Checking in at the Legislature: 2025 Session Week 4

CHECKING IN AT THE LEGISLATURE:
2025 SESSION WEEK 4

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am happy to announce that we have officially reached the halfway point of the 2025 General Legislative session. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of committee meetings, floor debates, and collaboration with my fellow legislators. As a body, we've been focused on ensuring Utah continues to thrive.

I'm also proud to say that 7 of my 8 sponsored bills have passed the House and are already in the Senate! I will keep working hard for you.

Warmest regards,

Melissa
Week 4 Video Update

QUICK LINKS
UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Have a wonderful Presidents Day weekend! We will not have Saturday morning legislative updates this week. We will return with updates at 8:30am on Saturday, Feb 22nd. 

IN THIS ISSUE

1. How did you learn to swim? Questions for HB247
2. Supporting Students and Future Educators
3. Powering Utah's Future
4. Strengthening Public Safety
5. Citation for Martha Hughes Cannon Statue Committee
6. Students on the Hill
7. Friends on the Hill
8. Bills Passed by the House this Week
How did you learn to swim? Questions for HB247
HB247, School Swimming and Lifeguarding Amendments, will be heard on Wednesday, Feb 19, at 4 pm in Senate Building Room 120. This bill adds water safety standards to K-12 PE classes and allows high school courses to include aquatic classes to improve swimming skills and provide certification for lifeguarding and swim instruction.

How did you learn how to swim? Research has shown a huge economic disparity between those who learn how to swim and those who don’t. During the interim, Representative Kera Birkeland spoke to this bill, stating she never learned how to swim and has to avoid water wherever she goes, as so many other Utahns also have to do.

The public is welcome to speak in support of the bill either in person or online. (A link will be available to “participate” and raise your hand during public comment.) I’d love your support!

You can also email House Education Committee members of your support. You can find their contact info here.
Supporting Students and Future Educators
The Legislature is committed to setting Utah students and teachers up for success by expanding opportunities in education and the workforce. Here are some of the bills we are working on to create a stronger, more prepared workforce while investing in the next generation of Utah's educators and leaders.
  • HB447 enhances CTE programs statewide, allowing high school students to explore high-demand fields like healthcare, engineering, and construction.
  • HB260 ensures students graduate with industry-recognized credentials.
  • HB204 aims to provide financial assistance to student teachers, increasing retention and encouraging graduates to stay and teach in Utah.
  • HB344 addresses school fees, reducing financial barriers for families and making education more accessible for all students. 
NSL resident J. Cedric Smith, a science teacher at
Sand Ridge Jr High School in Roy 
Powering Utah's Future
The Legislature is working on embracing nuclear power as a key component of Utah's future energy mix. We passed HB249 to establish a Utah Energy Council, exploring and developing advanced nuclear technologies. Check out this Deseret News article to learn more.
Strengthening Public Safety
Check out this KUTV article
Keeping Utah communities safe remains a top priority, and we are taking bold steps to combat crime and protect our families. Here are a few of my sponsored bills dealing with inmate reentry working their way through the House and Senate.
  • HB224 requires a county jail to notify state agencies about inmates' debts to work towards financial literacy and stability.
  • HB31 creates a portal for citizens to see all their state debt in one place.
  • HB19 allows the Department of Labor to collaborate with the Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement to identify egregious offenders of child labor laws.
  • HB49 addresses inconsistencies in juror eligibility after felony convictions.
Here are more bills targeting crime and making Utah a safer place: 
Honoring Great Utah Women
On Friday, I had the opportunity to present a citation for those who brought the bronze statue of Martha Hughes Cannon to our nation’s Statutory Hall last December. The first year of our statehood, Martha ran for the Utah Senate against her husband and won, being the first female in all the United States to be a State Senator.

Seraph Young paved this path for her in 1870, when, on Valentine's Day, she made history as the first woman in the United States to cast a ballot under an equal suffrage law. 

Utah is also proud to have Representative Verona Mauga as the first native Samoan woman and Representative Hoang Nguyen as the first Vietnamese woman in our state legislature.
Students on the Hill
(Left to right, top to bottom) Ruth Ruby (honored for her oil painting), Mary Nelson and her father, both long time Bountiful residents; Bountiful City Youth Council; Nicole Llagan Mendoza (won best of show 2D) and Mea Montgomery (received award from JKR Academy); Woods Cross concurrent enrollment class. 

