S.B. 129 Commemorative Day Amendments: transcript

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's great to be here. So, today I'm going to be speaking to a bill that was brought to me by UVU students. And, uh, just directly following my presentation, I would invite you to, um, promote them online. There are three of them, uh, that you can hear from today. So, Senate Bill 1 29 Commemorate of Day Amendments takes the first September, uh, or excuse me, the first Friday in September to create a day of civic service. And the way that this bill came to me is the students care deeply about the health of our civic culture and the future of our state. And the idea of this bill was already taking shape before the tragic act of political violence occurred on September 10th, 2025 at UVU. In the wake of that day, the purpose of this legislation became even clearer to create beauty from ashes and bring people together through service rather than division. Senate Bill 1 29 is not about mandates, closures, or new costs. It is about clarifying and correcting existing law, and in one important area, encouraging Utahans to engage constructively with one another and their communities. This is what the bill does not do. It doesn't mandate participation or observance. Uh, it doesn't close schools or government offices doesn't create a new paid state holiday or add any additional costs to the state. Instead, it offers clarity, accuracy, and a thoughtful opportunity to strengthen civic life. At the heart of SB 1 29 is the creation of Utah Civic Engagement and Service Day to be observed on the first Friday in September. The purpose is simple, timely, and deeply needed to encourage volunteerism, promote community service, foster respectful civic engagement, provide a positive, proactive response to growing concerns about political division and violence. This day is about doing something together, not about tearing each other apart. What this might look like in practice, because the participation is voluntary and locally driven, the Utah civic engagement and service state can take many forms. For example, Utah High School might partner with local nonprofits for service projects. Students could participate in food drives, neighborhood cleanups, or community outreach. And civic responsibility would be learned through action, not abstraction. This bill encourages initiative and creativity while respecting local control and individual choice. This bill matters now because at a time when trust in institutions is strained and civic discourse often feels fractured, Senate Bill 1 29 creates space for Utahans to reconnect with one another, serve side by side, and practice citizenship in tangible, constructive ways. And it reflects the belief that service can heal, and that community engagement strengthens both democracy and humanity. And with that, I conclude my presentation and would, um, invite you to promote the three students online one at a time, please.

I would wait. Okay. We've got, uh, three students online as part of the presentation. Let's see. Are they there yet? No.

Excellent. Uh, thank you so much, Senator and committee. My name is Spencer McLaughlin. I am a student at UVU. I am a student of English and Criminal Justice, um, myself, along with other, um, friends and cohorts at u created this bill, um, at the, around the beginning of last year in association with the Tocqueville Fellowship under the Civic Thought and Leadership Initiative, along with, uh, the Center for Constitutional Studies. Um, apologize. I, uh, live on the third floor, so I was running up out of the rain, so I'm a little out of breath. Um, So we started this idea, um, kind of in response to just the chronic isolationism that we've been seeing through society. Um, we wanted to help people get off their devices and out of their homes, uh, to engage with their neighbors, engage with the community, and really just interact in person to engage in their civic responsibilities, to contribute to society instead of hiding in their homes or behind their devices. Um, in response to the political violence that we witnessed at UVU, uh, we were motivated to, uh, really just delve in on this bill. That way we can create a day that is officially recognized by the state, but it's not mandated, uh, to encourage people to engage with their societies, get to know their neighbors, and create these projects where it can get people together, uh, regardless of race, religion, gender, um, and really just to help people grow and unite better instead of, uh, spreading this kind of tonic hate OEC online, especially with increasing political contentions. Um, some projects would include, um, you know, charity events, um, you know, just community cleanups. Uh, one big thing we want to accomplish with this is to, uh, promote healthy civic dialogue, um, healthy and constructive so, uh, people can, you know, express their ideas and have these debates without having these, uh, just text fights online. Uh, and to be able to kind of just help each other grow and unite as a state instead of making it kind of an us versus them type thing. Uh, yeah. Okay. Thank you so much.

Yes. Thank you. Um, if you'd be okay, I think I'd like to reserve a lot of my, uh, thoughts for maybe the public portion of it. I just think, uh, everything has already been well said so far. Um, and so I think I'd like to reserve maybe some of my thoughts for them, if that would be okay.

