Legislators / Andrew Stoddard
Andrew Stoddard
Democrat · House District 40
Hear from them directly
Contact Rep. Andrew Stoddard
- Email: astoddard@le.utah.gov
- Phone: 385-256-3281
- Office: 218 E 8135 S, SANDY, UT, 84070
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Watch or join a meeting
Every committee hearing and floor session is open to the public and streamed live on le.utah.gov. Each committee's agenda has the link to watch or join online, and how to sign up for public comment.
Andrew Stoddard serves on:
- General Government Appropriations Subcommittee
- House Ethics Committee
- House Government Operations Committee
- House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
- Government Operations Interim Committee
- Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee
- Legislative Process Committee
What they've said
232 remarks on 53 billsS.B. 292 Autonomous Systems Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Asks whether a person with over $100,000 in medical damages would still be limited to the $100,000 cap.
▶ Watch at 1:08:56Read what they said
Uh, Madam Speaker, if, if an individual is hit by one of these autonomous vehicles and has over a hundred thousand dollars in medical damages, would that still be the cap of a hundred thousand?
S.B. 292 Autonomous Systems Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Says the answers covered his questions and thanks the sponsor.
▶ Watch at 1:09:58Read what they said
Thank you, Madam Speaker ProAm, uh, that answer was actually covered all of my questions, so kudos to the representative from Daybreak. Thank you.
S.B. 213 Utah Payment of Wages Act Statute of Limitations · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Spoke in support of the conference committee language and said the House got what it wanted.
▶ Watch at 1:39:01Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Uh, I just want to rise in support of the language that was crafted and just plainly state that the house dominated the Senate in this and got what we wanted. So ask for your support. Thank
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Says the bill was reviewed the previous day, that the sponsor will make an amendment again, and that he is open to questions.
▶ Watch at 1:56:02Read what they said
Uh, Mr. Speaker, this is a bill we were looking at yesterday. There was amendment made, uh, that the sponsor is going to make again. Um, there were some questions about whether or not it had followed the process to be put in this omnibus Sunset. Bill, and I'm open to any questions.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Thanks colleagues, says the omnibus bill includes a lot of work usually spent on separate bills, and asks for support.
▶ Watch at 1:58:04Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, colleagues, I didn't think I would ever get to run an omnibus bill unless I made it to Congress, but I'm excited about this one. Uh, we have taken a lot of work and time that we usually spend on these types of bills and put it in this one and I'd ask for your support.
S.B. 156 Constable Amendments · House floor debate (day 45) · Mar 6, 2026
Says the bill lets a constable set up a payment plan with a person instead of seizing their property, and states he will take no questions.
▶ Watch at 3:27:06Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. This bill just allows for a constable to set up a payment plan with someone instead of seizing their property. And since we learned about the history of constables the other night, I will be taking zero questions.
H.B. 366 Judicial Modifications · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Asks whether the fiscal note figures assume the trigger takes effect.
▶ Watch at 11:24Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. So I'm looking here at the fiscal note. Um, are these numbers based on the trigger going into effect?
H.B. 366 Judicial Modifications · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Asks why the $1,500 filing fee is higher than the regular district court filing fee.
▶ Watch at 11:43Read what they said
A follow up question that's unrelated. So it looks like here, filing fee on a type of case if this were to go into effect is $1,500. Is there a reason that's more than the regular district court filing fee?
H.B. 366 Judicial Modifications · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Raises concerns about the filing fee and the bill's changes, prefers the earlier constitutional court bill, and urges not concurring so the bill can go back to the Senate.
▶ Watch at 12:54Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, colleagues, I do have some concerns about this iteration of the bill. Um, one, I feel like we ended up in a really good place with the constitutional court bill. Um, that was, you know, a lot more supported by the stakeholders involved. Um, I also do have some concerns about the filing fee and, and I say that knowing full well that attorney's fees are outrageous and it's very hypocritical of me to say this, but I think we should not be putting barriers into place when people want to file lawsuits and challenge bills. We have methods in place to cut out the frivolity of certain suits. Uh, but I, I think we …
H.B. 565 City Library Property Tax Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Says the amendments are House amendments made in the Senate, changing the bill's effective date at the request of the tax commission.
