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SALT LAKE CITY — A driving force behind Utah's anti-discrimination and religious rights law announced his resignation from the state Senate on Wednesday.
Though he wasn't seeking re-election after 16 years in the Legislature, Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, anticipated finishing his current term at the end of year. But he said with things moving faster than expected in his new job at the University of Utah and relocation to Salt Lake City, he submitted his resignation effective Friday.
Urquhart said his permanent move to Salt Lake City would put him outside his Senate district, meaning he would have to give up his seat. As the U.'s new global ambassador, he will look to expand the university's international reach.
"It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life to serve in the Utah Legislature and the Utah Senate. It is still just absolutely amazing and humbling to me that I have been able to do this," Urquhart wrote in a resignation letter to Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy.
"I hope and believe I leave the state a bit better than I found it when I entered the Legislature in 2001. The experience surely has left me a better person," he said.
Urquhart, a lawyer, served eight years in the House and eight years in the Senate.
"Sen. Urquhart exhibited exceptional talent and courage in his legislative career. I have admired his character and ability," Niederhauser said in a statement. "His capacity as a legislator will be greatly missed, along with his distinct wit and candor."
Urquhart didn't shy away from tough issues during his time in the Legislature.
He pushed through a bill for school vouchers only to see voters overturn it in a referendum. He unsuccessfully tried to abolish the death penalty and toughen the state's hate-crimes law. He played a key role in passing compromise legislation to ban discrimination against LGBT Utahns in housing and employment while preserving religious freedom.
Urquhart recently became a board member of the gay rights advocacy group Equality Utah.
