Utah’s Primary Election results continued the multi-year trend of voters rejecting the Republican candidates selected by delegates at the Republican county and state conventions. Several incumbents were forced to Primaries...more
Utah’s political party conventions kicked off what looks to be a wild primary election cycle for Utahns. From a last-minute endorsement from a popular senator to delegates booing and eventually voting against Utah’s popular...more
Utah’s Democratic and Republican Parties have wrapped up their respective conventions to select candidates for the 2022 election. However, some candidates within each party will head to the June primaries to determine who...more
After a two-month summer recess from interim hearings and other legislative work, the Utah Legislature has returned to a busy fall agenda to prepare for the 2022 Session. Below are updates on vaccine mandates, the state...more
The state of Utah found itself in a strong financial position as it closed the books on its latest fiscal year.
According to the Utah Tax Commissions TC-23 reports, the state ended FY2021 showing a 30.5% increase in...more
Come election night the nation will be glued to their televisions (or smartphones or tablets) to see who the next President of the United States will be. It is exciting… and dramatic. This year it may take days for us to know...more
As we reach the midpoint of the 2020 Utah Legislative Session, the state budget has emerged as this year’s theme. In early December 2019, the Legislature met in a Special Session to pass comprehensive tax reform that included...more
Governor Herbert and Legislative leadership announced Thursday morning that the recent tax bill passed in December’s special session (SB 2001) will be repealed.
In a joint statement, the Governor, House Speaker Brad...more
Traditionally in Utah, the Governor presents a budget and policy objectives to the Legislature in early December. However, due to a December 2019 Special Session in which a significant tax reform bill was passed, Governor...more
Tax Reform continues to dominate Utah’s Capitol Hill as the Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force has released draft legislation that it may recommend to the entire Legislature for action. In late October, the Task...more
At the Colorado Capitol this week, the Tax Expenditure Evaluation Interim Committee voted to move forward with legislation related to the sales tax exemption for the purchases of electricity, gas, and other types of energy...more
In an effort to address Utah’s structural tax revenue imbalance, the Utah Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force released a draft of its tax restructuring policy proposal (Proposal). The Proposal is authored by Senator...more
State lawmakers gathered in a special session earlier this month to update Utah’s medical marijuana law to prepare for the full implementation of medical marijuana distribution in the state by next spring....more
10/1/2019
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State Health Departments
Utah Budget Update:
The state of Utah’s budget runs on a fiscal calendar of July 1-June 30. That gives legislators the ability to set the state budget during the legislative session and have the budget year begin in the...more
The Utah Legislature’s Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force has now held seven of its eight scheduled meetings to take public comments on how Utah should reform its tax code....more
The Utah Legislature’s Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force met for the first time on May 30th to set the table for a summer of meetings that will be held around the state to discuss Utah’s tax structure and how it...more
The Utah Legislature has announced the members for its tax reform task force. This task force comprises 10 legislators and four non-voting tax experts, including Holland & Hart Tax Partner Steve Young, and is expected to...more
Of the 574 bills passed in the 2019 general session of the legislature, only one, Senate Bill 123, received Governor Gary Herbert’s veto stamp.
S.B. 123 sought to add more structure to how Utah replaces a member of its...more
The Utah Legislature adjourned at 11 p.m. on March 14th – a full hour before their hard stop midnight deadline. The Legislature passed a record 574 bills this year, which is a bit of a surprise when several weighty issues...more
3/25/2019
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Alcohol Beverage Control ,
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State Budgets ,
State Funding ,
Tax Reform
Utah’s legislative session is now underway and will be in-session through March 14th. During that time, Utah’s 104 lawmakers and Governor Herbert are hard at work crafting the 2019 state budget, and legislation that will...more
State Budget Projections Show $1 billion in New Revenue -
In December, the Governor’s Office, Senate, and House of Representatives jointly released revenue figures for the State’s upcoming fiscal year budget. The numbers...more
The last two weeks have been a roller coaster as Utah awaited the results of multiple “too close to call” races and a proposition. One race, Utah Congressional District 4 between Representative Mia Love and Salt Lake County...more
U.S. Senate: Mitt Romney (R) -
Former Massachusetts Governor and Hero of the 2002 Olympic Games, Mitt Romney becomes the junior senator for Utah. Romney replaces retiring Senator Orrin Hatch who represented Utah for the...more
The Election After the Election:
While many are closely watching the mid-term elections looking for a “Blue Wave” or tracking the outcome of Utah’s Medical Marijuana ballot initiative, I’m more interested in the...more
A Summer of Wildfires:
From time to time, there have been memorable wildfires in the Western states. As a child, I remember the Yellowstone fires of 1988 that burned 36% of Yellowstone National Park and dominated the news...more