General Session: Week 2 Recap

hannah5302
9 hours ago
5 min read

Friends and Neighbors,

With the legislative session now in full swing, week two brought time spent refining policies to benefit our state. We welcomed Aerospace and Defense Day on the Hill, highlighting Utah’s ever-growing role in national security, advanced manufacturing and aerospace innovation. As Utah continues to grow, we’re continually focused on investing in education, protecting our constitutional rights, improving public safety and ensuring that our state remains a place where families and businesses can thrive.

Utah’s legislative session lasts just 45 calendar days, with only 33 working days. This structure was designed to keep government limited and prioritize issues that matter most. It can feel overwhelming to follow every bill and know how it might affect you. Below is a summary of key bills passed this week and how they could impact you and your community.

Utah has always been built by people willing to dream big and work hard. That same spirit is on display this session as we continue moving our state forward.

As always, feel free to reach out to me by contacting my intern, Lou, at ldayton@le.utah.gov or 801-903-7622. Check out some key moments from week two below!

Best,

Senator Dan McCay

Balancing the Budget to Ensure Utah’s Strength and Stability

Each year, the Legislature is required to pass a balanced budget, ensuring your tax dollars are spent wisely on essential services like education, transportation and social programs.

Balancing the state budget isn’t all that different from managing a household budget. In the early weeks of the session, appropriations subcommittees set up base budgets to cover these core services— much like a family prioritizing rent, groceries and utilities. As the session progresses, we assess available resources and make additional investments, similar to deciding whether a family can afford extra expenses like a vacation or home improvements. In the final week, we pass the “Bill of Bills,” finalizing the budget and making sure Utah remains financially strong while investing in our future without overburdening taxpayers.

I will remain committed to ensuring our state makes smart, strategic budget decisions that keep Utah strong, prosperous and ready for the future.

Legislative Highlights

S.B. 69 School Device Revisions

Phones in classrooms are more than distractions; they’re hurting learning and mental health. Students without phones learn 62% more and score over a letter grade higher. Technology has its place, but not at the expense of student focus and mental health.

What It Does

This bill protects the classroom as a sanctuary of learning from the first bell of the day to the last. The classroom should be a phone-free zone in order to create a focused, intentional and productive learning environment.
- Reasonable exceptions remain in place for emergencies and medical needs, and local school districts retain the flexibility to make adjustments that best serve their communities.
Restores balance in the classroom, supports teachers, strengthens student engagement and gives kids their focus and their childhood back, while giving parents confidence that learning comes first.

Why It Matters

Phones are increasingly disrupting classrooms, affecting student focus and negatively impacting mental health.
Some schools in Utah have already implemented a bell-to-bell policy and the early results show the positive impact it has had. At Granger High School, physical altercations were nearly cut in half, students recorded 62% more information in class and test scores increased by a full letter grade and a half.
The goal is to empower school districts, teachers, students and parents to create a more focused and productive learning environment.

S.B. 90 Occupational Licenses for Veterans and Service Members

What It Does

Creates a clear pathway for veterans and service members to use their military training and experience to qualify for Utah occupational licenses.
Allows the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing to recognize relevant military experience toward licensure requirements, while maintaining public safety standards in place.
Applies to active-duty service members, National Guard members, reservists and veterans.

Why It Matters

Veterans come back to civilian life ready to work with valuable experience, but face delays because their military training is not consistently recognized by civilian licensing agencies.
- When military training isn’t recognized, those who served our country can lose income and employers can miss out on skilled workers
S.B. 90 removes red tape while preserving licensing standards, helping Utah connect skilled and experienced workers with jobs more quickly.
Builds on Utah’s commitment to support military families by ensuring military service does not create unnecessary barriers to civilian careers.

S.B. 97 Property Tax Rate Amendments

What It Does

Caps how much additional property tax revenue a taxing entity can raise in a single year through truth-in-taxation
Adjusts how “new growth” is calculated in property tax value by excluding routine home or business improvements from valuation increases.
Updates definitions and technical language to ensure a more consistent application of property tax rules statewide.

Why It Matters

Limiting how much revenue local governments can generate through tax increases protects homeowners and businesses from dramatic year-to-year tax hikes.
In 2025, several cities and school districts in Utah proposed significant tax increases through the truth-in-taxation process, which many residents felt were unusually and unfairly high. Many of them were denied by the Utah State Tax Commission.
Creating a more accurate and transparent tax base ensures that tax increases reflect actual community growth, not just maintenance or small upgrades.
When we support long-term stability in property taxes, it becomes easier for Utahns to budget and plan for the future while maintaining public trust in the tax process.

S.B. 148 General Oversight Amendments

What It Does

Renames the Rules Review and General Oversight Committee to the General Oversight Committee, giving it a clearer purpose and an updated name.
Strengthens what the committee can do when reviewing state agency actions, including holding hearings and reviewing administrative rules.
Updates when the committee can legally close a meeting to the public.
Allows the committee to request official audits from the Legislative Auditor General when deeper oversight is needed.
Streamlines the process for making administrative rules, including clearer steps that agencies must follow.
Updates the duties of the Office of Administrative Rules to better support transparency.

Why It Matters

Giving lawmakers stronger tools to review state agencies improves accountability by ensuring they’re following the intent of the law.
Creating a simpler, more predictable rulemaking process helps businesses, local governments and residents understand upcoming regulatory changes.

Your Guide to Getting Involved in the Legislative Process

Public participation plays an important role in shaping strong policies for all Utahns. That’s why we’ve created a webpage designed to help you easily follow the issues that matter most to you and take part in the legislative process. These video tutorials will walk you through how to navigate the legislative website, le.utah.gov, and make the most of its many resources.

Learn more about how you can stay connected, view committee agendas and bills, participate and more at: senate.utah.gov/getting-involved

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