On-campus housing, nuclear energy and the end of mail-in voting dominate the first half of the 2025 Utah legislative session. 

• Demonstrators fill the steps of the Utah Capitol, protesting the Donald Trump Administration.

One month and a little more than half-way into the legislative session, Utah has seen bills targeted at higher education, elections and energy production move through the Capitol. Here are some of the most notable so far.

Higher Education
Two key higher education bills have steadily made their way through the House and Senate, with one already signed into law by the governor.

HB269 restricts how college and university students can be assigned to gendered dorms. It stipulates that a student's biological sex determines what sex-designated on-campus housing they can live in.

Sex is also required to be determined by an unaltered birth certificate—altered birth certificates can be used only if they were changed to correct an error.

While some legislators argued the bill protects women and female-only spaces, others argued it unfairly targets transgender students.

"Bills like this that we run and that we have come before us are not to discriminate against one individual or groups of marginalized people. But it's to protect the daughters and those who want their own privacy as well," Rep. Doug Fiefia, R-Riverton, said before the bill's final vote in the House.

Several Democratic lawmakers argued against the bill during floor debates. After the bill passed both legislative chambers, Senate Democrats released a statement urging Gov. Spencer Cox to veto it.

"This bill isn't about safety—it's about exclusion," the Democrats' statement read. "It echoes past mistakes of 'separate but equal' policies, creating unnecessary barriers instead of fostering inclusion."

But Cox signed the bill into law on Friday, and it will take effect in June.

Housing policies aren't the only changes higher education is facing this session. After Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, called for 10% budget cuts to higher education last fall, HB265 was drafted to address the way universities are funded.

The bill establishes a "strategic reinvestment" plan for Utah's universities. It does this by taking 10% of each university's instructional budget and moving it into a strategic reinvestment fund.

Universities will have to develop a plan to reinvest this 10% to keep access to these funds.

"We have a great system, but that doesn't mean our system can't be a little bit better and it can't meet the needs of our students and our taxpayers a little bit better," the bill's sponsor, Rep. Karen Peterson, R-Clearfield, said while introducing the bill to the House floor earlier this month.

The bill establishes a three-year process in which funds from programs, departments, positions and more, which don't adequately meet the bill's criteria, can be taken and reallocated to other programs and departments that merit further investment. Enrollment dates, graduation rates, professional outcomes, workforce demands, program costs and a particular university's role in the state system are all to be considered when reallocating funds.

The bill also tasks the Utah Board of Higher Education with developing quantitative and qualitative metrics to guide the reinvestment process.

• Benjamin Wood
• Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, takes the dais on the first day of the 2025 session.

However, the bill has faced scrutiny. During a House debate on the bill in early February, some representatives raised concerns that the proposal would unfairly target humanities and arts programs and that the bill's guidelines are too vague.

"I know that there's a lot of fear and heartburn among staff and faculty at our institutions of higher education," said Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City. "I'm still not entirely certain how I personally feel about this bill."

Dailey-Provost's district includes the University of Utah. She argued that the bill's priority should be to lower the cost of education.

Rep. Neil Walter, R-St. George, said it is wrong to characterize the bill as an "attack" or to suggest that some academic fields are valued more highly than others.

"I think that's absolutely the wrong way to look at this," Walter said. "Our humanities, our performing arts, our liberal arts, they're a critical part of our education infrastructure."

HB265 passed out of the House with a 63-9 vote. At press time, it was awaiting a hearing in the Senate Education Committee.

Election Law
Another bill, HB300, would change Utah's universal mail-in voting system, making it considerably more difficult for voters to cast their ballots.

"The 2024 election was interesting in many ways," said Salem Republican Rep. Jefferson Burton, the bill's sponsor, during a committee hearing. "One of the things that came out of it was a lot of concerns and questions about the way we vote and how we collect votes and count votes."

To address election concerns, this bill would require voters to present a valid form of identification in person at a ballot drop box or polling place, manned by poll workers, when submitting their ballots. In consequence, the bill removes the option of returning ballots via outgoing mail.

As the bill stands, polling places would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on certain days, but the sponsor is working on an amendment to extend these hours.

