2025 Bills - Women's Democratic Club of Utah

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2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
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2025 UTAH DEMOCRATS SENATE PRIORITIES
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2025 UTAH REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIORITIES

Government:
Citizen Ballot Initiatives

❌SB 73 Statewide Initiative Amendments
Sen. L. Fillmore (R) SD17

Requires sponsors of an initiative to pay for an analysis of the cost of their proposal and to specify which other state programs they would cut to fund the initiative. In addition, sponsors would have to pay $1.4 million to cover the cost of publishing the initiative in newspapers throughout the state for 60 days.

Status: Senate Passed 21-7-1
Note: Along Party lines, with the exception of D. Thatcher (R) SD11.

❌SJR 2 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Statewide Initiatives
Sen. L. Fillmore (R) SD17

Proposes to amend the Utah Constitution to require a 60% of those voting on the legislation if the initiated legislation includes:
(A) the imposition of a new tax;
(B) an expansion of an existing tax to include additional items or transactions subject to the tax;
(C) an increase in an existing tax rate; or
(D) for a property tax, a change to the tax rate that causes the tax rate to decrease less than it would under current law.

Status: Senate Passed 21-8-0
Note: Along Party lines, with the exception of D. Thatcher (R) SD11.

✔️HB 101 Ballot Proposition Amendments
Rep. A Romero (D) HD25

Requires the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to prepare: an impartial ballot title and analysis for a proposed constitutional amendment or another question submitted by the Legislature; and an impartial analysis of a statewide initiative or referendum.

Status: House Rules

✔️HB 170 Initiatives and Referenda Amendments

Rep. J. Dailey-Provost (D) HD22

Requires the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to draft an impartial petition summary of: •a law proposed by a statewide initiative; or •a law that a statewide referendum seeks to overturn; ▸establishes requirements and procedures for drafting and for challenging a petition summary.

Status: House Rules

✔️ HB 193 Ballot Signature Amendments
Rep. R. Ward (R) HD 19

Amends the signature-gathering process for an individual seeking the nomination of a political party.

Status: House Rules

Government:
Voting Modifications

✔️SB 11 Ballot Distribution Amendments
Sen. D. Thatcher (R) SD11

Allows an election office to deliver ballots to a distribution center located outside of Utah.

Status: Senate Circled

🕶 SB 164 Modifications to Election Law

Sen. W. Harper (R) SD16

Requires a county clerk to coordinate with local post offices to ensure the optimal handling of ballots; provides that a poll watcher may observe the signature-verification process for petitions to qualify a candidate for a primary election ballot.

Status: Senate Rules

❌HB 205 Ballot Counting and Ballot Box Modifications

Rep. N Thurston (R) HD 62

For a mailed ballot to be valid, the election officer must receive the ballot before the polls close on election day; Requires an election officer to ensure that at least one ballot drop box is located no more than a 60-minute drive from 95% of registered voters in the election officer's jurisdiction.

Status: House Rules

❌HB 213 Voting Revisions
Rep. R. Shipp (R) HD 71

Provides beginning in 2026, Utah elections will be conducted both in person and by mail, rather than primarily by mail. A ballot will only be mailed to a voter who requests mailing or who is covered by the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act; Provides that a voter may request to receive a ballot by mail in 2026 and beyond by making the request to a poll worker at the time the voter votes in person, making the request in a voter registration form, or making the request by submitting a separate form. Provides that, beginning in 2026, a ballot will not be mailed to a voter if the voter requests that a ballot not be mailed, does not indicate a desire to receive a ballot when asked in person or via a form; or fails to vote in a regular general election.

Status: House Rules

❌HB 300 Amendments to Election Law
Rep. J. Burton (R) HD64

Provides that, after a ballot is mailed to a voter, the voter is required to return the ballot in person to a polling place where the voter must provide valid voter identification; Requires a voter to appear in person and provide valid voter identification when •voting at a polling place; •returning a ballot to a polling place; or •requesting to return a ballot by mail; Establishes requirements for the number, and hours of operation, of ballot drop boxes in a jurisdiction; provides that a ballot may be returned to a ballot drop box only when the ballot drop box is attended by two or more poll workers.

Status: House Government Operations Committee

🕶 HB 351 Election Day Amendments

Rep. R. Wilcox (R) HD 7

Establishes the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as a state holiday called Election Day.