▶ Watch at 12:58Read what they said
Yes, I would. Um, and I wanna be clear that these are not Senate amendments. They are house amendments made in the Senate. It was just language that the tax commission requested about the effective date on the bill.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Moves to adopt the second substitute to the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:59:37Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would move that we adopt substitute two in my name.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Says the sunset extensions were combined into one bill to reduce committee and floor time, and that the substitute adds some that were missed.
▶ Watch at 1:59:46Read what they said
I would love to. Colleagues. When I started here eight years ago, we ran a separate bill for every Sunset extension and it was super exciting and it took a ton of committee time and it took a ton of time on the floor and we were trying to minimize this process by putting them all into one bill. So substitute two just includes some that we missed.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Lists the sunsets the substitute extends, including several advisory committees and grant programs, the Healthcare Provider's Immunity from Liability Act, the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act.
▶ Watch at 2:00:38Read what they said
Um, yes. Just one second. My screen just froze. Rolling down to the list. Okay, so here's the ones that it extends. The State Weed Committee, the Bears Ears Visitor Center Advisory Committee, the land use and m and a domain Advisory board, the Rare Disease Advisory Council Grant Program, the Newborn Hearing Screening Committee, the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team Grant Program, the Behavioral Health Receiving Center Grant Program, the Child Childcare Advisory Committee, the Healthcare Provider's Immunity from Liability Act, the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act, the Behavioral Health Crisis Response Committee, and Associated Provisions, the Utah Commission on Aging and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Lists the sunsets the second substitute extends, including the State Weed Committee, the Bears Ears Visitor Center Advisory Committee, the Rare Disease Advisory Council Grant Program, the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act.
▶ Watch at 2:00:38Read what they said
Um, yes. Just one second. My screen just froze. Rolling down to the list. Okay, so here's the ones that it extends. The State Weed Committee, the Bears Ears Visitor Center Advisory Committee, the land use and m and a domain Advisory board, the Rare Disease Advisory Council Grant Program, the Newborn Hearing Screening Committee, the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team Grant Program, the Behavioral Health Receiving Center Grant Program, the Child Childcare Advisory Committee, the Healthcare Provider's Immunity from Liability Act, the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act, the Behavioral Health Crisis Response Committee, and Associated Provisions, the Utah Commission on Aging and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Says the bill includes important extensions, including alternative dispute resolution, which helps people resolve court matters more quickly and inexpensively; opens the floor to questions.
▶ Watch at 2:02:27Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Now this is a bill that has a lot of really important extensions. Um, all of these things are issues that we've worked on that still have work to be done. Um, specifically I am interested in the alternative dispute resolution. It's a way for people to get their court matters resolved more quickly and more inexpensive. And, um, all these things are ones that had bills supporting them in extending them. And Senator Weiler just gave me the opportunity to present on all of them. So open to any questions.
S.B. 12 Sunset and Repeal Date Amendments · House floor debate (day 44) · Mar 5, 2026
Says the bill includes important extensions that still have work to do, highlights alternative dispute resolution as a way to resolve court matters faster and less expensively, and opens the floor to questions.
▶ Watch at 2:02:27Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Now this is a bill that has a lot of really important extensions. Um, all of these things are issues that we've worked on that still have work to be done. Um, specifically I am interested in the alternative dispute resolution. It's a way for people to get their court matters resolved more quickly and more inexpensive. And, um, all these things are ones that had bills supporting them in extending them. And Senator Weiler just gave me the opportunity to present on all of them. So open to any questions.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Says a word in the substitute was a drafting error and that the amendment corrects it.
▶ Watch at 1:51:44Read what they said
And, um, it was just a drafting error. The word in the, the in the sub is file, but it should be filled. So that's all the changes. Oh, That's a really tough one.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Says the bill lets cities choose whether to hold a primary when candidates number two to three times the open seats, requires one above three times, and aims to reduce voter fatigue and election costs.
▶ Watch at 1:52:20Read what they said
Okay, thank you. So, um, this is a bill that is based off of section of code that we already have currently for our special service districts. There is the option to waive a primary. So this bill was worked on with the clerks with the league, um, and with the house committee that heard it. And what it says is that if a municipality is filling a spot, um, if they have between two to three times the amount of candidates for the open spot, they may choose to hold a primary or they don't have to. If there's more than three times, they do have to though. So for example, if you have one city council spot and …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Says the choice would be made election to election.
