OF PPP AND COVID-19 VACCINES Notes From the 2021 Legislative Session
By David peterson, Ryan peterson and Craig peterson
T
he 2021 general session of the Utah Legislature ended Friday, March 5, at midnight. While it was a session like no other, the challenges many of us expected never seemed to precipitate. Two senators were diagnosed with COVID-19, sent home, and returned after the mandatory quarantine period. Two House members, who battled the coronavirus from hospital beds through much of the 45-day session, saw their health improve as well. Rep. Kay Christofferson (R-American Fork) who participated via Zoom for most of the session, made his way to the House chambers on the last day of the session and Rep. John Hawkins (R-Pleasant Grove) who started the session in a coma, cast his first votes from his hospital bed on the last few days of the session. Rep. Hawkins, whose first piece of legislation as a freshman legislator was HB159 (2019), which reduced the CPA examination semester and quarter hour requirement, still has a long road to recovery, and we wish him and his family well. Aside from the plexiglass, masks, virtual committee meetings, and occasional open-mic gaffes, the session was rather mundane. The Legislature passed a $23.5 billion budget and sent 502 new or modified laws to Governor Cox’s desk for his signature. Those bills affect your rights as a citizen, your pocket book, and social reform in general.
• The Legislature also passed a COVID-19 “endgame,” which ends the statewide mask mandate on April 10 for groups smaller than 50 where physical distance is possible.
Concealed Carry • Utah no longer requires a concealed carry permit to carry a firearm, though it still allows people to get the permit if they choose.
Dixie State University • One of the more controversial bills this session was about changing the name of Dixie State University. The legislation passed the House, but the Senate amended it so it no longer required the name “Dixie” to be dropped. The new version lays out the process for the DSU Board of Trustees and the Utah Board of Higher Education to come up with a name of the university by November 2021.
Funding •
Education — Legislators added around $475 million to the public education base budget. In total, they spent more than $6 billion on education, which equates to about a quarter of the state’s budget. Much of the funding boost was due to the flexibility granted under Amendment G, the constitutional amendment approved by voters last year. The funding includes a 6% increase in the weighted pupil unit (WPU) and $1,500 bonuses for teachers.
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Infrastructure — $1.2 billion in infrastructure projects was proposed and passed to include $100 million for state parks and trails and a significant investment in all four UDOT regions.
The Legislature tackled issues related to COVID-19, social reform, criminal justice, police reform and protests, education, affordable housing and homelessness, voting reform, environmental issues, and the budget and taxes. Here is a bit of a rundown.
COVID-19 • The Legislature passed legislation limiting the executive branch’s emergency powers, allowing the Legislature to override public health orders and empowering local governments to do the same with local health orders. 18
the journal entry | april 2021
