more about the budget (including seeing every tax dollar the state receives and how every tax dollar is spent) here.

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.

Everyone I talk with wants a tax cut. Me too. The million-dollar question is what tax should be cut. This question has again been debated, and the consensus is that the tax cut that would be most beneficial in both the short and long term, given current economic conditions, is a combination of tax cuts.

 

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.

Our firefighters risk their lives daily to protect our communities, facing not only immediate dangers but also long-term health risks. The leading cause of death amongst firefighters is not fire, it's cancer. Collaboratively working with firefighters, we passed a bill (HB65) that will create the most robust firefighter cancer program in the nation. Early detection is so important to protect those who protect us. It was an honor to have Mapleton City Fire Department Chief Nick Glasgow and Captain Jeremy Millet at the Capitol for this historic announcement. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for all firefighters and are committed to protecting those who protect Utah’s communities.

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.

HB100 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.

Based upon your input and Utah’s needs now and into the future, the Legislature and I have focused on a holistic approach to have our state continue to be the best place to live, work, learn, and play.

 

You may be wondering or asking, what did you do in this legislative session? What are the big issues that were addressed? What have you done to help our state?

 

Here are a few of my favorite things we’ve accomplished using common sense solutions, fiscal prudence, and long-term thinking:

 

1. We increased funding for education with an additional $780 million dollars to help students excel, expand their opportunities, and prepare the rising generation for both the challenges and opportunities of the modern world. 

 

2. We’ve worked to make life more affordable by cutting the social security tax, income tax, and increasing the child tax credit. I sponsored several attainable homeownership bills to help increase the supply of homeowner occupied, single detached starter homes so the American dream of homeownership will continue to be a reality for our children and grandchildren. The housing bills have reduced government bureaucracy, streamlined the approval process to build a home, and will allow the free market to produce innovative approaches to create homes our families can afford.

 

3. We’ve invested in infrastructure to prepare for the future by increasing energy production so we can have affordable and reliable power, build needed roads and public transit, and established a clear plan to prioritize water infrastructure projects to address the state’s greatest water needs. 

 

4. We’ve worked to keep our communities safe because strong families and neighborhoods are the foundation of our great state. We’ve passed laws to prevent crime, hold offenders accountable, and reduce recidivism. Just this week a bill I sponsored, HB207, was passed by the House and Senate to tackle the high rate of child sexual abuse. Did you know that Utah was ranked 5th highest state in the nation for child sexual abuse victims per capita in 2022 and later this year Utah could rise to 2nd place in the nation. This new law will protect children from the horrendous, horrific, and horrible acts of sexual abuse and bring justice to repeat and habitual sex offenders.

 

5. This session we’ve worked to make government efficient and responsive. We’ve fought back against federal overreach, kept state agencies accountable, improved Utah’s election processes, and worked to protect Utah from federal mismanagement.

 

And, we’ve done all of these things while keeping a balanced budget.

Though the 45-day Legislative session may be over, our work is not. As a Legislature, we will spend the next 10 months meeting in our committees, learning about the pressing needs of the state, and preparing for next year’s session. Our first interim meetings of 2025 will take place this May. I am your Representative all year long, not just during our 45-day session, and I would love to continue to hear what issues matter to you. You can follow along with the whole process, in person or online at le.utah.gov. 

In this last week of the Legislative Session, hundreds of issues were debated and voted upon. Here is a sampling of the topics: infrastructure, parental rights, school safety, tobacco, lobbyist disclosures, child care, car registration, housing attainability, energy, artificial intelligence, microenterprise home kitchens, higher education and many, many more.

SB277 Government Records Management Amendments

 

Overview of Current GRAMA Processes and Challenges:

• Utah offers two pathways for appealing record decisions under the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA): 1) through the court system, or 2) the State Records Committee (SRC).

  • These appeals can be filed at the municipal, county or state level.