▶ Watch at 1:58:05Read what they said
Or how does Yeah, It, it would be election to election. They could decide. Okay.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Mar 4, 2026
Says the decision could vary by election and that the bill gives cities maximum control.
▶ Watch at 1:58:21Read what they said
Okay. And, and it could be, you know, based on fiscal year considerations could be based on candidates. Yeah. So we, you know, we wanted to give maximum control to cities to decide. Okay.
S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Asks to return to the bill sponsor before continuing discussion of the amendment.
▶ Watch at 1:24:13Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, Oh, I apologize. Uh, I need to go back to the underline, uh, bill sponsor before I go to discussion Representative Hall on the motion to amend, uh, uh, adopt amendment number one under Representative Hawkins name.
S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Opposes the amendment, reading a product warning about kratom extract potency and side effects, and argues that products harmful to Utah kids should not be shipped to neighboring states.
▶ Watch at 1:24:48Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, I have, uh, screenshots of one of these products manufactured in Utah that is for cell. Uh, these products come with a disclaimer that clearly state that they're not regulated by the FDA as being fit for human consumption. Um, and if, if that's okay with the speaker, there is a section I would like to read and I, and I ask permission because it's just me summarizing it isn't going to get the full effect across. Yes, that's Go ahead, representative. It says, warning, this is a crem extract, not raw leaf. The matine and other alkaloid content in this product are multiple times greater than that of raw crem leaf, resulting in an …
S.B. 307 Garnishment Fee Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Explains that the bill changes some procedures for the fees charged when courts take money out through garnishment.
▶ Watch at 2:02:09Read what they said
This is a great bill. Sorry, catching my breath. Um, so all this bill does is it changes a few of the procedures in the way that, that, um, garnishment fees are being able to take out by the courts.
S.B. 307 Garnishment Fee Amendments · House floor debate (day 43) · Mar 4, 2026
Gives the closing summary, saying the bill changes the fees for a writ of garnishment when filed with the court and is a simple bill.
▶ Watch at 2:03:16Read what they said
Well, um, without any insight as to what the good representative from Lagoon was going to say, I'm just gonna have to go with what I think he might say. So this really just changes the fees for a writ of garnishment when we file it with the court. Uh, really simple Bill. You can see there's not a lot of changes in there. Um, if anyone else would ask questions, I would've taken 'em, but it's a, it's a good bill.
S.J.R. 16 Joint Rules Resolution - Legislative Ethics Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Mar 3, 2026
Thanked Reps. Hollins and Gwynn for their service on the committee, their final meeting.
▶ Watch at 59:10Read what they said
Um, we have two members of this committee who, this is their last law enforcement meeting, Representative Hollins and Representative Gwynn. And I think both of you have been on this committee the whole time. Um, that's a lot of experience that we are losing as a law enforcement committee. And I just want to take a moment and recognize both of them and just the great people they are and the great work they've done. So, thank you.
H.B. 235 Income Tax Revisions · House floor debate (day 42) · Mar 3, 2026
Asks the sponsor to yield for a series of questions.
▶ Watch at 28:27Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the sponsor yield to a series of questions? Representative Christofferson, will you yield to a series of questions?
H.B. 235 Income Tax Revisions · House floor debate (day 42) · Mar 3, 2026
Asks why the bill did not receive a committee hearing.
▶ Watch at 28:37Read what they said
Okay. This bill did not get a committee hearing. What was the reason for that?
H.B. 235 Income Tax Revisions · House floor debate (day 42) · Mar 3, 2026
Asks whether education groups were asked to make a 5% across-the-board cut and how that relates to this income tax cut.
▶ Watch at 29:00Read what they said
Okay. Thank you. Um, Mr. Speaker, did we ask our education groups to do a 5% cut across the board? I believe we did. Do you know how that squares up with this income tax cut?
S.B. 229 State Employee Benefits Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Asked for the witness's view on the fiscal note.
▶ Watch at 2:12:39Read what they said
I do. I was just wondering if I could get his take on the fiscal note.
H.B. 588 Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Says the issue is very important and that much work remains to be done.
▶ Watch at 1:41:07Read what they said
Uh, this is a super important issue that we obviously still have a lot of work to do.
H.B. 565 City Library Property Tax Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Thanked partners and asked the committee for a favorable recommendation on the bill.
