After a long weekend, I am headed back to the Capitol with just two weeks left of the 2025 general session. We have now considered hundreds of bills, spent long evenings in committee hearings, and had robust debates on the Senate floor. I’ve enjoyed meeting or corresponding with many of you over the past four weeks. Here’s an update on the important issues we’ve been discussing and the latest on my legislation.
Big Bills This Week
SB203: Judicial Standing Amendments
SB203 tightens restrictions on who can bring forward a civil lawsuit in Utah by modifying traditional standing requirements and limiting third-party lawsuits, even in cases where a plaintiff seeks to defend the constitutional rights of others. This could weaken access to the courts for marginalized groups and make it harder for citizens to challenge potentially unconstitutional laws. For these reasons, I oppose SB203.
SB204: Suspensive Appeal Amendments
SB204 creates a process wherein laws that have been challenged can be brought directly to the Utah Supreme Court via a suspensive appeal process. If a trial court were to issue an injunctive order, the government or others can request the suspensive appeal, allowing the challenged law the stay in effect while litigation is pending. Like SB203, this bill creates barriers to challenging potentially unconstitutional laws, as it gives the state an advantage in keeping those laws in place even when the court finds them problematic. I oppose SB204 and voted no.
HB77: Flag Display Amendments
HB77 permits historic versions of a flag that is in line with approved curriculum to be displayed in public schools. The bill noticeably disallows flags supporting LGBTQ+ rights. The rhetoric behind this bill is troublesome. I do not support legislation that excludes or targets our LGBTQ+ community. I oppose HB77.
HB265: Higher Education Strategic Reinvestment
HB265 sets aside $60 million from higher education institutions in Utah unless they follow specific ‘Strategic Reinvestment’ requirements. These requirements state that institutions must put that money towards curriculum or majors that lead to high-demand, high-wage job placement. I do not believe that state investment should be limited to careers that are tied to high wages or high demand. I intend to vote no on HB265 if it is heard on the Senate floor.
HB120: Time Change Amendments
HB120 would place Utah in Mountain Standard time year-round, unless a change to federal law were to put Utah in Mountain Daylight Time, Utah would do so on the first Jan. 1 after the federal law takes effect. Senate District 14 residents opposed this measure on a ratio of 2:1; therefore, I voted no.
An Overview of Utah’s Budget Process
Thirty days before the legislative session starts, the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA) receives the governor’s budget recommendations as required by law. The LFA then analyzes and reviews the proposed budget. They review the various budget items and programs and make recommendations to the legislature before we convene.
For any law — including the state budget — to take effect, an identical bill must pass in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Utah is different from other states when it comes to our budget process. Instead of a small number of legislators making up an appropriations committee, the entire legislature is involved. The members of the House and Senate make up joint appropriations committees based on various topics, such as Public Education, Higher Education, Criminal Justice, Natural Resources, and many more. Once the governor submits his budget recommendations, the LFA reviews and puts together its own recommendations for my colleagues in our various subcommittees.
Each appropriations subcommittee then takes a deep dive into the budgets and submits final budget recommendations to the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC). The EAC reviews all proposals, makes final budget decisions, and directs the LFA to draft corresponding appropriations bills. From there, the bills go to the full House and Senate for debate and approval before the state budget is finalized.
Are you following any budget requests? If so, please reach out! I would love to track the budget issues of interest to constituents in Senate District 14.
Updates on My Legislation
SB286: Criminal Plea Withdrawal Amendments
SB286 modifies the criminal code to remove procedural language regarding the withdrawal of a guilty plea, bringing it in line with a recent ruling from the Utah Supreme Court.
SJR10: Joint Resolution Amending Court Rules Regarding Pleas
SJR10 builds on SB286 by clarifying the appropriate procedure for withdrawing a guilty plea in criminal court. It also creates a right to appeal under certain circumstances, ensuring an individual has access to counsel in that process.
SB288: Employment Investigation Records Amendments
SB288 addresses how employment misconduct records are classified in Utah and makes changes to encourage victims to come forward with harassment allegations.
SB290: Candidate Licensing Amendments
SB290 improves the process for establishing candidacy for the office of district attorney or attorney general by ensuring a candidate can demonstrate they are an attorney in good standing at the time of filing.
Intern Corner
Week 5 has officially come and gone, which means I’m now well past the halfway point of my internship. It’s crazy to think about how much has happened in such a short time. It has been a complete blur. The fast pace of everything at the Capitol has kept me on my toes, but I finally feel like I have a solid grasp on how things work up here.
I don’t have much to say this week, but I’m looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds in these final two weeks. With the session entering its final stage, everything else is ramping up. I am expecting longer days and lots of work, but am excited to take everything in in these last two weeks!
Stay in Touch
The issues you care about matter. Let me know what your policy priorities are and what issues you think our state legislature should be focusing on this year.
You can contact me anytime:
Cell: (385) 272-8032
Email: spitcher@le.utah.gov