With the 2025 Utah Legislative Session coming to a close, our expert panel examines the common themes. From a battle between state vs. local control, to proposed reforms of Utah's judicial and electoral systems, it has been a busy 45 days on Capitol Hill.
A bill that impacts how the state's capital city manages its own streets is now on the way to Governor Cox's desk. SB195, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Harper (R-Salt Lake County), passed the legislature this week. An earlier version of the bill would have placed a moratorium on Salt Lake City implementing any traffic-calming measures. After pushback from the city and other groups, a modified version now gives UDOT veto power over plans that could potentially slow down traffic.
A coalition of public labor unions is launching a referendum to overturn the new law that prevents public employees from collective bargaining. Lawmakers passed HB267, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R-Salt Lake County), earlier in the session and Gov. Spencer Cox signed it into law shortly thereafter. In order to qualify for the ballot, referendum organizers have to gather more than 140,000 signatures from around the state. If they reach that threshold, voters will have the final say on whether or not this law remains on the books. The bill faced bipartisan opposition in both the House and Senate, and was the subject of large public protests at the Capitol.
Another bill that also received bipartisan opposition would have created a new state agency to oversee large development projects that have statewide impact. SB337, sponsored by Sen. Kirk Cullimiore (R-Salt Lake County), would have established the Beehive Development Agency within Gov. Spencer Cox's administration. The agency would have had significant taxing authority to help raise funds for major development projects like nuclear power plants, large manufacturing facilities, and potentially even retail and residential projects. But critics worried the proposal usurped too much local control from cities and towns, and bill sponsors say it will not be moving forward this session. Our panel discusses whether it is likely to return in the future.
Host Jason Perry is joined by Ben Winslow, politics reporter with Fox 13 News — Lindsay Aerts, anchor with ABC4 News and host of Inside Utah Politics — and Jeff Parrott, Statewatch Editor for The Salt Lake Tribune.
Funding for The Hinckley Report is made possible in part by Merit Medical and by the financial contributions of PBS Utah members. If you would like to support the work we do, please visit https://pbsutah.org/supporthinckley
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