Bill to change Halloween to last Friday in Oct. heads to Senate
Jan 25, 2023, 5:57 PM | Updated: 6:35 pm
FILE: halloween
SALT LAKE CITY — Among the controversial topics being discussed in the legislature: domestic violence, transgender healthcare, and school vouchers, one’s got legislators talking about Halloween in January.
S.C.R. 005 is a bill that would change the celebration of Halloween to the last Friday of October instead of on Oct. 31.
The bill passed unanimously in the committee and will now head to the Senate.
The bill argues that while Halloween was originally created to celebrate the end of a harvest, as the culture and traditions have evolved now the holiday is centered around costumes and trick-or-treating which does not necessarily require that it be celebrated on Oct. 31.
Talking about Halloween in January? We are in the Legislature!
SCR 5, sponsored by Sen. Cullimore, encourages Utahns to celebrate Halloween on the last Friday of Oct. This bill passed committee unanimously and will be heard on the Senate floor. #utpolhttps://t.co/1NG1GFoSA5 pic.twitter.com/k3nVjPoTp6
— Utah Senate (@utahsenate) January 25, 2023
The bill outlines the difficulties and repercussions of when Halloween falls on a weeknight. The bill explains the stress Halloween can have when it falls on a weekday, on both parents and children, having to return to school or work the following day
The bill states educators are also affected when they struggle to teach children who return to school the next morning exhausted from Halloween festivities the night before.
The bill concludes “it is in the best interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the community to create a standard date for trick-or-treating in the state of Utah; and celebrating Halloween on a Friday could minimize the holiday’s negative impact on schools and learning.”
