Hello friends,

A very visible and historic icon in our House District is the cross on the mountain at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. Interestingly, the history of this location is captured in our state Capitol’s impressive Rotunda on a beautiful and large mural titled “Father Escalante Discovers Utah Lake 1776”. The painting is not only beautiful, but the image itself also has a fascinating story about the exact location where we live.

Over 200 years ago, Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante was commissioned by the Spanish government to find a route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Monterey, California. In hopes of discovering more about an “unknown land”, or Utah, he appealed to a group of natives, the Laguna Indians, by sharing the good news of the Lord; fortunately, a young Laguna Indian boy, who they called Joaquin, agreed to help them. Eventually, they arrived at Utah Lake, a Laguna territory. Father Escalante and his group were able to earn the love and trust of the Laguna Indians. They were enamored by the way Father Escalante was able to instill confidence in his words, as well as his faith and courage. This relationship enabled this expedition in discovering more areas of the West and opening up to further exploration and trade (source: historytogo.utah.gov). 

In many ways, what we do at the Legislature reminds me of Father Escalante’s experience. While we all may come from vastly different backgrounds and ways of life, we are able to work together through the love and trust we have forged. This connection comes from our faith and courage that we have in this state and its future and our desire to create policy that will better Utah. I hope that we can always continue to be inspired by Father Escalante’s story.

Our House District 63 was represented well again this week on Capitol Hill. I loved meeting with our school teachers, law enforcement, elementary students, parents, small business owners, criminal justice attorneys, and many more people from our communities to listen to their concerns, ideas, and recommendations. Thank you for your involvement.

Did you know you can join any legislative committee meeting in person or online to share your thoughts and recommendations about any bill before it is voted on? Just go to le.utah.gov and click the calendar and then the committee meeting. 

Last week’s Family Night at the Capitol for our House District 63 was wonderful seeing youngsters to grandparents all coming together for a pizza dinner and behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol. As we talked about the miracle of Utah, the legislative process, and the challenges and opportunities before us, I was once again inspired and grateful to live in such a great community with such wonderful friends and neighbors.

I’ll do another Family Night at the Capitol for our House District this Fall so stay tuned for more details in a few months.

I appreciate the House Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Committee unanimously passing the bill I’m sponsoring, HB207, with a favorable recommendation this week. It will now go before the full House of Representatives for consideration. This bill will provide essential protections for our children and strengthen our community’s defenses especially against repeat and habitual sex offenders.

Utah has an urgent need for immediate action to tackle the high rate of child sexual abuse. Utah’s alarming ranking as the 5th highest state in the nation for child sexual abuse victims per capita in 2022, is compounded with projections suggesting it could rise to 2nd place by 2025. 

Utah sentences for first time child sexual abuse material offenders are not in line with our geographic neighbors: Nevada – 1 year mandatory prison; Colorado – 2 years; Wyoming – 5 years; Arizona – 10 years. Utah sentencing guidelines recommend only 105 days. 

Other states have laws to address “repeat and habitual sex offenders.” A second offense in Idaho carries a 15-year mandatory prison term. In California, a second sex offense carries a 25-year penalty. Oregon has a “two-strike law” and a second sex offense carries a mandatory life imprisonment term. Utah law has no effective difference between a first and second offense. Utah has enhancement provisions for many kinds of offenses, including DUI, domestic violence, even theft. But, Utah law currently does not provide increased or enhanced penalties for repeat sex offenders. 

Check out the Deseret News article written this week about the bill I’m running to protect our children and strengthen our communities.

As your Legislator, I am committed to ensuring the integrity and security of our elections. In recent years, we have enacted comprehensive reforms to strengthen our electoral process, including enhanced auditing procedures, stricter ballot custody protocols, and rigorous voter registration maintenance. This year, we are building on these past reforms by clarifying key election laws to ensure greater transparency and consistency in the voting process. We’re enhancing ballot tracking, creating stricter verification procedures for mail-in voting, and improving voter registration accuracy. These efforts reflect our continued commitment to safeguarding the integrity of our elections, ensuring that every eligible vote is counted fairly and securely. Check out the latest episode of our House podcast to learn more.

