Checking in at the Legislature: 2025 Session Week 1

CHECKING IN AT THE LEGISLATURE:
2025 SESSION WEEK 1

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2025 General Legislative Session has started, and I want to know what issues are important to you. Every week, I will have a live town hall with Senator Weiler, Rep. Ray Ward, and Rep. Paul Cutler to discuss hot topics on the Hill. You can submit questions in the live comment section for us to address. 

Every week, we'll have different bills and issues to address. I’ll share information with you in these legislative weekly newsletters to facilitate communication and resources on these issues. 

If you are at the Capitol during the session, you’re welcome to coordinate with my intern, Katherine, to sit on the House Floor with me or have a private tour at your convenience. She can be reached at (385) 420-3107 or kwooten@le.utah.gov.

Warmest regards,

Melissa
Week 1 Legislative Update

QUICK LINKS
UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Legislative Updates every Saturday morning during the Session, from 8:30-9:30am. Click here to watch live.
  • March for Life on Saturday, January 25th, at 11:00am at the Utah State Capitol. 

IN THIS ISSUE

1. HB44 2025 & HB206 2023: Public and Private Airports
2. HB267 & HB269 are Held in the House to Consider Amendments
3. Town Hall Meeting at Bountiful City Hall
4. House Majority Caucus Priorities
5. Get Involved in the Process
6. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
7. Friends on the Hill
8. Bills Passed by the House this Week
HB44 2025 & HB206 2023: Public and Private Airports
HB44, Private Airport Notice Amendments, passed unanimously on the House Floor on Friday afternoon. HB44 and HB206 from 2023 (Airport Land Use Amendments) are two bills I’ve worked hard on over the past two years. I've worked to establish a respected balance between private property owners, public airports, and private airports. I look forward to HB44 2025 to continue its broad support as it moves through the legislative process. 
HB267 & HB269 are Held in the House to Consider Amendments
HB267 and HB269 are now being held in the House 3rd Reading Calendar to consider amendments and to adjust the bill language. As I get updates on the amendments we are considering, I will share them with you. 
Bountiful City Hall Meeting
I had a great time at our Bountiful City Hall meeting on January 15th. We talked about the future for the topics we would like to focus on such as affordability, infrastructure, and having an accountable government.
House Majority Caucus Priorities for Utah
Each year, the House Majority Caucus comes together to identify the most important policy challenges facing our state. This session, we will look to enact policies to:
  • Bolster our education system
  • Keep daily life affordable for Utahns
  • Invest in our infrastructure
  • Ensure the safety of our communities
  • Hold government agencies accountable
Click here to learn more about each of these crucial policy areas. We hope this policy roadmap reflects your voice and builds on Utah’s rock-solid foundation as the best-managed, most philanthropic, happiest, and freest state in the nation.
Get Involved in the Process
I loved meeting many of you at our town hall last week. You play a vital role in the legislative process, and there are many ways to get involved. All committee meetings and floor debates are open to the public and livestreamed on le.utah.gov. I’d love to hear from you— reach out via phone, email, or social media. You’re welcome to join us every Saturday morning at 8:30 on the South Davis Community Facebook Page for weekly live town halls during the session.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
For the last two years, I have spoken at the Utah Capitol celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, I spoke about Dr. King’s Six Principles of Non-Violence. As Dr. King was a Pastor at Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, here’s a quote from one of his sermons:
 
“Let us continue to remember that God loves each and every one of us,
and let us always remember that we shall overcome, because God’s
Holy Spirit is in us, and he has called us to do the work here on earth
that Christ himself has done.” 
Friends on the Hill
Eoghan O’Regan is the North American Deputy Ambassador for Wales in the United States. He, along with the US Welsh Ambassador, hosted the Utah delegation in Washington when the statue of Martha Hughes Canon was placed in the US Capitol.

He will be working with Utah leaders to coordinate a trade mission to Wales and to celebrate the placement of Martha Hughes Canon statue in Wales, her home country. Martha was elected in 1896 in Utah, making her the first woman state senator in the United States.
(From left to right, top to bottom) Bountiful City Youth Council, Kason Kendall (a North Salt Lake teacher at Valley Jr. High), John and Joanne Smith from Bountiful, Mark Melville from North Salt Lake, Ron Mortensen from Bountiful, Shawna Dopp from Bountiful, and Pastor Oscar Moses on MLK Day
We appreciate the many people who work at the Capitol to
help the Legislative Session run smoothly!

(From left to right, top to bottom)
Green Coats: Mike, Mitchell, Wayne, Lawrence, Kurt, and Gary
Pages: Shauna Dopp, Louise Day, LeAnn Haws, Oakley Simper, Deanne Parry, Kay Whitehead, Michelle Wise, Kathi Nielson, and Jenn Allen.
The Utah Highway Patrol
Bills Passed by the House this Week

H.B. 11 Native American Remains Review Committee Amendments

H.B. 12 Division of Purchasing and General Services Amendments

H.B. 13 Sexual Extortion Amendment

H.B. 14 Emergency Services Personnel Amendments

H.B. 16 Health Facility Administrator Act Amendments

H.B. 20 Property Tax Code Recodification

H.B. 21 Criminal Code Recodification and Cross References

H.B. 22 Prostitution Offense Amendments

H.B. 32 Borgstrom Brothers Memorial Highway Designation

H.B. 25 Retirement Amendments

Road Jurisdiction Amendments

H.B. 29 Child Visitation Amendments

H.B. 31 Offender Information Amendments

H.B. 34 State Campgrounds Amendments

H.B. 36 Provo Canyon Resource Management Plan Amendments

H.B. 43 Education Program Sunset Amendments

H.B. 44 Private Airport Notice Amendments

H.B. 51 Higher Education Reporting Amendments

H.B. 56 Civil Commitment Modifications
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