"I think we're committed to turning out a bill that will make our voting better and more secure, but also not overly egregious on people's time," Burton said.

Voters could apply for the privilege to return their ballots by mail under this bill. However, that application must be submitted in person to a county clerk's office alongside a valid voter ID.

This application must be resubmitted every two years, and all the above regulations are subject to change in future amendments to the bill.

The bill has been met with pushback. During the proposal's hearing in the House Government Operations Committee on Feb. 4, several members of the public expressed concerns about how these changes could affect voter accessibility.

For example, Ann O'Connell, a Salt Lake City resident, shared that mail-in ballots help to make voting accessible and easy for the elderly.

• Benjamin Wood
• Members of the UEA and other public employees filled the Rotunda to oppose a union-busting bill.

"If you fell down the stairs and broke your pelvis, you still could send your ballot in," she said. "It's the uncertainty of aging that can be difficult for so many."

Others echoed similar concerns, arguing that the bill would reduce voter participation.

"We just implore [you], do not take this kind of drastic action that would reduce our current participation rate and disenfranchise target populations of our voting electorate," said Helen Moser, representing the League of Women Voters of Utah.

However, others spoke in support of the added security the bill would give to elections.

"You need an ID to rent a car, to fly on a plane, to purchase a gun," Jordan Hess, a Republican precinct chair in Washington County, said. "It shouldn't be hard to require an ID when we cast our vote, which is a sacred duty as Americans."

The bill passed out of committee on Feb. 4 and at press time is waiting for discussion on the House floor.

Nuclear Energy

Energy was one of legislative leaders' top priorities for the 2025 session. And HB249, sponsored by Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, looks to meet this priority by establishing a pathway for Utah to begin working toward nuclear energy production.

The bill allows Utah counties and municipalities to apply to be designated as an electrical energy development zone.

"These zones are identified for their suitability and hosting energy infrastructure projects based on factors as far as energy resources and their proximity to transmission lines," Rep. Albrecht said while introducing the bill to a Senate committee last week.

The bill also establishes two advisory bodies to oversee energy projects in Utah. The Nuclear Energy Consortium is to "provide expertise on nuclear energy technology, safety and policy," Albrecht said. Another entity, the Utah Energy Council, would be responsible for facilitating the development of energy generation facilities.

The bill doesn't directly refer to renewable energy sources as a means of electrical generation, but it doesn't exclude the possibility, either.

• Benjamin Wood
• Fire and emergency personnel watch as senators debate a ban on collective bargaining.

"I think what people don't understand is 20% of energy that is generated east of the Mississippi is from nuclear," said Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, the bill's Senate sponsor. "We are behind in the West, and if we don't catch up, we're not going to find ourselves in a very good place."

Albrecht also emphasized that the creation of nuclear power will not be immediate. "This bill is a start to get us to nuclear energy down the road, whether that be SMR, small modular reactors, or a full-fledged nuclear facility," he said.

The bill passed the House and earned the recommendation of a Senate Committee. At press time, it is waiting for debate on the Senate floor.

Other Bills
HB81, Fluoride Amendments, is currently awaiting a final debate on the Senate floor. It prohibits adding fluoride to public water systems. However, it does allow pharmacists to prescribe fluoride with guidance from the Division of Professional Licensing.

HB120, Time Change Amendments, passed through the House and is to be heard in the Senate Business and Labor Committee. This bill would commit Utah to observing Mountain Standard time year-round—ending the practice of twice-annual time changes—until federal law permits the state to permanently observe Mountain Daylight time.

Both the House and Senate passed HB267, Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, which Gov. Cox signed into law on Friday. It prohibits collective bargaining within the public sector, a major blow to union activities for teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees.

The bill generated significant opposition—with the daily presence of union members and organizers on Capitol Hill—and was briefly held up while work on a potential compromise was attempted. But those negotiations fell apart, leading lawmakers to revert back to an outright ban, and Senate leaders have repeatedly stressed their disinterest in revisiting the issue.

The bill did not secure a referendum-proof majority, and there is talk of a potential campaign to ask voters to overturn the law and its union-busting effects.