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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers made the most out of the 2024 general legislative session, hearing bills right up to the deadline at midnight on Friday and passing a record number of bills, 591, surpassing last year's previous high of 575.
When the dust settled, the Legislature had laid the groundwork for a potential Major League Baseball stadium and arena for a hockey team, dedicated $25 million for a new low-barrier emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness and revamped the state's social media regulations aimed at protecting kids online.
The early days of the legislative session were dominated by emotional and contentious debates over diversity, equity and inclusion policies at higher education institutions, and restroom access for transgender people.
Although the 45-day session was front-loaded with what were sure to be controversial issues, lawmakers have continued to tackle a wide range of policies and are expected to pass several hundred bills in the final days, alone. House Republican leaders on Friday highlighted what they see as several key victories, including a tax cut that's "pretty dang close" to $170 million, in the words of House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper.
"We're proud of that — it's our fourth year in a row," he said, noting that the Legislature in the last four years will have approved about $1.5 billion in tax relief when all is said and done. "That adds up significantly, and it makes a difference in people's wallets and in their budgets."
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Friday evening was pleased with what lawmakers have approved so far, in what he called a "complicated" but overall positive legislative session.
"I tell people to judge the session by what passes and what ends up in the final version of those bills, and I feel with a couple of hours left I can say it has been a successful session," Cox told reporters at an evening press conference.
Gov. Cox reflects on session, hints at vetoes
One of the most pressing questions at the end of each legislative session is whether the governor will take his veto pen to any passed bills. After last session, Cox implored lawmakers to remember that "process matters" and threatened to veto bills that aren't properly vetted by the public.
"I felt that on some of those controversial bills, they cut some corners a little bit last year. They had ... suspended the rules, shortened the time for hearings and things like that," Cox told KSL.com on Friday afternoon. This year, he said he's "had members of the minority party come up to me and say 'thank you,' because in some of those controversial bills — like the (diversity, equity and inclusion) bill and others — they had three-hour hearings; they allowed everybody a chance to be heard."
"So I think that was actually an improvement," he added. "I do think that process has improved."
But that doesn't mean everything passed this year will get his signature. Cox was reluctant to name names at this point but said, "I suspect there will be some vetoes this year." The governor later said he is not yet sure about vetoing any bills, but said "it's more likely than not," noting that last year — when he issued no vetoes — was an "anomaly."
"Yes, I have 20 bills I want to veto, but this speaks to the relationship I have with the Legislature, and that is that we work so closely together, and when I have serious concerns, they're willing to sit down and listen," he said, adding that there are other bills he would have considered for veto that didn't end up passing.
Cox was coy about what those bills were, saying, "I don't want to pour salt in the wound of those whose bills didn't pass," but said there were some "extreme election bills" he was pleased to see not pass.
What lawmakers did
Chief among the policies considered on the last day was a proposal for a revitalization zone in Salt Lake City to house a potential new arena for the Utah Jazz and a hoped-for National Hockey League franchise. SB272, which allows Salt Lake City to adopt a 0.5% sales tax increase to help fund the zone, was approved by the Senate Friday morning, similar to a bill supporting a potential Major League Baseball stadium which passed on Wednesday.
Lawmakers have considered several bills to change how elections function in the state, but many of the major changes appear destined to fail. Senators on Thursday night voted down an effort to end a pilot program on ranked choice voting for cities a year early, after it was approved by the House last week.
A proposal to ban the sale of most flavored electronic cigarettes — which prompted vocal protests from vape shop owners who say the bill could dramatically harm their businesses — was approved Friday, after some legislative wrangling between the chambers over the limit of nicotine allowed in vape cartridges and the effective date of the bill.
That proposal is an effort to reduce the number of teenagers who vape by targeting flavors — including mint and fruity flavors — that are popular with young people.
Here's a brief recap of other key policies approved during the final days of the legislative session:
- Housing: Lawmakers didn't take up the governor's budget request to add more affordable housing, but Cox was just as pleased with the final result, which he called the "biggest housing package in the United States right now." The proposals are designed to incentivize affordable home construction and favorable zoning, and Cox said new starter homes could start coming online by the end of the year.
- Social media: After passing a pair of first-in-the-nation social media regulations last year, lawmakers have revamped their proposals in an effort to target algorithms and other allegedly addictive features on platforms they say are harming teens. Some tech platforms have voluntarily begun changing how teen accounts work, which Cox said "shows that what we're doing is working. It's forcing them to come to the table to make changes to protect our kids."
- Tax cuts: Lawmakers passed the fourth consecutive tax cut, a favorite policy among the Republican majority, by reducing the income tax rate from 4.65% to 4.55% — a reduction of $167 million.
- Homelessness: The Legislature approved additional funding to address homelessness, including a $25 million low-barrier emergency shelter with beds for 600 to 800 people. An additional $2.5 million was pledged to lessen the impacts on communities where shelters and other facilities are located.
- Abortion: The sponsor of last year's abortion clinic ban ran a follow-up this year to repeal that ban from code, with the goal of simplifying legal questions that have blocked that bill along with the state's near-total abortion ban passed before the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