▶ Watch at 34:17Read what they said
this forward, and the partners that we've had that worked on this. It's a good pill and I realize there's a couple issues with it, but I think there's room for it. And I think I would really appreciate it if you guys could give it a favorable recommendation and pass it out. So I appreciate your time today, especially this late in this session. You guys are really grinding and thanks for hearing us.
H.B. 565 City Library Property Tax Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Said he was disappointed by the motion to hold and that the committee had asked for clarification on questions, not necessarily changes to the bill.
▶ Watch at 36:50Read what they said
So I'm, I'm disappointed with, with that motion because, uh, as I left here, I, uh, left with, uh, the thought that the committee wanted some clarification on the questions that they were, that they'd asked me. Not that we necessarily needed to change the bill, and, uh, but I appreciate, uh, what the, the good, uh, Senator is. Uh, uh, I do think that we had a question that was brought up during, uh, the discussion and public comment that I'd, uh, appreciate my, uh, co uh, uh, I think she has an answer for one of those questions. Co-presenter, co-conspirator, one of those two works out.
H.B. 489 Water Infrastructure Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Explains that the second substitute only changes the effective date.
▶ Watch at 1:05:03Read what they said
It changes the, it just changes the effective date. Okay. Yeah, that's all. Second sub. And you want,
H.B. 489 Water Infrastructure Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Presents HB 565 second substitute, which separates city and library taxes on property tax notices for first-class counties so the notice does not appear to show a large increase.
▶ Watch at 1:05:13Read what they said
Okay. Um, this is a really simple bill and It only applies to counties in the first ca class. Uh, some people in the house missed that and ended up hearing from their librarians and voting against the bill accordingly. Um, so it really only affects two cities, Murray and Salt Lake City currently, who have their own libraries. So because of recent changes in the law, our property tax notice included city taxes along with library taxes, and it looked like a huge increase. So this is just saying that those are separate, just provides transparency in terms of where our tax dollars are going.
H.B. 489 Water Infrastructure Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Says the House presentation raised questions about whether the city and library taxes were unified.
▶ Watch at 1:06:45Read what they said
Yeah. I watched the house presentation and there were questions about whether or not those were unified.
H.B. 489 Water Infrastructure Amendments · Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee · Mar 2, 2026
Says Murray and Salt Lake City operate their own libraries under contracts, which is a separate issue.
▶ Watch at 1:06:52Read what they said
So they operate their own library and I think they have contracts for operating within their system, but that's a different issue, so.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Moves to adopt the first substitute to H.B. 548.
▶ Watch at 1:00:54Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to move to adopt substitute number one in my name. That motion is an order representative.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says committee amendments were made that he believes strengthen the bill, and drafting attorneys requested further changes to match the committee's intent.
▶ Watch at 1:01:04Read what they said
I would. Uh, Mr. Speaker, there were some amendments made in committee, which I think make the bill stronger, uh, than the drafting attorney approached and said that there were some changes they need to make to adequately convey what the committee was seeking to do.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says committee amendments strengthen the bill and that the drafting attorney recommended changes to better match the committee's intent.
▶ Watch at 1:01:04Read what they said
I would. Uh, Mr. Speaker, there were some amendments made in committee, which I think make the bill stronger, uh, than the drafting attorney approached and said that there were some changes they need to make to adequately convey what the committee was seeking to do.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Explains that the bill lets cities with more than two but fewer than three candidates per vacancy skip a primary election, citing costs for small municipalities; he says the League and clerks support it.
▶ Watch at 1:01:46Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. So this is a bill that actually does something that I think is quite exciting, uh, in that it gives municipalities the option of not holding a primary election. So currently the majority, the vast majority of our primary elections for municipal candidates are used to eliminate one person. For a lot of our smaller municipalities, that's a huge burden cost-wise. So this is a bill that I worked on in conjunction with the league and they're in supportive of it and the clerks have worked with me as well and they're also supportive of it. But what it allows the cities to do is that if there is a number of candidates that is more …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Explains that the bill lets municipalities skip a primary when candidates number more than two times but fewer than three times the vacancies, as special service districts already can, to avoid costly elections.
