Jon Hawkins

• S.B. 287 Targeted Advertising Tax · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Speaks against the bill, saying it is a tax that businesses will pass on to Utah consumers and makes living in Utah less affordable, while agreeing children need protection.

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  Thank you, Madam Speaker Pro Tem. I appreciate the opportunity to speak against this bill. Um, I don't think it does what it's, it's intended to do. Uh, I, I appreciate the sponsor, uh, bringing this before the body. Uh, I, I do agree that, that we do need to protect our children, but this bill doesn't do that. This bill taxes, uh, Utah residents, um, it taxes Utah businesses. Um, and it makes it less affordable, uh, to, to live in Utah. Um, anybody that says that this is not a pass along tax is mistaken. Every tax that that goes to a business gets passed along to the consumer. Every single one except for corporate income tax. That …

  ▶ Watch at 2:02:13

• S.B. 287 Targeted Advertising Tax · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026

  Opposes the bill, arguing it is a tax that businesses will pass along to Utah consumers and that it makes living in Utah less affordable.

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  Thank you, Madam Speaker Pro Tem. I appreciate the opportunity to speak against this bill. Um, I don't think it does what it's, it's intended to do. Uh, I, I appreciate the sponsor, uh, bringing this before the body. Uh, I, I do agree that, that we do need to protect our children, but this bill doesn't do that. This bill taxes, uh, Utah residents, um, it taxes Utah businesses. Um, and it makes it less affordable, uh, to, to live in Utah. Um, anybody that says that this is not a pass along tax is mistaken. Every tax that that goes to a business gets passed along to the consumer. Every single one except for corporate income tax. That …

  ▶ Watch at 2:02:13

• S.C.R. 10 Concurrent Resolution Emphasizing Utah's Commitment to Advanced Air Mobility · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026

  Presents S.C.R. 10, which emphasizes Utah's leadership in innovation and research, describes the potential of advanced air mobility technologies, and outlines a long-term program toward an operational system and vertiport network leading up to the 2034 Winter Olympics.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker Pro Tem. Um, this concurrent resolution emphasizes Utah's history as a global leader in innovation and research. It describes the potential of an advanced air mobility technologies and recognizes Utah's special, uh, or excuse me, ideal political, economic and geographic environments for the testing and implement implementation of these technologies. And it outlines a long-term program to establish an operational advanced air mobility system and Verti Port network prior and leading up to the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. So that is, that's the, uh, resolution.

  ▶ Watch at 1:46:05

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Moves to adopt amendment one.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'd like to move, um, amendment one. Um, in my name.

  ▶ Watch at 50:10

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Hawkins moves amendment one, which would let crem continue past March 6, 2027 and let manufacturers stay in Utah but not sell crem products in Utah.

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  Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'd like to move, um, amendment one. Um, in my name. Thank you, representative. I have that amendment. Uh, would you like to speak to it? Yeah. So, um, I appreciate the, the work, uh, to get to this, to, to a position that it's in. Um, the amendment that I'm proposing allows crem to continue past that March 6th, 2027 date, um, and allows, uh, manufacturers to stay in the state of Utah, uh, but cannot sell their crem products in the state of Utah. So that's, uh, that's what my amendment does.

  ▶ Watch at 50:10

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Describes the amendment as extending production past March 6, 2027 and allowing manufacturers to stay in Utah while barring in-state sales.

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  Yeah. So, um, I appreciate the, the work, uh, to get to this, to, to a position that it's in. Um, the amendment that I'm proposing allows crem to continue past that March 6th, 2027 date, um, and allows, uh, manufacturers to stay in the state of Utah, uh, but cannot sell their crem products in the state of Utah. So that's, uh, that's what my amendment does.

  ▶ Watch at 50:22

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Says he has no amendment to the fourth substitute and asks whether a motion to circle can be made.

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  I don't have an amendment on the fourth sub. Um, but can I move the circle?

  ▶ Watch at 51:15

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Hawkins says he has no amendment to the fourth substitute and asks whether he can move to circle the bill.

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  I don't have an amendment on the fourth sub. Um, but can I move the circle?

  ▶ Watch at 51:15

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Moves to adopt amendment one to the bill.

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  Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I think this time I got it ready. Um, I'd like to move First Amendment on the fourth substitute in my name.