• Currently, the volunteer committee overseeing the appeals process has the authority to issue subpoenas, compel testimony or evidence, impose fines and penalties and make legally binding decisions—similar to a judge—but is not required to have the legal training typically necessary for such authority.

• Currently, the Governor appoints members to the State Records Committee.

• Despite good intentions, the volunteer committee has issued inconsistent decisions and seen a significant increase in appeals, highlighting inefficiencies in the current process. This makes it difficult to provide consistent and useful training for government agencies on what qualifies as a public record from the outset.

• For example:

  • In 2022, only 1 out of 48 appeals were heard within 73 days. By law, all appeals must be heard within 73 days.

  • In 2023, the average time from receiving a notice of appeal to issuing a decision was 156 days. By law, all appeals must be heard within 73 days.

  • The committee has seen a sharp increase in appeals:

    • 2012: 72 appeals

    • 2013: 47 appeals

    • 2014: 81 appeals

    • 2022: 240 appeals

    • 2023: 177 appeals

    • 2024: 260 appeals

• Because the current committee is made up of part-time volunteers, it is difficult for them to meet more than once a month, leading to a significant backlog of cases. For the year 2024, a major reason for the delay was due to the Senate not confirming new committee members. Beyond 2024, the historical numbers show that there is a consistent trend. Continuing to rely on a volunteer committee without the necessary legal expertise and bandwidth is both impractical and unfair.

• Based on recent audit findings and recommendations, SB277 aims to improve the records request process by streamlining procedures to make it easier for Utahns to appeal decisions and ensure faster, more consistent outcomes.

 

What SB277 does:

• Improves the process by having a full-time director to address the backlog and ensure appeals are handled promptly, consistently and in accordance with the law.

• Removes time constraints of a volunteer committee to allow for quicker decisions.

• Remains free of charge to appeal to the director.

• Remains the same process to submit an appeal.

• Increases training for government agencies to improve initial records requests, address inefficiencies and ensure more information is released upfront.

• Ensures the director has staff and resources to process appeals more efficiently, reducing delays in decisions.

• Continues following the current law where the Governor would appoint the full-time director.

• Creates an independent evaluation of the Director’s job performance.

SB277 does not:

• Change or eliminate the public’s ability to request government records or limit access to public records.

• Prohibit individuals from gaining access to government information and appeal decisions through the courts or an appeals process.

• Require any fees to submit an appeal.

• Remove the balancing test from the current statute.

Benefits of SB277:

• Establishing a dedicated director to oversee both the appeals process and government agency training would help reduce backlogs and ensure timely, accurate records requests, leading to more consistent decisions that are aligned with the law.

• The director would create comprehensive training materials for government agencies, enhancing efficiency and more consistent, effective handling of records requests.

• Addressing issues at the core will streamline processes, making it easier for Utahns to present appeals and receive quicker, more consistent decisions.

Who Supports SB277:

• Utah Media Coalition: “The media coalition is pleased that the balancing test has been restored to the substitute bill. It is a fundamental part of GRAMA. The Media Coalition understands there could be some advantages to a law-trained Administrative Law Judge making record-access determinations.”

• Utah League of Cities and Towns: “We support the change from the State Records Committee to an administrative law judge system. This change will create more predictable and efficient outcomes for government entities and members of the public.”

• Cities, counties, school districts, law enforcement and universities are supporting this bill.

When this bill was first introduced, I was opposed to the bill and planned to vote against it. There was also opposition by many people and organizations. As the bill progressed through the legislative processes, significant changes were made resulting in many people and organizations in our House District changing their minds and asking me to support the bill. After analyzing the data and the changes to this bill, seeing the plan of still having an independent review, learning from a former member of the State Record Committee, and having the ability for increased responsiveness to GRAMA requests, I felt comfortable voting in support of this bill. The bill passed the Senate and the House and will now go to the Governor for his consideration.

HB 562 Yes 

SB 255 Yes 

SB 144 Yes 

SB 246 Yes 

SB 121 Yes 

SB 303 Yes 

SB 313 Yes

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