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This past month, the Legislature convened in a special session as requested by the Governor. The primary purpose of the special session was first, to extend the current state of emergency related to flooding (the Governor declares a state of emergency, but only for 30 days unless the Legislature agrees to extend it), and second, to shift money already in the budget to re-allocate funds to help mitigate the ongoing statewide impacts of flooding and avalanches. In addition to addressing flood related issues, a couple of other minor bills to fix unintended issues were also included. You can watch the recording of this special session here (but I’d strongly recommend you go enjoy the beautiful June weather outdoors instead).
I’m very grateful that due to years of preparation, the volunteer efforts of many of you, and the reasonable weather, so far, the flooding impacts in Davis County were not as severe as they could have been.
Bills passed during the special session:
H.B. 1001 Emergency Response Funding
H.B. 1002 Restricted Persons Amendments
H.B. 1003 Firefighter Death Benefit Amendments
H.J.R. 101 Joint Resolution Extending Emergency Powers for Flood Mitigation and Infrastructure Rehabilitation
 This was my first special session. One of the fun things about the ceremonial nature of the Legislature during a special session is that a special committee is required to go inform the Governor and Lt. Governor when the session starts and ends. My lucky number came up, so I made the journey one floor down in the capitol to share the good news with the Governor (and of course take the required picture to prove we did our job).
During the portion of the year when the Legislature is not in session, interim sessions of 1 or sometimes 2 days are held most months. It’s a chance to meet in committees and study certain issues in a more in-depth approach then we have time for during the annual 45 day session. May interim was held on May 17th in conjunction with the special session. I enjoyed the opportunity to serve with my colleagues on our interim committees and to hear from the public about issues they care about.
These interim sessions are also a good opportunity for me to learn about which issues legislators are preparing to run bills on next year to see if there are opportunities to work together and collaborate. You can read the highlights in the May interim session here. June interim will be held on the 13th and 14th of this month. You can participate in person or online at le.utah.gov.
The morning of the May interim session the Salt Lake Chamber of commerce hosted their annual breakfast to recognize legislators who showed a commitment to a strong business community.
 I appreciate the Disability Law Center of Utah and my friend Andrew Wriggle for inviting me to attend the Justice Rising fundraising breakfast and for the good work they do every day to help Utah’s most vulnerable citizens.
 Utah Policy provides a daily email newsletter that is popular with many people in State and local politics. In May, I was interviewed by Holly Richardson, the editor of UtahPolicy.com, as part of their ongoing “trail mix” series, where they get to know Utahns involved in policy.
Trail Mix with Rep. Paul Cutler
Rep. Paul Cutler spent time on a city council and later as a mayor before joining the Utah legislature. He also spent time harvesting fruit, as a busboy and working with the "bricks" we called early mobile phones. Learn why he compares the Utah legislature to a Tesla and his favorite part of trail mix.
 On May 8th, along with many other Legislators, I attended the annual Utah Taxpayers Association “Taxes Now” conference. If you like to talk about (or listen to others talk about) tax policy, economics, and review lots of tax related data, it’s a great way to spend a half a day.
Memorial Day is a time to honor all the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms. I am grateful for all those who have served and are currently serving in our armed forces. Thank you for your dedication and service.
Congratulations to the class of 2023! Whether you finished your senior year of high school or college, (or even if you just barely survived 7th grade like my son), I commend you for your achievement and can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of you.
Stay up to date on the latest news and get a behind the scenes look of life at our State Capitol by listening to our House podcast! Our latest episode gives a recap of the recent special session. Listen here.
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