On a chilly, but clear day in Salt Lake City, 104 lawmakers gathered at Utah’s State Capitol to begin the 128th legislative session. Over the next 45 days, they will digest, debate and pass hundreds of new laws that will inevitably impact the lives of everyday Utahns.
Utah’s new Speaker of the House, Republican Rep. Mike Schultz, gaveled in the session with a simple “here we go” to his colleagues.
“This isn’t going to be business as usual. Some of you may like that. Some of you may hate it. And I’m OK with that,” Schlutz said.
Placed on each representative's desk was a piece of paper that states why they decided to serve. Schultz asked everyone to hold up their “why.” A flood of white paper with bold black font covered the floor with 75 individual messages that said things like: “Our children’s future,” “Fight federal overreach” and “To improve Utah.”
“Whatever your reason may be, I want to thank you for representing all the varied parts and people in this great state,” Schultz said. “And I commit to each of you that I will do my best as Speaker to make sure your issues are heard.”
During his opening speech, Schultz said “the people of Utah will come first,” above all else. He promised to tackle “higher education reform,” in a clear nod to the bills related to limiting diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives. “Let’s get back to just educating our students,” he said.
Additionally, the House, Schultz said, “will act boldly” on housing, transportation and infrastructure.
“We will champion policies for our families, expand opportunities for all, bolster our economy, support students and teachers in the classroom and prioritize the health and wellness of Utahns.”
In the Senate, President Stuart Adams said the chamber will direct its attention to four policy areas: energy, education, water and “family-friendly culture.”
“We must become energy-independent once again,” Adams said of their first policy focus. “We already have everything we need to succeed at energy independence right here in our state: abundant natural resources, innovative industries, cutting-edge research from our esteemed universities, businesses willing to invest and a determined spirit.”
Adams also wants the Legislature to give teachers more money.
Last year, lawmakers approved a teacher raise in conjunction with establishing a school voucher program. This year, Adams said a priority is creating an “optional program to sustain and reward high-performing teachers.” The program, he said, would identify “high-performing teachers” and increase their salaries to $100,000.
“It is important to compensate them for their dedication and improvement of student outcomes.”
On sustaining a “family-friendly culture,” Adams said the Senate will remain focused on moving families out of apartments and into homes.” He also added the Legislature will continue “protecting kids against social media.” Last year, the state sued Tiktok over alleged harm caused by the platform and also passed first-of-its-kind social media regulations.
While they are in the minority, Democratic leaders hope to push their ideas forward this session on the environment, education and public safety.
“We're fighting for our freedom to be healthy, prosperous and safe,” said Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla. “When we think about fighting for our freedoms, we focus on healthy communities. You'll see proactive legislation on child care [and] on privacy issues.”
Escamilla added they’ll also pursue bills around air quality, housing, transportation and homelessness.
As expected, the minority caucus isn’t pleased about some of the bills already introduced by the GOP supermajority, specifically around restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in school and state entities.
“I’ve spoken to a number of people in the community, particularly communities of color, who feel that war has been declared on them in this state,” said House Minority Assistant Whip Sandra Hollins. “They are saying that they no longer feel safe in the state of Utah, so that is my concern.”
