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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers concluded their second-to-last day of the 2025 legislative session on Thursday and will convene Friday to pass as many bills as they can before the stroke of midnight.
The first weeks of the session include a trickle of bills working their way through the process, but most of the work happens during the final three days of the session, when lawmakers approve the majority of bills. Eighty-three bills got final approval on Wednesday alone, and even more are expected to pass on Friday.
Lawmakers will be hard-pressed to outdo the record 591 bills they approved last year, especially as some apparent friction between representatives and senators had Republican lawmakers at loggerheads over some major proposals, including a bill clearing the path for nuclear energy in Utah — although those differences were worked out after significant debate Thursday.
The Legislature is also considering several proposals aimed at addressing illegal immigration, reallocating funds for higher education, and reforming the state’s election system.
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Enhanced and mandatory criminal penalties aim to curb illegal immigration
Lawmakers advanced a proposal to enhance criminal penalties — and in some cases apply mandatory prison sentences — for those with prior convictions for criminally reentering the United States after being deported. SB90 is one of several bills lawmakers say aim to curb illegal immigration as the state has taken a tougher stance under the second Trump administration.
“What we’re saying with this particular subset of individuals that are clearly connected to organized crime (is) that there’s a mandatory jail sentence,” Sen. Calvin Musselman, R-West Haven, said last month.
He said the goal is to “stop that revolving door” of people who repeatedly return to the U.S. after deportation.
The measure passed the House 64-2 and awaits a final vote back in the Senate.
Lawmakers in both chambers adjourned shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday and will reconvene at 9 a.m. Friday for the session’s last day.
Pride flag ban gets final passage
The Utah Legislature gave approval to a bill that would ban the display of pride flags in schools and other government buildings.
HB77 passed 21-8 Thursday after the House agreed with changes made in the Senate.
The bill lays out which flags are permitted for display, including the United States flag, flags of other countries, college and university flags, and the official flag of the U.S. Olympic Committee, among others.
Democrats and two Republicans voted against the measure, criticizing the message it sends. Supporters have said the bill is necessary to keep politics out of the classroom.
Equality Utah, the state’s premier LGBTQ+ rights organization, condemned its passage in an email to supporters saying the bill is “blatantly unconstitutional” and based on an “ongoing dispute with Salt Lake City.”
“In this political tug-of-war, LGBTQ Utahns have unfairly become collateral damage,” said Troy Williams and Marina Lowe, the group’s executive director and policy director, respectively. “We will continue to fight for the rights and visibility of LGBTQ Utahns, supporting efforts to challenge this bill in court and hold the state accountable.”
Lawmakers address who can sue over potentially unconstitutional laws
Lawmakers gave final passage to a pair of proposals from Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Highland, dealing with who has standing to sue and how court challenges over potentially unconstitutional laws can be appealed. Although the bills have been diluted since their inception, not everyone was on board.
SB203 requires that an association act on behalf of an actual person who could be harmed when challenging laws enacted by the Legislature, while SB204 allows the state to appeal directly to the Supreme Court if a lower court temporarily blocks a law from taking effect.
Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, noted that standing rules affected by SB203 are based on English common law and was skeptical of changing them.
“I’m not sure how that will play out, and I’m very leery about changing the rules based on his whims,” Stoddard said Thursday. “I’ve asked you to take a hard look at this bill and think about if this is something we want to change just to maybe get some political wins.”
Brammer has said his proposal is simply meant to ensure the courts are hearing challenges from people who will actually be harmed, something House Majority Assistant Whip Casey Snider, R-Paradise, agreed with.
“My understanding in the bill is that you’d have to actually find someone who is impacted, not just make up someone who’s in a fairy tale or make believe when you’re finding someone who can stand before a judge in a court of law,” he said.
Both SB203 and SB204 cleared the Legislature Friday.
Leaders hit pause on Beehive Development Agency
After major public pushback, leaders said they will not move forward with a proposal to create a large state development authority.
SB337, which would have created the Beehive Development Agency, was a major priority of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and legislative leaders. But it attracted opposition from people of many political views.
“The messaging probably came out wrong,” said Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton. “I think there’s a lot of good things that were intended with the bill, but at times the messaging gets away, and I think that makes it tougher.”
Lawmakers initially said they wanted to create the Beehive Development Agency to better coordinate economic development and housing across the state. Supporters said it would help the state be nimbler and attract bigger projects.
But opponents came out in force, saying it was a case of the Legislature rushing this through and trying to take power away from local communities.
Still, the proposal could come back later in another form.
“I don’t think the idea’s going to go away, but I think it needs to be retooled and bring some more people to the table so it further develops,” said Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy.
Immigration measure pared-down by Senate
After a passionate debate, the Utah Senate passed a pared-down bill taking aim at illegal immigration.
Senators voted 21-8 to pass HB226, sending it back to the House of Representatives for further consideration. The bill requires county sheriffs and the Utah Department of Corrections to coordinate with federal authorities before releasing someone who is in the United States illegally from jail or prison.
It also increases the prison sentence to one year for those convicted of certain class A misdemeanors.
The original bill, which was much broader, was rejected by a Senate committee last month. But its sponsor, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, made some changes that brought it back.
“This might be the worst bill I’ve seen this year,” said Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City, arguing it would not change how illegal immigrants are treated but would impact those who are in the U.S. legally.
But Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, argued HB226 fixes a problem with a 2019 law loosening criminal penalties that made Utah a “magnet” for illegal immigration.
“The question is,” McCay said, “is there a way we can take the magnet status away from illegal immigration, to take away some of the cost?”
More changes to major transportation bill
A panel of lawmakers kicked off the second-to-last legislative day with an early meeting to iron out differences between the House and Senate on a major transportation proposal. Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, the floor sponsor of SB195, said the new version reverts language in the bill to an earlier compromise meant to address concerns from Salt Lake City over a proposed moratorium on road safety projects.
A spokesperson confirmed the city is “on board” with the newest version, which was approved by the House. It appears headed for final passage, pending approval from the Senate.
Contributing: Carter Williams
