Latest news with #HaileyHiggins
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge finds ‘Utah Fits All' scholarship unconstitutional, legislature to review options
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah's Third District Court has found the 'Utah Fits All' scholarship program to be unconstitutional, in a ruling from the court earlier today. The suit, brought by the Utah Education Association, originally claimed that the scholarship program was unconstitutional because the program used funds from Utah's income tax, which is earmarked exclusively for public education funding. It further claimed that the Utah Constitution guarantees that all children will be included in public education, and that the school voucher program did not do this. PREVIOUS: UEA files lawsuit against controversial school voucher program, claims it's unconstitutional The court agreed with both points, saying, 'The legislature does not have plenary authority to circumvent these constitutional requirements by simply declining to 'designate' the program as part of the public education system. And because there is no genuine dispute that the program fails to meet these 'open to all children' and 'free' requirements, it is unconstitutional under article X of the Utah Constitutional.' 'In reaching this conclusion, the court makes no judgement as to the value of 'school choice' or private school vouchers,' The ruling continues. 'But 'school choice' or vouchers for children without disabilities was never discuss, much less debated, in connection with the legislatures passage of Amendment G. And, more importantly, the voters were never informed that Amendment G was about 'school choice' or vouchers for children without disabilities.' In a statement to UEA Communications Director Hailey Higgins said, 'The Utah Education Association celebrates today's court ruling deeming the Utah Fits All voucher program unconstitutional. This is a significant victory for public education and a reaffirmation that public money belongs in public schools.' Rep. Candice Pierucci (R-South Jordan), the original sponsor of the Utah Fits All program, called the decision made by Judge Laura S. Scott 'judicial activism,' and says she is not done fighting. 'This past year, thousands of families have had access to the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program to customize their child's learning experience,' Pierucci's statement reads. 'The decision made by Judge Scott is judicial activism; it is not the job of judiciary to set policy on the bench and infuse personal opinion and ideology into their decisions. We are not done fighting this fight and will appeal this decision to the Utah Supreme Court.' Utah legislative leadership and Governor began to weigh in after the ruling was rendered. Senate President J. Stuart Adams saying in a statement, 'It is disappointing that the court would remove parents' ability to choose the best educational path for their children. However, we remain unwavering in our commitment to providing the best education for all Utah families and kids. We will carefully review the court's decision and then determine the next steps.' Speaker Mike Schultz shared similar sentiments calling the decision a 'devastating setback' for Utahns. 'This decision is a devastating setback for Utah families,' Schultz began. 'The Utah Fits All Scholarship isn't just about choice; it's about empowering parents to secure the best possible learning environments for their children's future success. We're unwavering in our commitment to ensuring that every Utah student, irrespective of zip code or income, has equal access to the educational opportunities they rightfully deserve. We will vigorously pursue every avenue, including the Utah Supreme Court, to overturn this decision and restore hope for Utah's students and families.' In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Governor Cox expressed disappointment in the decision, saying that Utah Families had a right to make choices about their children's education, and said they will be reviewing ruling with legal staff. 'While we are disappointed in the court's decision, our commitment to Utah families and their right to make choices about their children's education remains unchanged,' Cox said. 'We will be reviewing the ruling without attorneys and preparing to appeal.' At this time, details are limited on what an appeal would look like. A status conference is scheduled for the decision on April 23. It is also currently unknown how the decision will affect ongoing voucher payments to current recipients. This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available. Judge finds 'Utah Fits All' scholarship unconstitutional, legislature to review options Appeals court halts Boasberg's contempt proceedings against Trump administration Meet 'Safety Stache': UFA shares fire safety messages with a touch of humor Clearer skies arriving this weekend Utahn recalls largest Good Friday earthquake, the largest in U.S. history Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
HB267 opponents plan final weekend push to qualify referendum for ballot
Opponents of a bill stripping Utah public unions of bargaining rights are ramping up efforts to collect signatures this weekend ahead of the deadline to qualify for a referendum asking voters to overturn the law. The Protect Utah Workers coalition announced last month it had already collected nearly 130,000 signatures — of the approximately 141,000 necessary — but hoped to double that number before Tuesday's deadline. The group has decided against providing further updates on the number of signatures because several groups are combatting their efforts, but a spokeswoman for the largest teacher union said they're "confident" the referendum will qualify. "We're feeling pretty good about this, and we think we'll be successful," said Hailey Higgins, with the Utah Education Association. Union members and volunteers will be out in force along the Wasatch Front this weekend looking to collect signatures from supporters, according to Donavan Minutes, a Salt Lake firefighter and member of the IAFF Local 81. "We've had groups just go out and try to hit different hot spot areas within Salt Lake City to try to collect those necessary signatures," he said. "And then outlying counties where people live, they've been great on going to those places and being representatives in their own community to get these signatures." One of those "hot spot areas" organizers are hoping to capitalize on is a Sunday afternoon rally in Salt Lake City with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, both of whom have been supportive of organized labor. Protect Utah Workers is circulating a petition for volunteers to