Utah lawmakers scramble to push through bills in final hours of session
Mar 4, 2022, 11:02 PM | Updated: Jun 19, 2022, 9:44 pm
The Utah State Capitol (Photo: Derek Petersen, KSL TV)
(Photo: Derek Petersen, KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY —Utah legislators on Capitol Hill scrambled to push through dozens of additional bills Friday, in the final hours of the final day of the 2022 legislative session.
Among them, a ban on transgender students in high school sports that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he would veto if it comes to his desk. After it passed, Cox tweeted a message of support for the LGBTQ+ community.
We care deeply about Utah’s female athletes and our LGBTQ+ community.
To those hurting tonight: It’s going to be OK. We’re going to help you get through this. Please reach out if you need help. @Safe_UT is free and provides immediate and confidential counseling.
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) March 5, 2022
Among the items the Senate tackled was HB 238, which makes Juneteenth an official state holiday. The Senate passed it unanimously, sending it to the governor’s desk.
Another bill headed to Cox is House Bill 374, that bans sensitive material from public schools. This one got a little more push back in the senate. After several minutes of debate, the bill passed 23 to 3.
NOW: In the House, @KeraBirk is asking to CONCUR with the Senate’s drastic change to HB11, which enacts an all out ban on transgender athletes participating in high school sports #utpol #utleg
— Katie McKellar (@KatieMcKellar1) March 5, 2022
House Speaker Brad Wilson reflected on the the last 45 days of the session. He said he was proud of the near 9% increase in education funding they passed.
He said he believed they had made a lot of progress on housing affordability and Utah’s water.
“We’ve made massive strides this year. More than we’ve done in probably a generation around water. But I would actually say, we’re just starting. There’s going to be a lot more around both of those issues,” he said.
“Housing and water are going to be the issues of the decade, I think.”
Wilson said he did not know if Cox would sign HB 11 that would require transgender students to receive permission from a commission to compete on a school sports team of their choice.
