Happy Wednesday, and happy snow day! ❄️

After a long weekend, I’m back at the Capitol to continue my work representing our community in the State Senate. My schedule is divided between committee hearings, meetings with stakeholders, debates on the Senate floor, and constituent outreach. My legislation is moving forward and I am also spending considerable time off the hill studying bills that will be heard in my Senate standing committees.

While there are three weeks left of the legislative session, the time to impact policy is now. I hope you’ll engage with the legislative process by following our work, reaching out to share your views on proposed legislation, or even testifying on a bill (remote options are available!). Democracy works best when powered by the voices of the people. Your involvement makes a difference in driving progress for Utah.

The Women of the Utah State Senate, 2026

Big Bills This Week

1.  HB256: Partisan School Board Elections

HB256, School District Elections Amendments (Rep. Kyle), proposes to make school board elections partisan. Currently, candidates for local school boards run nonpartisan races; however, HB256 would require them to run with a party affiliation and be nominated through the traditional partisan primary process. Additionally, any midterm vacancies would be filled by appointments from the departing member’s political party.

I oppose this legislation. HB256 needlessly politicizes Utah’s school boards, placing more focus on partisan politics than the needs of our students. Public education should not be a partisan issue. By politicizing school board member elections, these races become less about the students and their educational experience.

HB256 is currently in the House Government Operations committee. If it passes the House and is heard in the Senate, I plan to vote no.

2. SB248: Innovative State Child Care Solutions

SB248, Child Care Expansion Act (Sen. Escamilla), aims to increase the availability of high-quality, affordable childcare in Utah by utilizing underused state-owned property for use as a childcare facility. These underutilized spaces (such as unused office space) would be leased to qualifying childcare providers for the center’s operation. At least 50% of the childcare spots must be reserved for state employees, while the remaining space would be made available to the community.

I support this legislation. Most families can no longer live on a single-earner income to make ends meet. As a family-friendly state, Utah should lead the way in providing innovation solutions to childcare needs, while allowing parents the ability to stay in the workforce, if they so choose.

SB248 passed out of the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee with a vote of 4-1. I plan to vote yes when it is heard on the Senate floor.

3. HB479: Changes to the Mail-in Voting Process

HB479, Election Code Modifications (Rep. Burton), would modify Utah’s longstanding vote-by-mail system by requiring Utahns to return their by-mail ballot to a polling place or a staffed drop box and show valid ID to have it accepted. The bill would require two poll workers to staff every drop box and check voter IDs. This legislation would cost counties around $1 million in one-time costs and $10 million annually.

I oppose HB501. This is another attempt to end the overwhelmingly popular, effective, and reliable vote-by-mail system in Utah. Placing unnecessary requirements on Utahns to return their ballots creates barriers to voting and has the effect of suppressing voter turnout. There is no justifiable reason to impose these requirements, and doing so is unbelievably costly and burdensome to counties. Over 95% of Utahns vote by mail, and I strongly support this system as an effective way to increase voter participation in state and local elections.

HB501 is currently waiting to be heard in the House Government Operations Committee. If it passes the House and comes over to the Senate, I will be voting no.

4. SB225: Firearms on K-12 and University Campuses

HB84, Higher Education Dangerous Weapons Amendments (Rep. Brooks), expressly prohibits open carry on K-12 public and private schools, regardless of whether the individual has a concealed carry weapons permit. HB84 also prohibits open carry on higher education campuses, but does allow individuals 21 years of age or older to concealed carry, regardless of whether they have a concealed carry weapons permit.

Gun violence is pervasive in our community, and I support reasonable gun control measures, particularly those that curb the presence of guns on K-12 and university campuses. From that standpoint, this bill has both good and bad parts. I like the provisions that prohibit open carry on K-12 and university campuses. However, I don’t support the provision that allows for concealed carry at universities. But, unfortunately, it’s a package bill. Because of that, I haven’t decided my position on it yet. What’s your take? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

HB84 passed out of the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee on a vote of 8-1. It now awaits a vote on the House floor.

