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Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah legislature, Governor in talks to amend at least two 2025 vetoes, House Speaker says
SALT LAKE CITY () — The Utah legislature and Governor Spencer Cox are in talks to change at least two of the bills that Cox vetoed in the 2025 legislative session — one giving him the power to appoint the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and the other dealing with . 'We are still having discussions and want to resolve both issues,' said House Speaker Mike Schultz in a text message to Court transcript reveals methods behind recent visa revocations for international students 'I believe we have some consensus in some areas and there is more dialogue that still needs to happen in other areas,' Shultz said. Schultz did not elaborate on any details of what needed to be sorted out with the two bills, but said that the legislature was still passionate about those two bills in particular, and likely had the votes to pass them 'with a few minor changes.' He said that the body wanted to work 'collaboratively', as opposed to . 'We're always in conversation with the legislature to try to find compromises on a broad array of issues that matter to Utahns,' said Rob Carroll, Governor Spencer Cox's Director of Communications, when asked for comment about the discussions. Neither Carroll nor Shultz would elaborate on the timing of special sessions, so it's unclear whether these issues would be added to the special session Cox has said will happen in May, or in a separate special session after the legislature has met for some Interim meetings. In vetoing S.B. 296 — Judicial Amendments, Cox said that appointing the Chief Justice (with Senate confirmation) was a 'tempting' power and difficult to reject, but that his main issue was the frequency of the reappointment. 'Supporters of the bill correctly point out that the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. If that were all the bill did, it is something I could support,' Cox said. 'However, this bill takes a very meaningful and problematic additional step: requiring the appointment process to occur every four years. This means that, unlike the selection of the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court would be required to go through a political appointment, a Senate confirmation committee, and full Senate confirmation processes every four years.' The veto came after a tense legislative session between the judicial and legislative branches, where lawmakers took aim at the judiciary after a summer of controversial rulings on Amendment's A and D, but ultimately brokered a deal to halt a few bills and let others progress in exchange for the State Bar and high court's non-opposition. After the veto, top legislative leaders accused Cox of undermining the 'good faith' compromise. , or 'Minimum Basic Tax Rates Amendments,' would have changed how property taxes are collected and redistributed for education. Supporters argued it allowed for budget flexibility and equalization among schools, critics called it akin to 'money laundering.' The current process that supplements funding for public schools includes local school districts collecting a minimum basic rate of local property taxes. Instead of locals collecting and distributing that money, the bill would have allowed the state to collect those taxes in the state's general fund to then be 'equally' redistributed back out — and replacing the state's general fund using Income Tax dollars, which are Constitutionally earmarked for education. The sponsor, Senator Lincoln Fillmore (R-South Jordan), argued that it creates more budget flexibility with general fund dollars, and the state could 'equalize' funding for schools that don't collect as much money because of lower property values and higher enrollment. Areas like Park City have high property taxes but fewer kids. Cox vetoed the bill, citing accounting and legal concerns, as well as the perception that it 'sends the wrong message' to the public and educators. 'Moving restricted property tax funding into the general fund creates significant technical and legal questions,' Cox's veto letter reads. 'For one, it's not entirely clear whether these property tax dollars, once they land in the general fund, still carry the restrictions that have always protected them for education use.' Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon, the Utah State Board of Education, and other education stakeholders also objected. 'When it comes to trust, nothing is more critical or sacred than the way we handle taxpayer dollars,' Cox wrote. Senate President Stuart Adams disagreed with the veto. He argued that it 'stabilizes the funding system, ultimately providing better support for all of Utah's students.' Critics also saw the bill as a 'workaround' to Amendment A — which was vetoed by the State Supreme Court over publication issues in the summer of 2024. Amendment A would have asked voters to remove the Constitutional earmark on Income Tax dollars — allowing them to be used for all state needs, but prioritizing education funding based on enrollment and inflation. In exchange, the state statute would have eliminated the state sales tax on food. From hero misfits in 'Thunderbolts' to surf rage: Your 'See It or Skip It' weekend watch guide Why strokes matter – and why you should recognize its signs as soon as possible Man charged with kidnapping 13-year-old in white van in St. George Murray Museum reopens in the historic John P. Cahoon Mansion Double the fun: Celebrate Free Comic Book Day and Star Wars Day at The Gateway this weekend Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Cox signs 75 bills, vetoes 1 in latest review session