▶ Watch at 1:01:46Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. So this is a bill that actually does something that I think is quite exciting, uh, in that it gives municipalities the option of not holding a primary election. So currently the majority, the vast majority of our primary elections for municipal candidates are used to eliminate one person. For a lot of our smaller municipalities, that's a huge burden cost-wise. So this is a bill that I worked on in conjunction with the league and they're in supportive of it and the clerks have worked with me as well and they're also supportive of it. But what it allows the cities to do is that if there is a number of candidates that is more …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says nothing in the bill or policy discourages candidates from running; the bill gives cities an option to skip a primary, citing voter fatigue and cost.
▶ Watch at 1:04:13Read what they said
Yeah, thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker. Um, I don't think there's anything in the bill or in the policy that would discourage people from running. And again, it doesn't require a municipality to do anything, um, other than gives them the option if you're within that sweet spot to not have to hold it. So for example, if you've got one count, uh, city council spot and you've got three people running, normally we would have a primary because there's more than two times. Um, but if this bill were to pass, then they wouldn't have to. Um, you know, we've got a lot of voter fatigue that happens when we have too many elections and a lot …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Responds that the bill does not discourage candidates, that it only gives cities an option, and that it can reduce voter fatigue and election costs.
▶ Watch at 1:04:13Read what they said
Yeah, thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker. Um, I don't think there's anything in the bill or in the policy that would discourage people from running. And again, it doesn't require a municipality to do anything, um, other than gives them the option if you're within that sweet spot to not have to hold it. So for example, if you've got one count, uh, city council spot and you've got three people running, normally we would have a primary because there's more than two times. Um, but if this bill were to pass, then they wouldn't have to. Um, you know, we've got a lot of voter fatigue that happens when we have too many elections and a lot …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says the bill applies only to nonpartisan city races, so no partisan candidates would appear on the same ballot.
▶ Watch at 1:06:16Read what they said
This is, thank you Mr. Speaker. This is only for non-partisan races, so this is only for city races, so we don't have people from different parties.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says the bill applies only to nonpartisan city races, so no candidates from different parties are involved.
▶ Watch at 1:06:16Read what they said
This is, thank you Mr. Speaker. This is only for non-partisan races, so this is only for city races, so we don't have people from different parties.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says the bill does not require cities to hold or skip a primary, saves rural cities money, and does not affect voters' ability to vet candidates; asks for support.
▶ Watch at 1:08:05Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I, I want to be clear, um, this bill does not require a city to hold or not hold a primary election. That's completely up to them what they wanna do. Um, but like the good representative from Richfield said, a lot of our rural cities operate on shoestring budgets, and if they can save thousands of dollars without having to kick off one candidate only, um, then we should allow them to make that choice. Um, elections are expensive. They require a lot of work. Uh, it doesn't, I I I'm gonna push back. I don't think that this affects a voter's ability to be able to talk with the candidates, to vet them …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Gives closing remarks that the bill lets cities choose whether to hold a primary, saving money for rural cities, and asks for support.
▶ Watch at 1:08:05Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I, I want to be clear, um, this bill does not require a city to hold or not hold a primary election. That's completely up to them what they wanna do. Um, but like the good representative from Richfield said, a lot of our rural cities operate on shoestring budgets, and if they can save thousands of dollars without having to kick off one candidate only, um, then we should allow them to make that choice. Um, elections are expensive. They require a lot of work. Uh, it doesn't, I I I'm gonna push back. I don't think that this affects a voter's ability to be able to talk with the candidates, to vet them …
H.B. 479 Election Code Modifications · House floor debate (day 41) · Mar 2, 2026
Says voter fraud convictions in Utah are very few, notes most voters use mail voting, and says the state has recently passed many election changes, so he will vote no.
▶ Watch at 1:18:31Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Um, I did a little research on these issues this weekend. Uh, I Uintah my favorite website for the Heritage Foundation that lists by state the amount of electoral fraud. Uh, Utah listed three instances of voter fraud conviction from 1982 to 2025. Three. Every audit that we have seen done, whether by OLA or the state auditor, comes back with similar numbers. This is a very small problem. Recent polls show that 60 per 66% of Utahans prefer to vote by mail, and that's the method they use for our elections. Going back to the audits in 2024, OLA performed an audit of Utah's election systems. Uh, the official title was Strengthening Election Integrity. The …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Explains the bill would extend the existing option for special service districts to skip a primary to other nonpartisan races like city council and school board, to save costs on small races.