  ▶ Watch at 1:21:44

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Explains that the amendment would allow kratom manufacturing to continue past March 2027 for out-of-state sale while retail sales remain limited, citing jobs and industry investment.

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  Yeah. So as I've mentioned before, um, this, this, uh, amendment allows manufacturing to continue past the, the March 6th, 2027 date. Um, but it does not allow for raum to be sold in, in retail stores, uh, outside of what the, the Good sponsor has, has outlined in her four substitute. So, um, all it does is allow manufacturing to continue, um, in the state, um, for an indefinite period of time just by way of information for the body. We do have 49 manufacturers of created 'em in the state. That's tens of millions of dollars invested in, in facilities, uh, with long-term leases that they've, uh, they've garnered because of the Crate and Protection Act. Uh, in …

  ▶ Watch at 1:21:58

• S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026

  Summarizes that other substances with FDA warnings are sold in Utah and argues all such substances should be treated the same way.

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  Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I appreciate the discussion that's been, uh, had here. I would want to point out to my colleagues, uh, Mr. Speaker, that we have substances that we allow to be sold in our state that have FDA warnings, uh, that kill a lot more people than Kratom does. Um, and we still allow them to be sold in, uh, specific places thinking of alcohol, thinking of tobacco. Um, this is just, uh, you know, I understand that the effort of, of trying to protect our, our citizens, but I also think that if we're gonna look at one specific, uh, uh, substance, we probably ought to take a look at, uh, all the substances and …

  ▶ Watch at 1:28:48

• S.B. 287 Targeted Advertising Tax · House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Rep. Hawkins said he shares frustration with social media but believes the tax would be passed through to businesses and consumers, would not change platform behavior, and urged a no vote.

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  Great. Thanks. Thanks, Mr. Vice Chair. Appreciate the opportunity. So I appreciate and respect what the administration and what the sponsor are trying to do with this bill. Um, I'm frustrated with social media, uh, just like everyone else. I've got kids that are, you know, always on their phone and, and it's, it's frustrating. Um, and I agree that in Utah, we invariably try to put our kids first, but I don't think this bill actually does that. It taxes our businesses, and if we tax our businesses, it restricts their growth and it could actually drive them out of business. And then what do we then, how do we take care of our kids, right? This tax is …

  ▶ Watch at 1:20:40

• S.B. 287 Targeted Advertising Tax · House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee · Mar 3, 2026

  Rep. Hawkins said businesses offset taxes by raising prices so consumers ultimately pay, and he will vote no.

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  I'm on. Yeah, I'm on. Um, so, um, the comment that it was made about this not being a pass through tax businesses will analyze their profit and loss, analyze the, the expenses that they have, um, and find ways to minimize those expenses. Um, doesn't matter what business you're in, you're gonna try to find ways to minimize expenses and raise profits. So for, for example, let's just take taxes as, as an expense that businesses have to pay. They're gonna find ways to offset those expenses, that tax expense by raising their costs. It's just, it, it is economics. It's the way businesses work. And so to say that this is not a pass through tax, um, or …

  ▶ Watch at 1:27:20

• H.B. 514 Utah Energy Council Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026

  Presents the bill, which would bar vendors working with the nonprofit Olympic committee from collecting state tax revenue, with cities and the state paid back for public services in another way.

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  Thank you, Mr. Chair. So this bill, um, because of the Olympics committee is a five one C3, uh, charitable committee. Uh, they can't take, uh, tax revenue. Um, what this bill does is basically say any vendor that they, uh, work with to sell tickets and hospitality packages cannot take tax revenue, uh, from the state either. Um, there's a mechanism where, uh, the committee will, uh, create, uh, an opportunity to pay cities and, and, and the state back for public services rendered during the, the Olympics and leading up to the nalytics, but it won't be through tax, uh, sales tax revenue. So that is the extent of the bill.

  ▶ Watch at 43:24

• H.B. 514 Utah Energy Council Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026

  Confirms the state and subdivisions would be held harmless through contracts with the Olympic committee, which would reimburse them directly.

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  Correct. Yeah. They'll contract with the Olympic committee for their services, and the Olympic committee will, will reimburse them directly.

  ▶ Watch at 44:31

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