Dear Constituents, Sine Die! The 2022 General Legislative Session has come to an end. Thank you for the emails, calls, and texts many of you have sent, I appreciate your willingness to engage in the legislative process. I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow, Tuesday, March 8th at Fort Herriman Middle School for Caucus Night. Over the past 45 days we passed over 500 bills and appropriated $25 billion dollars. I wanted to follow-up with you and give a final last-week-of-the-session report back. 2022 General Session Recap This session, the House Majority Caucus laid out several policy priorities. The following will help us meet the pressing needs of today and embrace the opportunities of tomorrow.
1. Conserve, optimize and preserve Utah’s water, we did so by:
Implementing secondary water metering statewide
Investing in agricultural optimization
Investing in rural drinking water infrastructure
Preserving the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake
2. Keep life affordable for all Utahns, we did so by:
Cutting taxes by lowering the income tax and expanding the social security tax credit and establishing the earned income tax credit.
Reducing regulations that limit the availability and supply of affordable childcare
Aligning economic incentives with housing needs
Aligning state and local economic development incentives with our key targeted industries
3. Drive innovation in education & provide needed resources for students and teachers, we did so by:
Giving an additional 6% increase to the WPU (per-pupil funding)
Increasing the overall education budget by 9%
Established an education innovation fund
Aligned educational pathways with career opportunities
Expanded the critical workforce pipeline
Additional flex time and professional development opportunities for teachers
Executive Appropriations Committee Last week, the Executive Appropriations Committee made final recommendations for the fiscal year 2022-23 budget. This year’s recommendations include record-level funding for education including a $383 million, or 9% increase in ongoing revenue. The committee recommended an increase in funding for social services, a generational opportunity to fund water and infrastructure, and a significant tax cut for the second consecutive year. View the budget highlights here.
Legislation I Ran & Passed This Session HCR 16: Concurrent Resolution Recognizing Student Athlete’s Right to Religious Freedom and Modesty In the coming year, I'll be working with the First Lady, Muslim Civic League, League of Cities and Towns and other organizations to raise awareness on this issue to remove barriers for youth seeking uniform accommodations to participate in sports. Given Utah’s heritage, religious freedom and personal standards of modesty should be something we welcome and respect. HB 341: Birth Certificate Modifications This bill reduced the burden of government on young families, limited the number of questions the Department of Health can require of mothers to apply for their child’s birth certificate, and implemented safeguards to protect personal health privacy information. HB 90: Transparency in Lobbying & Disclosures This bill requires individuals who lobby on behalf of a foreign government to register with the state as a “foreign lobbyist.” There is a gap in current state code that allows them to lobby without registering. HB 210: Primary Care Spending Amendments This bill works to collect data to help the state make more informed decisions on how we can reduce the cost of health care. HB 346: Funding Independence in Foreign Education I have been working on this policy for over two years and am excited we were able to finally close the remaining Confucius Institutes in Utah and launch the Helen Foster Snow Cultural Learning Center. SB 180: Massage Practice Amendments This bill reduced the barriers of entry for those interested in pursuing a career in massage therapy by establishing a framework for massage therapists in-training to pursue a Massage Therapy Assistant License. Currently, the massage industry has been struggling to get back on its feet, and find the needed workforce to scale up their services and open facilities again. This bill provided relief to the industry by creating a new certification for those who want to perform a limited, basic level of massages. The new license requires applicants to undergo at least 300 hours of education and training, pass a test administered by DOPL, and pass a background check.
Filed for Re-Election
Ready to roll! I have filed for re-election to continue representing our community in the state legislature. Due to redistricting, I am now running to represent district 49, which covers a significant portion of the major cities in my current district including much of Herriman and a portion of Riverton. It has been an honor of a lifetime to represent you, my friends, family, and neighbors of the southwest corner of Salt Lake County over the last few years at the Capitol.
Hard work, accessibility, elevated dialogue and real solutions are the foundation of my service as your representative. As your legislator I have led efforts to lower taxes, increase transparency in government, reduce the burden of government and empower individuals. I’ve prioritized legislation that tackles domestic violence, addresses mental health, and successfully advocated for increased transportation and infrastructure funds to our community.
I am grateful for the confidence you have placed in me. It is an honor to serve as your representative. I look forward to continuing to work hard and fighting for our community!
You can help me get re-elected by running as a county delegate at caucus, volunteering on my campaign, or giving a contribution. For more ways to help on my campaign visit here.
Thank you again for the opportunity to represent our community; it is truly an honor to work with you and for you.