✔️HB 362 Homeless Rights Amendments
Rep. G. Miller (D) HD24

Describes the rights of homeless individuals to receive equal treatment, register to vote and vote in elections, and protection of personal information.

Status: House Rules

Government:
Election Modifications

✔️HB 69 Ballot Information Accessibility Amendments
Rep. S. Gricius (R) HD50

Makes it unlawful to access or disclose certain information related to the method and timing of a voter casting a vote or returning a ballot. Allows voting history and related information to be disclosed to a registered political party.

Status: House Passed 72-0-3

🕶 HB 231 Primary Election Amendments

Rep. J. Teuscher (R) HD44

Provides that, for certain primary election races, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the race, the person who wins the nomination will be determined by conducting a runoff election between the two candidates who received the most votes in the initial primary election.

Status: House Government Operations Committee - Favorable Recommendation

🕶 HB 232 Candidate Nomination Procedure Amendments
Rep. A. Stoddard (D) HD40

Requires a registered political party to choose whether to be a primary nominating party or a convention nominating party.

Status: House Government Operations Committee

🕶 HB 242 Presidential Elector Amendments

Rep. A. Stoddard (D) HD40

Allocates one electoral vote for the presidential and vice presidential candidates that receive the highest number of votes in a Congressional district; allocates two electoral votes for the presidential and vice presidential candidates that receive the highest number of statewide votes.

Status: House Government Operations Committee

🕶 HB 369 Elections Office
Rep. R. Wilcox (R) HD7

Establishes the Elections Office, assuming responsibility for elections currently under the authority of the Lieutenant Governor.

Status: House Rules

Judiciary

❌SB 203 Judicial Standing Amendments
Sen. B. Brammer (R) SD21

Restricts who would be eligible for third-party standing to bring civil actions against the state.

❌SB 204 Suspensive Appeal Amendments

Sen. B. Brammer (R) SD21

Gives state attorneys the ability to seek a “suspensive appeal” to stop a court-ordered injunction from blocking enforcement of a law while the rest of the court case plays out.

Free Speech and Equality,
Discrimination

❌HB 77 Flag Display Amendments

Rep. T. Lee (R) HD16

Restricts the display of pride flags and other types of flags in public and charter schools.

Note: This marks the third attempt in less than a year to curtail the presence of symbols representing the LGBTQ+ community in educational spaces.

Status: House Rules

❌HB 252 State Custody Amendments

Rep. K. Lisonbee (R) HD14

Prohibits the Department of Corrections from allowing inmates to initiate gender transition through hormone therapy or surgical procedures affecting primary or secondary sex characteristics. It also mandates placement in juvenile secure care and youth rooms based on gender assigned at birth.

Note: Specifically targets Transgender individuals.

❌HB 269 Privacy Protections in Sex-designated Areas

Rep. S. Gricius (R) HD50

Restricts female and male sex-segregated housing to housing assignments based on birth-sex. The bill preserves universities' ability to maintain multigender dorm facilities open to all.

Note: Specifically targets Transgender individuals.

Status: House Passed 59-13-3
Note: Along Party lines.

Union Organizing

❌HB 267 Public Sector Labor Union Amendments

Rep. J. Teuscher (R) HD 44

Prohibits a public employer from recognizing a labor organization as a bargaining agent for public employees

Note: Basically makes teachers, firefighters, and police unions powerless by limiting the ability of public employee unions to advocate for their members and professions.

Status: House Passed 42-32-1; Senate Passed 16-13-0
Split Vote - see Utah House Democrats Statement
Headed to the Governor's Desk for signature

Reproductive Rights
and Marriage

❌HB 233 School Curriculum Amendments

Rep. N Peck (R) HD28

This bill prohibits a local education agency from allowing entities that perform elective abortions to provide health-related instruction or materials in public schools. Blocks Utah parents from choosing the health and sex education classes they want for their kids. Prevents school districts from using educational materials reviewed and approved by committees of parents and teachers.

Note: This Bill targets Planned Parenthood.

Status: House Rules

🕶 HB 281 Health Curriculum and Procedures Amendments

Rep. S. Gricius (R) HD50

Adds new requirements to Utah's sex education curriculum while also editing and re-arranging key phrases and terms on the list of allowable topics to teach in health and maturation classes. In addition, HB281 incorporates some of the suggested edits USBOE made to the sex education code in August 2024. Overall, HB281 is not a harmful bill for existing sex education topics and teaching—but it does introduce new and complex concepts ("success sequence", "situational awareness") and requirements for school districts and health educators.