Stockton, we'll, we'll do a take two here. Alright, thank you. Um, I, I mean, I'm in great, uh, support of this bill. This is obviously something that, um, this was Spencer's original idea came along the time before, um, the things that happened on September 10th on our campus. Um, and then in hindsight, looking back at, um, the terrible events that did, um, occur on that day, um, it affected a lot of students here at UBU. Um, a lot of us specifically here in this call, many of us in this call and that were part of the fellowship, were there on that day. Um, not a part of the event, but working nearby. Um, and so we just see, um, you know, specifically amongst ourselves, amongst our students, around our communities, um, you know, here in Orem and Vineyard, um, and even in Provo, uh, just that need for, um, uh, those opportunities for civic dialogue and healthy civic dialogue. So.

Hello. Thank you. Uh, Curtis Bristol. I'm a fellow student at UVU working with the Center for Constitutional Studies. Very interested in CL dialogue. Um, I think things were mentioned already really well before. The only things that I would hit on is, as was mentioned, this bill was in process before the events of September 10th. And what that means is, this isn't a political statement. This is about making a civic foundation. This is about making a foundation for our communities so that we can build better relationships face-to-face in person. And then from there, citizens can go along and have their political statements, and that's their prerogative. They can do that better with this foundation that we're building, um, one with another. And then my second point is that if anyone thinks, yeah, but it's just another day on the calendar, what is it really going to do? I think that just let, just having this pass, just showing what students can do when they bind together, when they find a representative that is willing to help them out as Senator Bald has done so well, if we can get this bill passed. That in and of itself shows what a day like this can do, what students can do. Um, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move to hold. Okay. The motion is to hold. Would you like to speak to that? Absolutely. So, um, in the early 2020s, we had a rash, like truckloads of people wanting to add to the list of commemorative periods. And some of those were things I supported. Some of those were things I would not support, which is coming in. We were spending a lot of legislative time having presentations, taking up committee time on the floor, floor debates, people, speaking force, people speaking against. And at the end of the day, it's just a commemorative period. So legislative leadership asked us to come up with a better way of handling this. So it was referred to the Government Operations Interim Committee, and we spent an entire summer trying to figure out a better way of doing this. And so, if you will look at this bill, you will see on lines, uh, about 25, right about lines 2025, the current bill, the current bill line, 25, 24, 25. We decided in consultation with executive brands that the best way of handling commemorative periods is for the governor to deal with it. That any group of students from any university on any topic would be welcome to go down and meet with the governor, explain their commemorative period, how important it was, and the governor could declare that commemorative period. And then what about we'd do with all these others? And so the I the agreement was that we would not remove any of them. They would all be grandfathered because removing, we tried, actually, we tried removing them, and that was not gonna go because that was very painful. So we'll keep the list that we had, but no more, not add any more to the list of commemorative periods. And so, um, that was the process that we agreed to in 2023. House and Senate agreed to that it was unanimous, both, both bodies. And, and that's where we are. And so my motion is to hold, because I think that this is a bill that is following the wrong process. I don't have any comment as to whether this is a good or a bad commemorative period, but they're not following the correct process. The correct process would be to work with the governor to get this designation through the governor's office. And so I would move that we hold this bill and not forward it to the, to the house floor for

Um, so On the motion to hold, Yes, I would reject that motion. Um, so this, as you know, passed through the Senate and we have had discussions in our caucus as well about periods and more along the lines of resolutions versus, um, bills. And so, um, for that reason, uh, and the support that I've had in the Senate, I would reject that motion.

Yeah. Thank you. Um, you know, I really like what's been presented here. I like the process or the, uh, the proposal. And I like having a, a day of, you know, getting together and working together and, and learning about civics and all that. I have to agree with the, the maker of the motion that it probably ought to go through another process. It would it still have a similar outcome, but it would go through that process that we felt like, uh, worked better for all of us at the, at on the legislature.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanna applaud the students in what they've done. It's great to see people stepping up and engaging in the people's government and, and certainly to the Senate sponsor for bringing this forward. I think it's a very meaningful, worthwhile, um, undertaking and, and very important, but I, but I have to agree with the maker of the motion that we, we've put in law a process and, and this is the good thing about the process that we have. It's hard to pass a bill because it has to go through so many eyes and both substantively and procedurally. And we did put in a place, in place of process for this. So I, I would encourage the senator and encourage the students, please take what you've done, take it to the governor, ask him not only to, to issue the commemoration, but it also says on line 29 and 30 that nothing prevents the governor from red declaring the commemorative period. So he could make it an ongoing period. Um, and with that, just grateful to the students. Thank you for being engaged and, uh, and, and keep up the good work.

