2025 Utah House Majority Caucus
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Thank you, Utah.
As members of the Utah House Majority Caucus, we want to extend our sincere thanks for the opportunity to serve you. During the 2025 General Legislative Session, we worked hard on your behalf to pass meaningful legislation that will benefit our communities. Together, we provided over $127 million in ongoing tax relief, supported our classrooms by increasing funding for our students and teachers, enacted policies to keep our communities safe by cracking down on crime, and ensured a strong future by investing in our infrastructure. These accomplishments reflect our shared commitment to keeping Utah the number one state in the nation—not just today, but for generations to come. Thank you for your trust, your engagement, and your partnership in building a stronger future for all Utahns.
EDUCATION
We revitalized and restructured our education system to prepare the rising generation for the challenges and opportunities of the modern world.
K-12
Invested in CTE Programs
- H.B. 447 Statewide Catalyst Campus Model
- Establishes a grant program to assist local education agencies in creating or expanding six catalyst centers statewide
- $65 million Career and Technical Education Catalyst grant program
Reduced burdens for teachers
- H.B. 204 Stipends for Future Educators
- Enhances the Stipends for Future Educators Grant Program, attracting and supporting aspiring teachers through expanded financial assistance
- $1,446 Salary Increase
- H.B. 42 English Learner Amendments
- Provides emergency funding to schools experiencing a significant increase in English language learner enrollment
Expanded individualized opportunities for students
- H.B. 455 Utah Fits All Scholarship Program Amendments
- Enhances the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program by tightening verification, introducing rollover options, and increasing oversight to ensure accountability in educational funding
- H.B. 260 First Credential Program
- Creates the First Credential Program, investing $3 million to foster partnerships between schools, employers, and apprenticeship programs, promoting stackable credentials for career advancement and incentivizing schools based on credential achievements
HIGHER EDUCATION
Reinvested funding to maximize value and align programs with workforce needs
- H.B. 265 Higher Education Strategic Reinvestment
- Reinvests $60 million to expand high-demand degrees.
Increased investments in technical education
- H.B. 1 Higher Ed Base Budget
- Allocates over $7.7 billion for the state's public education system in fiscal year 2025, including a 3.8% increase to the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) value to support schools statewide
INFRASTRUCTURE
We took steps to ensure a high quality of life by investing in robust energy, transportation, and water infrastructure.
ENERGY
Increased Utah’s energy production capacity
- H.B. 70 Decommissioned Asset Disposition
- Updates the decommissioning process for power plants, ensuring critical infrastructure remains intact to facilitate future energy transitions and granting the state the option to purchase decommissioned assets at fair market value
- S.B. 132 Electric Utility
- Establishes new regulations for serving large-scale electrical loads, requiring Public Service Commission oversight and financial safeguards to prevent cost shifting to other customers
- H.B. 85 Environmental Permitting
- Expands the "permit by rule" program, develops plantwide applicability limitations for large facilities, and enhances air and water quality monitoring, particularly in the inland port area
Pursued advanced nuclear power
- H.B. 249 Nuclear Power
- Establishes the Nuclear Energy Consortium and Utah Energy Council and establishes the Energy Development Investment Fund to support nuclear energy initiatives
- H.C.R. 9 Energy Compact with Idaho and Wyoming
- Encourages the formation of an interstate energy compact with Idaho and Wyoming to enhance regional collaboration on energy policy and infrastructure
WATER
Established a clear plan to meet current and future water infrastructure needs
- H.B. 274 Water Amendments
- Promotes water conservation and efficient usage statewide by implementing metering and tiered conservation rates
- H.B. 311 Watershed Amendments
- Enhances water management by defining key terms, regulating water storage for power generation, and clarifying the roles of water commissioners
TRANSPORTATION
Streamlined the transportation procurement process
- H.B. 471 Transportation Procurement Amendments
- Streamlines transportation procurement processes to enhance efficiency and transparency in public infrastructure projects
ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT
We ensured a responsive state government for our citizens by fighting back against federal overreach, keeping state agencies accountable, and strengthening Utah election processes
SECURE ELECTIONS
Increased transparency and security in Utah’s elections
- H.B. 300 Amendments to Election Law
- Strengthens election security by defining voter identification requirements, establishing procedures to improve voter registration accuracy, and allocating funds for public outreach to inform voters of these changes
FIGHTING FEDERAL OVERREACH
Stood up for states’ rights
- H.B 488 Federalism Amendments
- Establishes a Federalism Commission and partners with Utah Valley University's Center for Constitutional Studies and Herbert Institute to enhance education and training on federalism for state and local government employees, while also coordinating national outreach efforts.
AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY
Implemented practices to hold government agencies accountable
- S.B. 154 Legislative Audit Amendments
- Strengthens legislative oversight by enhancing the powers of the Office of the Legislative Auditor General to identify and address high-risk government programs susceptible to inefficiency, waste, or fraud
- H.B. 474 Regulatory Oversight Amendments
- Enhances state rulemaking by requiring agencies to report proposed rules with significant fiscal impacts to legislative committees
AFFORDABILITY
We protected Utah's economic success through fiscally responsible policies and eased the strain on household budgets by putting more of people’s hard-earned money back in their pockets.
LOWER TAXES
Provided tax relief for all Utahns
- Reduced the income tax rate to 4.5%
- Expanded the Child Tax Credit for children ages 0 to 5 years old
- Provided a tax credit for businesses that build and operate a childcare facility for their employees
Increased fairness and transparency for property taxes
- H.B. 110 Combined Basic Tax Rate Reduction
- Simplifies school funding, potentially lowering property taxes for homeowners while maintaining support for public education
Eliminated the income tax on Social Security for households earning up to $90,000
- S.B. 71 Social Security Tax Revisions
- Provides relief for those on social security by eliminating the income tax on Social Security for households earning up to $90,000
AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
Strengthened business-friendly policies and streamlined occupational licensing
- H.B. 160 Professional License Degree
- Streamlines professional licensure by updating degree requirements, enhancing clarity and flexibility in the licensing process
- H.B. 114 Architects Licensing Act
- Streamlines the licensing process for architects and aligns state requirements with national standards
- H.B. 278 Massage Therapy Amendments
- Refines licensure requirements, clarifying supervision standards, and mandating registration for massage establishments to enhance professional oversight and public safety
- H.B. 442 Construction Trades Licensing Amendments
- Streamlines construction trade licensing and enhances workforce flexibility to align with industry needs
SAFE COMMUNITIES
We took bold steps to address growing challenges to our communities, such as the fentanyl crisis and illegal immigration, by building on past investments and policies to deter crime, hold offenders accountable, and reduce recidivism.
TOUGH ON CRIME
Increased criminal penalties and resources to combat fentanyl trafficking
- H.B. 87 Drug Trafficking Amendments
- Establishes a first-degree felony offense for trafficking 100 grams or more of fentanyl or its analogs, imposing strict penalties to combat the opioid crisis
Targeted gangs and other organized criminal groups
- H.B. 38 Criminal Offenses Modifications
- Enhances criminal sentences by allowing prior convictions from other states, federal, or military courts to count toward repeat offender enhancements
- H.B. 312 Criminal Justice Amendments
- Strengthens public safety by allowing courts to hold the most serious juvenile offenders more accountable through adult sentencing when appropriate.
SUCCESSFUL REENTRY
Implemented policies to help offenders successfully reintegrate into society
- H.B. 167 Offender Reintegration
- Enhances the reintegration of former offenders into society by facilitating continuity of mental health care and connecting individuals on probation or parole with essential community resources
- H.B. 224 Inmate Reentry, Finances, and Debt
- Works to ensure that inmates have the resources they need to successfully reintegrate into society
- H.B. 39 Correctional Health Amendments
- Enhances correctional health care by ensuring inmates receive necessary mental health services.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Implemented policies to crack down on illegal immigrants who commit crimes
- S.B. 55 Unauthorized Use of Real Property
- Enhances property rights and security across the state by providing a streamlined legal remedy to swiftly remove unauthorized occupants from property and increasing the criminal penalties for squatting
- H.B. 226 Criminal Amendments
- Enhances public safety by requiring county sheriffs to notify federal immigration authorities before releasing individuals charged with serious crimes from county jails
- H.B. 405 Human Trafficking Amendments
- Strengthens the state's commitment to combating human trafficking by enhancing penalties for sexual exploitation offenses and expanding the definition of trafficking to include all forms of commercial sexual exploitation
- S.B. 90 Mandatory Jail Sentence
- Enforces mandatory jail sentences for offenses committed by individuals unlawfully present in the U.S., ensuring they serve their full sentences before potential deportation
STOPPING SANCTIONED CRIME
Required local governments to enforce state and local laws
- H.B. 329 Homeless Services Amendments
- Establishes a pilot program in Salt Lake County to provide court-ordered, comprehensive mental health and housing services to individuals experiencing homelessness, aiming to reduce recidivism and improve long-term outcomes
- H.B. 199 Substance Use Treatment and Enforcement
- Strengthens substance use treatment and enforcement by clarifying nuisance abatement procedures and repealing outdated provisions, ensuring more effective community interventions
- H.B. 465 Public Safety Amendments
- Requires law enforcement agencies in first-class counties to enter into agreements with the Department of Public Safety for the sharing of criminal justice data, enhancing coordination and transparency