Status: House Education Committee - Favorable Recommendation

✔️SB 76 Marriage Amendments
Sen. J Plumb (D)

Does not allow the juvenile court to issue a written authorization for a minor to marry if there is an age difference between the parties of more than four (4) years and requires a 72-hour waiting period before the juvenile court can issue a written authorization for a minor to marry.

Note: The prior number of years was 7.

Status: Senate Health and Human Services Committee - Favorable Recommendation

Gun Legislation

✔️HB 128 Dangerous Weapon at a School Amendments
Rep. M. Gwynn (R) HD6

Clarifies that the crime of possession of a dangerous weapon on or about school premises applies to both minors and adults.

✔️HB 132 Firearm Storage Requirements

Rep. A. Stoddard (D) HD40

Sets a criminal penalty in certain circumstances when an individual fails to lawfully store the individual's firearms and the firearm is then accessed by a minor in an unlawful manner.

❌HB 133 Dangerous Weapons Amendments
Rep. K. Lisonbee (R) HD14

Allows 18-20 year old individuals to openly possess a firearm in most public locations; and conceal a firearm in most public locations without a concealed carry permit. Removes criminal provision for citizens to possess a loaded rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading rifle in a vehicle.

✔️HB 143 Firearm Safety Incentives

Rep. M MacPherson (R) HD26

Establishes an income tax credit for the purchase of a firearm safety device.

Status: House Rules

✔️SB 130 Firearm and Firearm Accessory Modifications
Rep. N. Blouin (D) SD13

Amends offenses related to a restricted person in possession of a dangerous weapon to include ammunition makes possession of a firearm on which the identifying marks have been altered or removed a crime; ▸makes possession of a firearm without identifying marks a crime; ▸amends provisions requiring the Bureau of Criminal Identification to inform local law enforcement when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm from a firearm dealer.

Status: Committee Failed to Recommend

Education

✔️SB 173 School Meal Amendments

Sen. L. Escamilla (D) SD10

Provides free breakfast and lunch to all students in a public school.

Status: Senate Rules

✔️HB 42 English Learner Amendments

Rep. C. Pierucci (R) HD 49

Provides emergency funding to schools experiencing a significant increase in English language learner enrollment. School districts that have experienced a 50% or more increase, above the previous three-year average enrollment, for students learning English in the school will be eligible. Funding is limited to $5,000,000 per fiscal year.

✔️HB 100 Food Security Amendments

Rep. T. Clancy (R) HD60

Establishes a program to provide free breakfast and lunch to eligible students and requires participation in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program.

🕶 HB 102 Class Size Reduction Amendments

Rep. C. Moss (D) HD34

Money appropriated to the state board for class size reduction shall be used to reduce the average class size in kindergarten through grade 3 in the state's public schools.

✔️HB 169 State Board of Education Amendments

Rep. D. Welton (R) HD65

Requires the State Board of Education (board) to establish code of conduct and ethical rules for members.

Status: House Rules

✔️HB 247 School Swimming and Lifeguarding Programs
Rep. M Ballard (R), HD20

Requires the inclusion of water safety instruction in the public education core curriculum standards for physical education; allows a local education agency (LEA) to: •provide swim instruction, lifeguard certification training, and swim instructor certification training as courses under certain conditions; •construe the completion of certain courses toward physical education credit requirements or other requirements; and
•enter into an agreement with certain providers to offer certain programs; and grants rulemaking authority to the State Board of Education.

❌ HB 265 Higher Education Strategic Reinvestment
Rep. K. Peterson (R), HD13

Reallocates Public Funding for High Ed and creates a "strategic reinvestment plan to reallocate funding from certain programs and divisions of the institution to certain programs and divisions that merit additional investment."

Expected reduction in Higher Ed funding totals $60.5 million:
• University of Utah: $19.6
• Utah State University: $12.6
• Utah Valley University: $8.9
• Weber State University: $6.7
• Salt Lake Community College: $5.2
• Southern Utah University: $3.2
• Utah Tech University: $2.6
• Snow College: $1.7

Energy and the Environment

✔️SB 124 Landscaping Procurement Amendments

Sen. S. Pitcher (D) SD14

Creates a timeline for phasing in the adoption of electric lawn equipment for the performance of landscape maintenance of state government facilities.