Thank you. And I would just note chair that, um, you are always representing, um, your former university presidency in purple. And I love purple is my favorite color. So with that, I'm excited to be here today. I'll speak with you, but I'll, I'd like to introduce my guest first, if that's okay. Sure, sure. So, uh, with me today is a student from Uni, Utah Valley University, hence the Green and the UVU. Um, these students, um, are with, uh, the Tocqueville Fellows and the Center for Constitutional Studies. They came to me with the bill idea, and so we're here today because of them. Okay, Thank you. So, Senate Bill 1 29 is, um, it's, it's to establish a new day, a new day to, to mark a commemorate. Um, as we know, there was a tragic, uh, violent incident that happened at Utah Valley University, and this is a positive way to turn tragedy into triumph and to, um, make something good out of something bad. Um, the, the tent is simple and timely. It is to encourage this day would, which would be the first Friday observed in sep the first week of September, would encourage volunteerism, promote community service, foster constructive civic dialogue, provide a positive, proactive response to rising concerns about political division and violence. And this day is about doing something together, not debating each other apart. For example, uh, Utah High School could organize service projects with local nonprofits or civic organizations on that Friday, students might participate in food drives, cleanup projects, or community outreach, learning civic responsibility through action rather than abstraction. Importantly, this bill encourages participation. It does not require schools, employers, or governments to close or observe in a particular way. Um, the bill also defines, um, dates for some other things. So there's a few little cleanup things in there for other holidays. Um, and basically, I guess the, the last thing that I will say is, should Senate Bill 1 29, um, become law? This would help to encourage service over division, honor the history and heritage of, of the university and of the fateful day, and improve clarity and accuracy in the statute with the cleanup items while respecting local control and voluntary participation, not mandatory at a time when civic trust matters. This bill creates space for Utahans and especially Utah students, uh, all over, but especially at Utah Valley University to engage constructively with one another in their communities. And I appreciate, uh, the committee's consideration, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

But before that, I would like to give an opportunity to hear from, um, student Curtis Bristol to tell us why they came to me with this bill.

Perfect. Well, thank you Senator Balderree. And as Senator Balderree mentioned, my name is Curtis Bristol. I'm a student studying political science and constitutional studies at U Utah Valley University. Um, I'm part of the, of the Senate for Constitutional Studies and as part of the CTLI, the Civic Thought and Leadership Initiative that the legislature initiated a couple years ago, there's a lot of us students that are really involved and invested in these matters of civics. And we noticed before this year that there's a problem with a lack of civil dialogue, a lack of unity, a lack of, of positive citizenry, a lack of community building. And then when you, and then when you put on top of that, the tragic political violence of September 10th on my campus, you just see the isolationism and you see the divide and you see everyone dividing, not just against the people that they think of as others, but the people that they used to call friends. And there's just a lot of isolation. Um, so the purpose of this bill, the purpose of this, um, Utah Day of Civic engagement and service would be to physically bring people together with face-to-face conversations, with civil dialogue, modeled in a lot of different ways with service opportunities. Um, and I love that Senator Baldry mentioned that it's all about voluntary action. It's all about it coming from the students and then going to city councils and trying to get, um, action from there with whatever works for their constituents. It's not the state having a heavy arm and saying, okay, everyone play nice together. It's the state. Setting aside that time and space, as Senator Baldry mentioned, for everyone else to rise up to the occasion and be, um, invited and encouraged by students as myself and, um, Senator Vickers and just everyone kind of working together on what we know needs to happen for people of all religions, races. Um, we're not trying to exclude anyone with this. We're trying to bring everyone together from the bottom up, from the top down, just together as reviews.

That concludes our presentation. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Not really a question. I just wanted to, um, congratulate and thank, uh, the student here for, uh, coming to the committee and bringing the com the, uh, the, um, idea to Senator Baldry. I know it's sometimes, um, students feel like they don't have a voice, um, because they're young, uh, and they don't have any power be again, because they're young. And I, I hear this from many of my students, but, um, but you really do, and this is an example for the good work that students can do to bring people together. So I just, just wanted to make sure that you knew how, how I appreciate you. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you Madam Chair. I, um, echo the sentiment of, uh, a good senator from Salt Lake that just spoke. I, I have a question. Uh, um, and I also wanna thank the students for bringing this bill that you do have a voice and, uh, sincere apologies, uh, and condolences for the, the tragic event on your campus that you have to live through. Um, the question is, around that same time, around nine 11, there's been a day of service throughout the state already. Is this tied to that?