help collect signatures outside of the Huntsman Center — where the rally will be held — according to Higgins. "That's just one of many events that are happening over the next few days where people are signing up and volunteers are planning to be out gathering signatures during this final push," she said, adding that supporters can visit the group's website to find local signing events near them. Some Utahns are hopeful that Sanders will use his megaphone to boost efforts to overturn HB267. Caroline Gleich, who ran for U.S. Senate as a Democratic last year, is one of them. She'll be one of the locals who will address the rally crowd on Sunday, and said HB267 is "really devastating for Utah workers." "One of my best friends is a teacher, and part of the reason that she's able to provide as a single mom ... to her son is because of the power of union bargaining, of union negotiation," she said. "So, I hope that (Sanders) will make a shoutout to get folks to sign the referendum, because there's just a few more days left for that." As Protect Utah Workers intensifies efforts to place a referendum of HB267 on the 2026 ballot, a pair of conservative organizations are trying to counter those efforts by encouraging Utahns not to sign the referendum petitions or to contact their county clerk to remove their name if they have already done so. The Americans for Prosperity Foundation — a Virginia-based advocacy group with ties to conservative donors Charles and David Koch — is promoting a "Decline to Sign" pledge, arguing that the bill gives power to individual workers to negotiate with employers. Utah Parents United says some signers of the petition have been misled by organizers and is urging people to have their names removed from the petitions, according to its president, Corinne Johnson. She said teachers' unions have put the desires of educators over those of parents and kids in Utah, to the detriment of students. That divide became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, when the UEA called on the governor to delay in-person classes. "When parents were fighting to keep schools open, to keep our kids in schools and to allow us to decide whether they were masked or vaxxed, the unions pushed really hard to keep our schools shut," Johnson said. Not enough is being made of provisions in the bill that prohibit public funds or resources from being used to administer or organize unions, according to Johnson, which is why Utah Parents United is running a counter-referendum awareness campaign called "Kids Not Unions." She said she has been contacted by several parents who signed the referendum petition not understanding the full scope of HB267, and encouraged signees to consider having their names removed. It's hard to quantify how impactful the movement has been, but Johnson is optimistic that the referendum effort will fail and — even if it does qualify for the ballot — she thinks voters will see her side. Protect Utah Workers has received more than $2 million in contributions, including more than half a million from the National Education Association, but Johnson said she expects money to pour in on both sides if the referendum qualifies. "We feel very strongly that we have the winning argument," she said. "We'll definitely be ramping up some of those measures to be able to get this message out. We're going to be competing with unlimited money. ... Bernie Sanders is flying in to help them gather signatures. ... We will be really focused on that, to fundraise and educate parents for that next year and a half." "We can support teachers. We love our teachers," she added. "We can be pro-teacher and anti-union. Just because we don't support the union on this issue doesn't mean that we are against public education or against teachers. It's actually the opposite." But supporters of the referendum drive say they have been buoyed by the strong support they have received so far. "It's really been humbling on all the people that we've had come out, the comments that they make and the support that they've been given," said Mike Evans, the president of the Utah School Employees Association and a maintenance worker with the Weber School District. His organization represents some 3,500 cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodial workers in state schools. "The support's been overwhelming," Minutes added. "There's a lot of people from all different walks of life who are kind of coming together for this, protecting the workers and letting us have a voice." Organizers can collect signatures through Tuesday, and plan to hand over the signature packets to the state for verification on Wednesday. Officials will then have until June 21 to verify the results. If the referendum qualifies, voters will have the chance to vote it up or down in the 2026 general election.
Axios
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Public labor unions target key Utah counties in final signature push
Labor unions aiming to repeal Utah's collective bargaining ban for public employees are focusing their final signature-gathering efforts in Utah and Davis counties. Why it matters: Protect Utah Workers, a coalition of 19 labor partners, is working against an April 15 deadline to gather 141,000 verified signatures to trigger a referendum vote in 2026 to revoke House Bill 267. How it works: Placing a referendum on the ballot requires sponsors to obtain signatures from 8% of voters statewide, including in at least 15 of the 29 Senate districts, within 30 days of a petition's launch, per the lieutenant governor's office. What they're saying: "We recognize Utah has one of the most demanding referendum processes in the nation, and we're committed to working tirelessly to meet the required thresholds," Hailey Higgins, a Protect Utah Workers spokesperson, told Axios when asked if the coalition believed it could reach the goal. The latest: As of Wednesday, the coalition had not yet gathered the required signatures, Higgins said, but it had met its goal in six Senate districts. One challenge organizers have encountered is that some referendum supporters are not registered to vote in Utah or their information or address doesn't match voter registration records. That results in signatures not qualifying. Catch up quick: The coalition announced in March that it had gathered nearly 130,000 signatures to force the issue to the ballot box. Yes, but: Union organizers said at the time that they sought to double that number in case those signatures couldn't be verified and were thrown out. The other side: Opposition groups like Americans for Prosperity Utah are urging people not to join the referendum campaign, stating on its website that "tax dollars should serve the public — not union interests."