We’re taking bold steps to tackle homelessness and its impact on our communities. Last year, we provided cities with the tools to end unsanctioned camping, boosted funding to address homelessness, and created a Homeless Services Board to improve accountability. This session, we’re holding local governments accountable for reducing homelessness, enforcing the law, and minimizing community disruption—particularly in areas with the most severe challenges. Since 2022, the state has invested over $229 million to combat homelessness and support affordable housing, but this effort requires municipalities to do their part. That’s why we’re aiming to address the root causes of homelessness by enhancing substance use treatment and enforcement measures to set our communities up for success. 

Utah’s Legislature has three primary responsibilities: 1) lawmaking, 2) creating the state budget, and 3) oversight of state government.

One way the Legislature oversees all organizations that receive any taxpayer dollars is through the Legislative Auditor General. The Utah State Constitution reads:

“The legislative auditor shall have authority to conduct audits of any funds, functions, and accounts in any branch, department, agency or political subdivision of this state and shall perform such other related duties as may be prescribed by the legislature. The legislative auditor shall report to and be answerable only to the Legislature.” Article VI, Section 338

Did you know you can read all the audits conducted by the Legislative Auditor at https://olag.utleg.gov. I, and the Legislature, regularly review each audit to learn what is going well and what recommendations are being made so we can appropriately address them each legislative session.

There are currently 19 audits being conducted. Here are a few of the recently conducted audits for your reading pleasure:

• Utah’s Election System

• Office of the Attorney General

• Utah Housing

• Student Performance on Statewide Tests

• Utah’s System of Higher Education

• Utah Transit Authority

Bill topics have once again been vast and varied this week including: block chain, nuclear power, school safety, firefighter cancer, virtual reality, housing, taxes, drug trafficking, motor vehicle safety, adoptions and many, many more.

Here is my voting record for the 3rd week of the Legislative Session:

HOUSE FLOOR VOTES:

HB 150 Yes 

HB 105 Yes 

HB 157 Yes 

HB 252 Yes 

HB 127 Yes 

HB133 Yes 

HB167 Yes 

HB49 Yes 

HB0041S01 Yes 

HB0049S02 No 

HB197 

HJR 2 Yes 

SB12 Yes 

HB 112 Yes 

SB 19 Yes 

SB 30 Yes 

SB 46 Yes 

SB 53 Yes 

SB 23 Yes 

SB 42 Yes 

SB 33 Yes 

HB235 Yes 

HB 14 Yes 

HB 223 Yes 

HB 249 Yes 

HB 120 Yes 

HB 208 Yes 

HB 296 No 

HB 19 Yes 

HB 28 Yes 

HB 141 Yes 

HB 157 Yes 

HB 345 Yes 

SB 14 Yes 

SB 34 Yes 

SB 41 Yes 

SB 59 Yes 

HB 114 Yes 

HB 98 Yes 

HB 134 Yes 

HB 230 No 

HCR 5 Yes 

HCR 6 Yes 

Hb 42 Yes 

HB 209 Yes 

Hb 228 Yes 

HB 93 Yes 

HB 152 Yes 

HB 253 Yes 

HB 24 Yes 

HB 117 Yes 

HB 228 Yes 

HB 93 Yes 

Hb 196 No 

COMMITTEE VOTES:

HB0140S01 Yes 

HB0148S01 Yes 

HB0226S01 Yes 

HB0226 Yes 

HB0038S02 Yes 

HB0038S01 Yes 

SB0014 Yes 

SB0041S03 Yes 

SB0041S03 Yes 

SB0041S02 Yes 

HB 306 Yes 

HB 248 Yes 

HB 257 Yes 

HB 337 Yes 

SB 49 Yes 

HB 65 Yes 

HB 323 Yes 

HB 224 Yes 

HB 358 Yes 

HB 353 Yes

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