Week 2
Week 2 of the Legislative Session is in the books! It was a busy week setting the base budgets for the state, hearing interim session bills and working on upcoming legislation in committees. I also met with the US Forest Services and US Representative Burgess Owens and his staff to discuss plans to continue to repair the road in Santaquin Canyon. I am also working on an educational sandbox bill, providing educators with another tool to innovate. More to come on this.
House Majority Priorities
This session, the House Majority Caucus is working together to enact policies to ensure our state continues to be the best place to live, work, learn, and play. See the list below to learn about some of the policies we voted on this week that will help us achieve that goal!
HB 32 Health Care Worker Protection
HB 33 Instream Water Flow Amendments
HB 35 Economic Development Modifications
HB 157 Sovereign Land Revenue Amendments
HB 162 Period Products in Schools
SB 59 State Income Tax Reduction
Base Budget
This week, the House and Senate passed the base budget! The base budget includes funding for essential state expenses. The legislature will continue to make adjustments to the state budget over the next several weeks.
Economic Update
Utah continues to be one of the nation’s best-performing economies! Only four states have more jobs now than before the pandemic and Utah tops the chart.
Olympians Visit the Capitol
Utah Olympians McKayla Skinner, Grace McCallum, Kara Eaker, Amelie Morgan, and Rhyan White visited the Capitol to be honored for their great accomplishments. These women represented our state and their countries during the 2021 Summer Olympics in gymnastics and swimming and we couldn’t be more proud of them!
Congressional Delegation Visits
Each year, we look forward to welcoming members of our Congressional delegation to our caucus. This week, we met with Rep. Chris Stewart, Rep. John Curtis, and Rep. Burgess Owens. We appreciate their service on behalf of our state.
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HB 32 Health Care Worker Protection Amendments
The House passed HB 32 Health Care Worker Protection Amendments (Rep. Spendlove) this week. Health care workers have become increasingly subject to attacks by their patients and this bill increases the penalties for such incidences. We are so grateful for our brave health care heroes and thank them for the sacrifices they make to keep us healthy.
Tax Cut
The Legislature is looking to cut taxes! This will be a huge benefit to working Utahns. Even though Utah is well-positioned to provide tax relief, we must do so carefully because we don’t want to make long-term plans based on short-term revenue increases. SB 59 State Income Tax Reduction passed the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and will soon make its way to the House. Stay tuned for more info.
Podcast
Currently, 7/10 girls lack access to period products. This week, the House Education Committee passed HB 162 (Rep. Lisonbee), which will provide period products in public and charter schools throughout the state. This week’s podcast dives into this legislation, how it came to be, and why it will benefit so many Utah girls. Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Kind Regards
Representative Doug Welton
Utah House District 67
Bills Passed this Week
(As of Friday morning)
H.B. 6 Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Base Budget
H.B. 46 Utah Energy Infrastructure Amendments
H.B. 5 Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Base Budget
H.B. 107 Small Claims Amendments
H.B. 71 Utah Fair Housing Act Amendments
H.B. 1 Public Education Base Budget Amendments
H.B. 51 Gestational Agreement Amendments
H.B. 69 Division of Real Estate Amendments
H.B. 59 Rape Crisis Center Amendments
H.B. 82 State Debt Review Commission
H.B. 111 Court-appointed Therapists Amendments