Updates on My Legislation

Newly numbered bills since last week’s update (current as of 2/18/2026):

SB299 – Candidate Name Modifications: As a follow up to last year’s SB56, this bill modifies the requirements for the listing of a candidate’s name on the ballot, ensuring that candidate can use their middle name and/or their maiden name.

SB301 – Summons Amendments: This bill requires a prosecutor to send a summons, rather than request an arrest warrant, for individuals with a new criminal case when the matter has already been reviewed by a judge and that judge determined the individual is low-risk and can be released with appropriate pretrial conditions. This ensures low-risk individuals are not unnecessarily arrested on a case for which they are already being monitored, and can avoid the significant disruption to their work, school, or family lives.

Click here for a complete list of the legislation I’m working on this session.

Visit with Great Salt Lake Youth Advocates

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with some excellent water advocates and Skyline High students, who were at the Capitol advocating for measures to protect and preserve the Great Salt Lake. These students had some great feedback on water bills making their way through the legislative process, and shared potential modifications to improve on some of this legislation. I’m so proud of these students for learning the legislative process and becoming strong advocates and environmental stewards. Our future is in good hands.

A Note on the Effort to Repeal Prop 4

You may have been one of several Utahns to have received a mass text last week that looks like this ⬇️

This text was sent by a group called “Utahn’s for Responsible Government,” whose goal is to ensure the repeal of Prop 4, the 2018 citizen’s ballot initiative which ensures fair political maps. The text was sent to a large contingency of Utahns, regardless of whether they signed the Prop 4 repeal or not. If you believe you didn’t sign that petition, you probably didn’t. But to be sure, you can check here.

Prop 4 opponents are on the defense now, as advocates for Prop 4 now have 45 days from the date an individual signed to make the case as to why that person should remove their signature from the petition. You, too, can be an advocate for Prop 4, in the event you come across anyone who signed for its repeal. Any individual who wants to remove their signature from the petition can present to the county clerk’s office to do so by signing the appropriate form. More info on this process can be found at www.protectutahvoters.org.

Snapshots from Week 4

Town Hall Today!

Join me today at 6:30 pm at Holladay City Hall! I’ll be participating in a town hall to discuss everything legislative-related — big bills, my legislation, Capitol happenings, and of course, your questions. I hope to see you there.

Intern Corner

Hi everyone!

We reached the halfway point of the session this past week. With the much-needed rain (it should’ve been snow) and Valentine’s Day on Saturday, the Hill was filled with fun, jokes, and, of course, intense debate. As appropriations committees wrap up, the legislation is finding more time on the floor and in morning committee meetings. Being in the middle of the Hill is a really unique experience.

There’s nothing like sitting in the middle of a packed committee room where large, sometimes very controversial, bills are being debated. Some bills, like SB154, required more than an hour of public comment, during which the public seemed almost evenly split for and against the bill, while others were passed out of committee in under two minutes. With more House bills now reaching the Senate, the fast-paced environment is only accelerating, making my role as a bill tracker even more important. You can track bills with me here to stay up to date on Senator Pitcher’s bills and the rest of the legislation being run this year. If there is a specific bill that you’re watching that hasn’t been mentioned, hit reply and let me know!

Some interesting things that happened as an intern this past week were:

1. For UVU’s internship class, we were able to meet Attorney General Derek Brown and pick his brain during a Q&A session. Super cool opportunity to get incredible guidance from such an accomplished individual!
2. Lots of rain and fog on the Hill – it’s always pretty, but the sunsets this past week were jaw-dropping.
3. Senator Pitcher passed multiple bills out of committee with full support.
4. We were able to attend an event at the planetarium, which happens to be one of my favorite places ever.

Here are some fun pictures from last week:

I Want to Hear from You

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

You can also follow my policy work on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).