Kirk Cullimore

HB81 cleared its final legislative hurdle on Friday and now goes to Gov. Spencer Cox. A spokesperson for Cox didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether he’d sign it.

GOP leadership ditched a deal that would’ve allowed some collective bargaining because they didn’t get the positive response they wanted from unions and their members. Democrats and the state’s largest teachers union are asking Gov. Spencer Cox to veto the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore said he’s gotten mixed messages from public unions and their members on his proposal to allow some collective bargaining. Without a consensus, he said they’ll likely press ahead with a full ban.

“Lawmakers heard us, they heard you. And while this fight is not over, it's a testament to what's possible when public workers stand in solidarity,” Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney said.

Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore promised a substitute bill to allow for collective bargaining under certain circumstances. Senators took an initial vote without seeing the alternative.

Democrats on the Ethnic Studies Commission voted against the recommendations. The ties to Utah’s anti-DEI law raised “big red flags” for Rep. Angela Romero.

While Utah House Republican leadership remains unchanged, GOP lawmakers opted to shuffle the deck in the Senate.

The recommendations were required as a part of a 2022 law mandating ethnic studies be incorporated into Utah’s K-12 core standards.