So, uh, thank you. If I may answer. Sure. Madam Chair. So, Senator Owens, um, actually the, the date was going to be close, as you know, there are a couple holidays. There's Labor Day, and there is, um, again, there's the remembrance of nine 11. And so, uh, we went, we didn't want to conflict with those, so we tried to make it between those so that it would be differentiated because it was a different event. So, um, that's why we chose that date because it was close, it was close to right September 10th, but again, we don't wanna do it on September 11th. We don't wanna do conflict with Labor Day. So they just chose the first Friday so that it wouldn't conflict ever with Labor Day, which would be on a Monday or with nine 11. So that's, that's the reasoning for the first Friday of the month.

It, it does, uh, just encourage the, uh, students that I love what you're doing and, uh, there are other large projects that sometimes are months in the planning that this, this could do. This could do the same thing. So whether it's, you know, can always remember nine 11, that's nothing taken away from that. But those large projects, uh, that, that are already being planned through multiculture and church groups, um, this is a great idea to tie those together. So thanks for bringing the bill. Thank You.

Yeah, I, I, I appreciate this. I, I, I think it's cool to have students engaged though. I, I wanna recommend that we, we send SB 1 24 command 1 29. 1 29, sorry, commemorative day amendments to the full body of the Senate.

Thank you Mr. President. Uh, this bill actually came to me from a group of u uh, UVU students. Um, and they had this idea before the violence happened on September 10th, um, with Charlie Kirk. So this bill isn't necessarily about him, but they were even more motivated to to run a bill. And they came to me and they, I just want you to have that context when I wanna tell you what this bill will do. So it would establish, uh, Utah Civic Engagement and Service Day. Uh, they wanted to take something and make beauty for ashes, something tragic that happened and make it into something that brought people together. And so their idea was, let's do on the first Friday of September a day of service. And, um, and so that's as simple as it as it is. But basically they want to encourage volunteerism, promote community service, and fosters constructive civic dialogue to provide a positive, proactive response to rising concerns about political division and violence. And this day is about doing something greater together, not debating or taking each other, um, and tearing each other apart. Uh, for example, a high school could organize service projects with local nonprofits or civic organizations on that Friday. Students might participate in food drives, cleanup projects or community outreach, learning civic responsibility through action rather than abstraction. And that's really, uh, what this bill does. It's not mandated, uh, you know, people, it doesn't have to be a ho a holiday that people have to take off of work. It's just something that reminds us that, um, it allows these students and, and others to create a space for them to engage constructively with one another and their communities on a day of service and remembrance of the violence that occurred on September 10th.

I do. Thank you. Granted, go ahead.

Commemorative Day Amendments, uh, began not in a committee room, but with students at Utah Valley University. Young people who care deeply about the health of our civic FU culture and the future of our state future. Uh, this bill was already taking shape before the tragic act of political violence that occurred on September, in September of 2025 at UVU. In the wake of that day, the purpose of this legislation became even clearer to create beauty for ashes and bring people together through service rather than division. SB 1 21 9 is not about mandates, closures, or new costs, it's about clarifying and correcting existing law and in one important area, encouraging Utah Utahns to engage constructively with one another and their communities. Uh, what does Senate Bill 1 29, uh, not do? It doesn't mandate participation or observance. It doesn't close schools or government offices. It doesn't create a new paid state holiday or add new state costs. Instead, it offers clarity, accuracy, and a thoughtful opportunity to strengthen civic life. At the heart of SV 1 29 is the creation of Utah Civic engagement and Service Day to be observed on the first Friday in September. The purpose is simple, timely, and deeply needed. Encourage volunteerism, promote community service, foster respectful civic engagement, provide a positive, proactive response to growing concerns about political division and violence. This day is about doing something together, not debating each other apart. What this could look like in practice would be partnering with nonprofits for service projects, local food drives, cleanups or community outreach, civic responsibility, learn through action, not abstraction. And with that, I conclude my presentation. Thank

Senator Vickers Baldry Aye. Lewin Bramer plus Comore. Illa Fillmore Grover Harper Hankins Ipson Johnson. Juab McKay. Mikel Milner Musselman Owens Pitcher Plum Stevenson Stratton Vicars. Vicars Weiler Wilson Winterton Rebe. Senator Riebe.

Thank you Mr. President. Uh, the last time we heard this bill, I supported this bill and, um, as I'm looking at it now, it actually makes reference to political violence on September 10th, 2025. I do believe that this was a horrific event, but if you're going to reference this and we're actually not trying to come together, we're actually trying to highlight something that was political violence. So it, it, it pains me to see that this is really a good idea to have civic engagement, and I really do believe this is something we should be doing. But, um, I think this is almost counterintuitive of what the bill was intended to do. So I'm a no

President Adams Aye.

Today I have with me my good friend, Kaylyn Sim.