Status: Held in Committee

✔️HB 41 State Water Policy Amendments

Rep. C. Albrecht (R) HD70

Amends the state water policy - quality in groundwater, saved water references, encourage monitoring of watersheds, promotes sate water planning, and accounts for regional appropriate water reuse.

🕶 HB 241 Solar Power Plant Amendments

Rep. C. Jack (R) HD73

Enacts provisions related to utility scale solar power plants. Establishes location and design standards for solar power plants. Sets requirements for lot size, heights, setbacks, noise levels, and visual appearance, prohibits solar power plants in certain areas.

Status: House Rules

🕶 HB 249 Nuclear Power Amendments

Rep. C Arbrecht (R) HD70

Creates the Nuclear Energy Consortium and the Utah Energy Council, establishes a process for designating energy development zones, and creates the Energy Development Investment Fund.

✔️HB 311 Watershed Amendments
Rep. C. Snider (R) HD5

Allows the state engineer to require the repair or construction of certain hydroelectric facilities to prevent waste, loss, pollution, or contamination of waters; requires an owner or operator of a hydroelectric facility to maintain the facility to: •prevent waste of water, damage to property, and injury to others; and •mitigate environmental impacts.

Status: House Rules

✔️HB 328 Water Usage Amendments
Rep. D. Owens (D) HD33

Directs a municipality or county to require compliance with a prohibition on use of overhead spray irrigation as part of land use approvals and prohibits for new development and redevelopment the use of overhead spray irrigation except under certain circumstances.

Status: House Rules

✔️HB 330 Water Sprinkler Efficiency Requirements

Rep. D. Owens (D) HD33

A commercial body may not sell, offer for sale, distribute, or install a new spray sprinkler that does not meet or exceed the water efficiency, performance criteria, and other requirements specified in the WaterSense Specification for Spray Sprinkler Bodies, Version 1.0, adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Status: House Rules

Health Care, Public Health and Family

✔️SB 72 Family Leave Requirements Amendments

Sen. N. Blouin (D) SD13

Includes family leave insurance in the definition of income replacement and disability income insurance, making family leave insurance subject to the same statutory requirements as income replacement and disability income insurance

✔️SB 108 Water Safety
Sen. J. Plumb (D) SD9

Creates a drowning prevention and water safety grant program for providing swimming lessons to low income children.

(Targets Rural Access to these Programs)

✔️SB 182 Homeless Services Modifications

Sen. T. Weiler (R) SD8

Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a code red alert for certain weather events (excessive heat) that may pose a danger to individuals experiencing homelessness.

✔️SB 189 Child Care Services Amendments
Sen. L. Escamilla (D) SD 10

Creates additional child care facilities by retrofitting obsolete state-owned buildings that could then be leased at no cost to qualifying employers. The bill would require that 40% of the spots go to local community members and provide discounts to low-income families.

❌HB 81 Fluoride Amendments

Rep. S. Gricius (R) HD50

Prohibits adding fluoride to public water systems; requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue standing prescription drug orders for fluoride supplements; and requires a pharmacist who dispenses fluoride supplements to a patient to provide patient counseling.

❌HB 178 Noncitizen Health Insurance Policies Amendments

Rep. R. N. Walter (R) HD 74

Removes non-citizen minors from coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Status: House Rules

✔️HB 281 Health Curriculum and Procedures Amendments

Rep. S. Gricius (R) HD 50

Modifies Telehealth and Mental Health services provided to a student in public school, amends the effect of prior written parental consent, prohibits advocacy or encouragement of the use of contraceptive methods or
devices, and the modifies the allowable subjects in sex education instruction.

✔️HB 310 Disability Coverage Amendments
Rep. J. Dailey-Provost (D) HD22

Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to seek a waiver to request that qualified disabled individuals receive wraparound services through Medicaid with a sliding fee scale. Individuals can continue to progress professionally without fear of losing necessary healthcare coverage.

Status: House Rules

Housing

✔️SB 23 First Home Investment Zone Amendments

Sen. W. Harper (SD 16)

A municipality or county that initiates the process to create a first home investment zone shall ensure that the proposal for a first home investment zone includes: a minimum of 30 housing units per acre: (i) in at least 51% of the developable area within the first home investment zone; and (ii) of which 50% must be owner occupied.

✔️HB 182 Rental Amendments
Rep. G. Bennion (D) HD41

Increases to 60 days the requirements for notification a rent increase.