Hello friends,

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the Summer sunshine. Our community celebrations and neighborhood gatherings throughout the Summer are highlights I look forward to each year. Thank you to all the volunteers and community leaders that work together to make our House District such a wonderful place to live, raise families, and create great memories.

Although the Legislature is not in Session, the legislative process is in full swing, and I want to keep you apprised of what is happening. Thank you for the privilege to serve and work with you.

Enclosed is my Summer update about our House District 63 and what is taking place in the Legislature in preparation for the 2026 Legislative Session.

Have a wonderful day.

Stephen

I believe it is important to be accountable to you, so after each year’s Legislative Session, I hold a Town Hall meeting so I can report back to you, share how and why I voted the way I did, how I represented our great neighborhoods at the Capitol, and how new laws and budgets will impact your life.

Thank you to everyone who attended. I appreciate your involvement, civility, respect, questions, and recommendations. This Legislative process is truly a team sport and I’m grateful for the privilege and honor to represent and serve you.

I’ve seen firsthand that a bill does not become a law due to the work of just one person. It truly takes a team working together. I mention this because I’ve received some unexpected awards and recognitions for my legislative work. While my name is attached to the awards, I want to thank everyone who has been involved in these important efforts.

• 2025 Friend of the Taxpayer Award
• Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce: Education and Workforce Champion
• Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce: Business Champion

Legislative Interim Committee meetings were held May 20-21 and June 17-18. These meetings, now held almost every month at the Capitol between now and December, give legislators the opportunity to review and study policy items in preparation for the 2026 Legislative Session. The committees take a closer look at the most pressing issues facing our state—ranging from education and infrastructure to health care and economic development. We analyze data, hear from experts, and begin shaping the legislation that will likely be introduced in the next general session.

This year, I’m honored to serve on the Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice and Business and Labor interim committees. I also have the privilege of serving as the Chair of Public Education Appropriations committee.

The meetings are open to the public, allowing everyone in Utah an opportunity to provide input either virtually or in person. You can attend in person at the Utah State Capitol or watch live online at le.utah.gov, where you’ll also find the full schedules and agendas. Check out the interim committee study items here.

This is a great opportunity to make your voice heard as policy is being shaped. I’d love to hear from you.

Utah’s budget is balanced and built to endure challenges – from economic swings to federal funding cuts. Through tough choices, wise investments, and strong rainy-day reserves, we’ve created a resilient financial foundation. We start fresh each year, funding only what’s necessary, and reviewing 20% of spending annually to ensure programs are effective and accountable. Last year alone, 26 legislative audits led to improvements in education, elections, transportation, and more.

We’re streamlining agencies, cutting red tape, and modernizing services – all while delivering over $1.4 billion in tax cuts in the past five years. That’s money back in your pockets, fueling families and local businesses, not government growth. In Utah, we do more with less – and we’re always striving to do better. Watch this video learn more about how Utah is managing your tax dollars wisely.

Utah just took a major step toward a more reliable and resilient energy future. In a groundbreaking agreement with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), state leaders are advancing next-generation nuclear energy through research, workforce development, and real-world innovation. This partnership connects our universities, energy experts, and industry leaders to drive clean, affordable, and secure power solutions. By establishing an Advanced Nuclear and Energy Institute, Utah is investing in long-term energy stability: keeping the lights on, growing our economy, and securing our place as a national energy leader for decades to come.

Utah is setting the standard for healthier communities with bold new legislation passed this session to improve the well-being of families across the state. We prohibited soda purchase with SNAP benefits, and eliminated synthetic dyes from school meals – all part of a broader push to ensure cleaner, safer, and more nutritious choices. This movement is gaining national attention: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Utah to celebrate this progress and highlight our role in the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. Just this month, the FDA followed our lead by announcing a nationwide phase-out of petroleum-based food dyes. Utah is leading the way for our nation.

We’re celebrating a big win for Utah! For years, outdated federal restrictions blocked access to millions of acres of forestland, tying our hands and preventing the kind of proven, proactive management needed to protect our communities. That’s finally changing.

Thanks to a critical policy shift, Utah now has more authority to clear hazardous fuels, improve firefighter access, and take meaningful steps to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. This is commonsense stewardship in action. It means healthier forests, stronger rural economies, a potential for more recreational opportunities, and more resilient communities—all through smarter, locally driven management.

This victory didn’t happen overnight. It’s been a top priority for state leaders and took a team effort to get across the finish line. Utahns know these lands best and now, we’re finally more empowered to take care of them.

Over the years, the Legislature has taken proactive steps to ensure that Utah land is owned by Utahns, not foreign governments. HB516 (2024) State Land Purchase Amendments put important safeguards in place to keep hostile foreign government-controlled entities from purchasing land in our state. That means companies owned or controlled by countries like Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia are prohibited from buying property here. If they somehow do, they’re required to sell it within a year, or the state will step in. This is a commonsense policy to strengthen local control and protect Utah’s land, resources, and communities from hostile foreign governments and ensure ownership stays in trustworthy hands.

Watch this short video. It is well worth it. 

Our local teachers in 32 elementary schools in Nebo School District saw a way to creatively avoid waste, help people in need, and then personally volunteered and pulled community partners together in amazing ways. 65 pallets of local school books and materials weighing nearly 50 tons were personally delivered to children in Africa just a few days ago. Kelly Bennett, the leader of this project, was even featured on FOX 13 news. As I traveled with many of these incredible elementary teachers (on my own dime and not using taxpayer dollars), I was inspired by their dedication, passion, service, love, and commitment to help our rising generation, both locally and in the back country bush of Zimbabwe. Thank you to everyone at our local elementary schools, Brent and Laurie Whiting at Yuda Bands, and so many other inspiring people who made this project a reality.

I had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of Meals on Wheels while helping deliver meals to many wonderful residents in Mapleton. Each day 500 nutritious, warm meals are delivered to elderly folks in Utah County who live at home and need assistance. They not only get a nutritious meal, but also receive a personal visit and check-in to make sure they are ok. 65% of the meals are delivered by volunteers, and Joy Davis Smith, who lives in our community, is the best of the best. The Legislature provided $1.7 million this year to continue this statewide program of which $300,000 came to Utah County. There is a waitlist of 500 seniors living at home requesting assistance with a daily meal. Learn more, volunteer or contribute at https://mountainland.org/meals/

For the 18th year in a row, Utah has been ranked the #1 state for economic outlook by Rich States, Poor States. That’s nearly two decades of smart policy, sound governance, and continual momentum – and we’re just getting started. A generation of Utahns has grown up never knowing a time when we weren’t leading the nation. This ranking reflects our ongoing commitment to low taxes, a strong business climate, and policies that put Utah families first. We’re grateful and honored for this legacy, and we’re working every day to keep Utah on top.

The true underlying reason why Utah is the #1 overall state in the nation is….you. Your service, involvement, work ethic, integrity, volunteerism, and principle based approaches to solving problems makes all the difference.

With all the national accolades Utah is receiving, I believe one of the greatest challenges before us is complacency. While it is nice to be recognized, we have a lot of work to do to keep our communities and state the place that we love and want to raise our families. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Representative in the Legislature as ‘We the People’ work together for the betterment of our future.

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