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leadership announced Thursday morning that the recent tax bill passed in December’s special session (SB 2001) will be repealed.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
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
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
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
Governor Gary Herbert called the Utah Legislature into a July Special Session. July is often a month when the Utah legislature takes a break from meetings due to the Independence Day and Pioneer Day holidays bookending the...more
8/8/2018
/ Inland Waterways ,
Internet Retailers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Liquor Licences ,
Net Operating Losses ,
Online Sales Tax ,
Repatriation ,
Sales & Use Tax ,
Special Sessions ,
State and Local Government ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Reform
When the Utah Legislature is not in session, you might think legislators are in hibernation until the next legislative session starts in January, 2019. Actually, there is a great deal of legislative action during the off...more
During the crush of the legislative session, the focus is typically on the bright, flashy bills that contain policies that tilt the scale on visceral issues. For instance, Rep. Karianne Lisbonee’s HB 205 Down Syndrome...more
3/21/2018
/ Abortion ,
Ballot Measures ,
Death Penalty ,
Gas Taxes ,
Income Taxes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Property Tax ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sales & Use Tax ,
State and Local Government ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Reform
Mid-Way Point of the Utah Session:
We are at the mid-way point of the Utah Legislative Session. The pace of work increases and each day gets longer the closer we get to the midnight finish on the 45th day of the session....more
2/27/2018
/ Apportionment ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Income Taxes ,
Intentional Torts ,
Joint and Several Liability ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Prevailing Party ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Repeal ,
Sales Factor ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Cuts
Utah’s Legislative session is underway. This annual event is a test of legislative speed and immune system stamina! It’s a special political-Olympic event that takes place over seven weeks of intense debate and budget...more