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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives officially has a new House speaker after lawmakers approved former House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, for the role on Wednesday.
Schultz won an internal caucus vote on Tuesday, and Wednesday's vote was widely seen as a formality thanks to the Republican supermajority in the chamber. Former House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, resigned from the body, effective 5 p.m. on Wednesday, to pursue a Senate campaign next year.
"Like many of you, I often point out that the big reason for me being here is tied to building the best future for my family, for my kids and my grandkids — but it's not lost on me that they make the biggest sacrifice for me being here," Schultz said shortly after being sworn in as speaker.
He drew a distinction with the U.S. House of Representatives, which recently struggled to elect a new speaker after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role.
"I believe with all my heart that Utah has something special," Schultz said, growing visibly emotional. "We cannot and will not let the D.C. model of divisiveness and dysfunction enter in this chamber."
As Wednesday was the first time the full House met since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks against Israel, representatives also voted to pass a resolution condemning the militant group and expressing solidarity with Israel.
"Whereas, Utah has strong ties with Israel, including religious foundations, family-centered values ... and whereas, Utah and Israel are important trading partners and have cultivated mutually beneficial relationships ... be it resolved that the House of Representatives expresses its steadfast and united support of the State of Israel," reads HR901, sponsored by Rep. Jason Kyle, R-Huntsville.
The resolution goes on to say it supports "Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities in self-defense to protect its citizens" and asks law enforcement to "remain vigilant in protecting Israeli Americans, Jewish Americans, supporters of Israel, and others in our community from acts of crime and unlawful discrimination that tend to manifest in such times."
Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-Salt Lake City, introduced an amendment on the floor to include Muslim Americans in the list of groups singled out for protection by law enforcement.
"I want everyone in Utah to feel free to go to the church of their choice," he said. "The sad fact is there are people filled with hate in our world, and they feel the need to act out on that hate, and they're taking that hate out on Muslims and they're taking it out on Jews."
That amendment passed, although Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, unsuccessfully tried to bring a separate amendment to replace the phrase "Muslim Americans" with "all Americans."
Although the resolution doesn't specifically mention the thousands of Palestinians who have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel assaulted the enclave, Kyle said the resolution is meant to mourn the loss of all innocent civilian life, in Israel or Gaza.
While she recognized the "atrocities" endured by Jewish Americans as antisemitism has spiked in the United States since the Oct. 7 attacks, Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, said she couldn't "in good faith" vote for the resolution, which she said was asking representatives to "choose sides" between Jewish and Muslim Americans.
The resolution passed 62-3, with three Democrats in opposition.
In a statement released after the vote, House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, Rep. Ashlee Matthews, D-West Jordan, and Hollins released a statement explaining their "no" votes.
"We want to be clear, we condemn Hamas' attack on Israel, but the resolution falls short by not acknowledging the significant impact the conflict has had on innocent Palestinian lives," the statement reads. "With over 10,000 Palestinian lives lost, including 4,000 children lost in reprisals against Hamas and over 1.5 million people displaced in Gaza, we have trouble supporting a resolution that doesn't explicitly recognize the plight of Palestinians."