SALT LAKE CITY () — Gov. Cox announced on Monday that he had signed 75 bills — and vetoed one — in the latest legislative review session. After this recent batch of 75 bills, the governor has signed a total of 176 bills. He has 406 bills left to act on before this week's Mar. 27 deadline. If a bill is not acted upon before that deadline, it becomes law without needing the governor's signature. Cox most recently signed bills into law ranging in topics from civic education to medical cannabis regulation and more. Cox also announced that he had vetoed a bill addressing tax rate amendments for education. Here's a breakdown of some of the major bills that were most recently addressed by the governor. On Monday, Cox announced that he vetoed , or 'Minimum Basic Tax Rates Amendments,' which would have changed how property taxes would be used for education. In a letter to Senate President J. Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz, Cox explained the reasoning behind his veto of SB 37. 'Moving restricted property tax funding into the general fund creates significant technical and legal questions,' Cox's letter reads. 'For one, it's not entirely clear whether these property tax dollars, once they land in the general fund, still carry the restrictions that have always protected them for education use.' Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon sent a letter to Cox after reviewing SB 37, listing several concerns about the implications of the bill. Cox went on to say in his letter that the bill he vetoed 'sets up a complicated system where school districts have to track these dollars as both incoming and outgoing revenue….' The Utah Education Association, the state's largest teacher's union, issued a statement in support of Cox vetoing SB 37: The Utah Education Association applauds Governor Spencer Cox's decision to veto SB 37. This bill would have redirected public education funds away from Utah's public schools and weakened local control. Utah must preserve education funds for their intended purpose: supporting the success of Utah's public school students.' UEA statement on Cox vetoing SB 37 Gov. Cox signed and , which he called 'two of the most important bills of the 2025 legislative session.' HB 381, 'Civics Education Amendments,' amends the graduation requirements for public high schools in Utah, making it so that students must meet specific social studies requirements and receive 'certain social studies related instruction.' Of this bill, Cox said, 'Foundational civic education in our high schools will aid our students with a better understanding of our government institutions and their critical role in American society.' SB 334, 'Center for Civics Excellence at Utah State,' establishes a Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University, with Cox saying in a statement that the center 'will be tasked with building out a general education curriculum focused on viewpoint diversity, civil discourse and helping our students develop the analytical skills necessary to contribute in the public square.' HB 381 and SB 334 will go into effect on July 1 and May 7, respectively. On March 23, Cox announced that two bills related to cannabis and cannabinoids had been signed. One bill on alcohol amendments was also signed. The cannabis bills — , 'Cannabinoid Amendments,' and , 'Cannabis Production Amendments' — address medical cannabis regulation and medical cannabis production. The alcohol bill — , 'Alcohol Amendments' — adds provisions relating to banquet licensing for amphitheaters. The amendments define amphitheaters and under which circumstances alcohol would be licensed to be sold there. The full list of bills signed announced by Cox on March 24 can be viewed below: , Voting Precinct Amendments , Child Visitation Amendments H.B. 31, Offender Information Amendments H.B. 34, State Campgrounds Amendments , Correctional Health Amendments H.B. 54, Cannabinoid Amendments H.B. 56, Civil Commitment Modifications , Decommissioned Asset Disposition Amendments H.B. 85, Environmental Permitting Modifications , Water Transfer Amendments H.B. 93, Rehabilitation Services Modifications , Financial Disclosure Revisions , State Land Access Road Amendments H.B. 129, Adoption Records Access Amendments , Adoption Modifications H.B. 146, Mammography Amendments , Health Care Facilities Amendments , Offender Reintegration Amendments , Substance Use Treatment and Enforcement Amendments , Rollback Tax Amendments , Urban Farming Assessment Amendments H.B. 243, Agricultural Water Optimization Amendments , Wildlife Management Area Amendments H.B. 251, Pollinator Program Amendments , Agriculture and Food Amendments H.B. 254, Waste Classification Amendments , Local Land Use Modifications , Water Amendments , Water Infrastructure Modifications , Infectious Disease Procedures Amendments H.B. 302, Minors in State Custody Amendments H.B. 307, Wildfire Funding Amendments , Wildlife Amendments , Watershed Amendments , Medications in Schools Amendments H.B. 342, Animal Composting Amendments , Cannabis Production Amendments , Department of Agriculture and Food Amendments H.B. 347, Medicaid Program Amendments , Geologic Carbon Storage Amendments , Civics Education Amendments , Small School District Scale of Operations Formula , Public Asset Ownership Amendments , Grazing Amendments , Environmental Legal Action Amendments H.B. 439, Outdoor Recreation Revisions H.B. 446, Great Salt Lake Amendments , Brine Mining Amendments H.B. 490, State Parks Modifications , Law Enforcement Salary Amendments H.B. 504, Financial and Conflict of Interest Disclosures by Candidates Amendments , Water Entity Amendments , Diaper Program Amendments , Elected Official Publicity Amendments , Election Fundraising Amendments , Forest Fire Resources Compact Amendments , Water Rights Recording Amendments , Water Quality Board Amendments , State Resource Management Plan Amendments , Statewide Initiatives Amendments , Water Fee Amendments , Traffic Code Amendments S.B. 145, Technical Senate District Boundary Adjustment S.B. 149, Natural Resources Modifications , Sale or Lease of Federally Managed Public Land Amendments , Environmental Quality Modifications , Local Health Department Amendments , Environmental Quality Amendments , Construction Modifications , Severance Amendments S.B. 290, Candidate Licensing Amendments , Special District Modifications , Alcohol Amendments S.B. 334, Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University , Nonprofit Entities Amendments Lindsay Aerts and Matthew Drachman contributed to this report. 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