Three Woods Cross students visited the capitol and were honored for either award winners or scholarship recipients of the 53rd Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show—a program funded in part by the Utah State Legislature through the POPS program/Fine Arts Outreach. Their pictures and awards are listed in the caption. 
Friends on the Hill
(Left to right) Taylor Randall, President of the University of Utah, Representative Rosalba Dominguez, Dr. Joseph N. Moore, Managing Principal Investigator of the Utah FORGE, Representative Colin Jack.
Realtors Association constituents from NSL and Bountiful: Jenni Barber, Dana Anghel, Jill Allsop, Stacy Watkins, Allison Brown; Rock Bordelon Hunter Nation, Keith Mark from Hunter Nation, Governor Cox; Utah Federation of Republican Women (UFRW); NSL resident Devin Wiser, VP of Government and External Affairs at USU; Ruth Ruby (honored for her oil painting) with her mom, Mary Nelson, both long time Bountiful residents. 
Bills Passed by the House this Week

H.B. 282 Health and Human Services Modifications 

H.B. 287 Stalking Amendments 

H.B. 190 Motorcycle Amendments 

H.B. 229 Transportation Funds Amendments 

H.B. 234 Motorcycle Safety Amendments 

H.B. 277 Vehicle Registration Amendments 

H.B. 158 State Sovereignty Amendments 

H.B. 163 Adult Probation and Parole Amendments 

H.B. 315 Elected Official Vacancy Modifications 

H.B. 95 Financial Disclosure Revisions 

H.B. 256 Municipal and County Zoning Amendments 

H.B. 212 Advanced Transmission Technologies 

H.B. 254 Waste Classification Amendments 

H.B. 264 Tax Incentives Amendments 

H.B. 184 School Trust Land Amendments 

H.B. 204 Stipends for Future Educators Grant Program Amendments 

H.B. 48 Wildland Urban Interface Modifications 

H.B. 160 Professional License Degree Amendments 

H.B. 23 Insurance Modifications 

H.B. 258 Medicare Supplement Insurance Amendments 

H.B. 111 Workers' Compensation Amendments 

H.B. 175 Housing Construction Amendments 

H.B. 84 Vaccine Amendments 

H.B. 173 Controlled Substances Act Amendments 

H.B. 238 Department of Health and Human Services Account Amendments 

H.B. 266 Veteran Housing Amendments 

H.B. 294 Infectious Disease Procedures Amendments 

H.B. 78 Criminal Offenses Amendments 

H.B. 195 Firearm Retention Amendments 

H.B. 222 Access to Traffic Accident Evidence 

H.B. 276 Commitment Revisions 

H.B. 140 Assault Amendments 

H.B. 281 Health Curriculum and Procedures Amendments 

H.B. 148 Child Sexual Abuse Amendments 

H.B. 207 Sexual Offense Revisions 

H.B. 271 Meeting or Procession Disruption Amendments 

H.B. 174 Water Rights Restricted Account 

H.B. 177 Glass Recycling Amendments 

H.B. 239 Disaster Funds Revisions 

H.B. 251 Pollinator Program Amendments 

H.B. 285 Water Infrastructure Modifications 

H.B. 307 Wildfire Funding Amendments 

H.B. 342 Animal Composting Amendments 

H.B. 290 Bicycle Lane Safety Amendments 

H.B. 317 Executive Agency Innovation Incentives 

H.B. 119 Solar Panel Restrictions in Homeowners Associations Amendments 

H.B. 201 Energy Resource Amendments 

H.B. 166 Trailer Registration and Uniform Fee Amendments 

H.B. 255 Local Land Use Modifications 

H.B. 422 Municipality Regulation of Open House Amendments 

S.B. 25 Postretirement Reemployment for Emergency Services Workers 

S.B. 49 Insurance Investment Amendments 

S.B. 68 Child Welfare Worker Protections 

H.B. 226 Criminal Amendments 

H.B. 38 Criminal Offenses Modifications 

H.B. 312 Criminal Justice Amendments 

H.B. 68 Insurance Funds Amendments 

H.B. 194 Beekeeping and Veterinary Amendments 

H.B. 283 Child and Family Services Amendments 

H.B. 333 Medications in Schools Amendments 

S.B. 28 Livestock Brand Board Amendments 

S.B. 51 State Resource Management Plan Amendments 

S.B. 87 DUI Sentencing Modifications 

S.B. 21 Long-Term Disability Amendments 

S.B. 79 Technical Code Amendments 

H.B. 340 Solar Power Amendments 

H.B. 79 Adaptive Driving Equipment Amendments 

H.B. 216 Income Tax Revenue Amendments 

H.B. 275 First Responder Volunteer Tax Credit 

H.B. 248 Veteran Protections Amendments 

H.B. 257 Pharmacy Benefit Amendments 

H.B. 306 Precious Metals Amendments 

H.B. 337 Property Manager Requirements 
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