▶ Watch at 35:16Read what they said
There we go. Okay. Um, this is a bill that builds on something that is, I think, not particularly used in statute, but is a possibility. So currently under State code, a municipality has the option of foregoing a primary election for special service districts as a nonpartisan race. Um, this is something that could be especially beneficial for some of our smaller races and our smaller, uh, municipalities because primaries are expensive and to whittle three candidates, down to two can be costly and not very fruitful in terms of how many people show up to these elections. So what this bill does is it looks to expand that to other nonpartisan races. So that, say for example, city …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Swaps co-presenters to bring up someone with elections expertise.
▶ Watch at 37:54Read what they said
Yeah. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna swap out my co-presenter if that's okay. Yep. And bring up someone who has the elections knowledge.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says he is open to amending in a guardrail such as a three-times threshold, while aiming to reduce voter fatigue and save money.
▶ Watch at 45:03Read what they said
Um, and, and I appreciate this conversation. I think these are all really good points. Um, I am happy to put into, amend to put in any sort of guardrail if there's a, you know, less than three times or whatever, whatever the committee would feel is appropriate. I, but I think, you know, we one, want to combat voter fatigue when there's already low turnout and also save money where it, it really isn't a huge deal to have these elections as a primary because we're just knocking off one candidate or, you know, knocking off two if there's multiple seats. So,
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Agrees a guardrail allowing the option between two and three times the seats would be reasonable.
▶ Watch at 50:09Read what they said
Thank you. I appreciate, I was hoping there would be a question there so I could respond. No, I think that's great. And I, and I think a guard rail would be appropriate in terms of narrowing when a city could opt into something like this. If you said in between two and three times, they could choose this because then it's not them playing games of, oh, we want, you know, as many candidates as possible. Possible. Um, but I, I think that is a reasonable amount to make sure that we're not putting too many people on a general ballot, but also that we're giving them the option in case they want to forego.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Agrees municipal government affects daily life, shares that he lost a city council race, and says the bill is one way to address low turnout.
▶ Watch at 51:06Read what they said
Yeah, I mean, I would, I would agree. I think that they do impact pe people on like a base level. You know, I look at what we do here and we all appreciate the policy that we pass, but, you know, in terms of effective daily lives, really municipal is, is where it's at. And, you know, I applaud you for actually having that experience in, in doing that. Um, I lost my race for city council, which is how I ended up here. So I, I guess condolences to you guys. 'cause I could have been on Midvale city council in a different world. Um, but I, but I do think that voter turnout in these elections is …
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says he believes only special districts have that discretion now and asks which lines Ward is reading.
▶ Watch at 54:10Read what they said
I don't think that's the case under the law. I'm looking back at my clerk friends or the league friends, but I think it is just solely with special service districts that they can make that. But this just as a municipal office. What, sorry, if I can ask what line you're looking at.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says those lines are new insertions copied from existing special district language.
▶ Watch at 54:47Read what they said
And that those lines are the insertion that are copied off of line. Sorry, scrolling back up, because
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Points to lines 182 to 187 as the existing special district language.
▶ Watch at 54:56Read what they said
Can still choose lines 180 2 to 180 7 that already exist in code for the special service district. So
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says they apply to city councils but are new and not currently in place.
▶ Watch at 55:09Read what they said
Those, those are, those would be for the city council. But those are the insertions. So that's not currently in place.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says primaries are required above twice the seats and asks a clerk to explain further.
▶ Watch at 55:25Read what they said
They are required if there's more than twice the number of candidate, twice a number of candidates than that spot. Yeah, I'm gonna let a clerk explain this better than I can. So Is that okay, madam? Go
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Asks whether the special district language at line 184 should be changed to match.
▶ Watch at 58:50Read what they said
Can I ask a question on that? Um, I, I see what you're trying to do. Would we need to duplicate that in the special service district language on 180 4 or do we just leave that as is 'cause that's existing code, or do we just do it differently for the city council?
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Says he supports the amendment and appreciates the committee's work.
▶ Watch at 1:03:32Read what they said
No, I think that's a great motion. Um, I, I appreciate the, the discussion and, uh, cleverness of the committee. And I like amendments and committee. I think this is fun. So yes, support the motion.
H.B. 548 Primary Election Amendments · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Thanks the committee and says the bill's intent is to maximize turnout in local elections.
▶ Watch at 1:07:56Read what they said
Thank you. And, and I truly appreciate the work this committee has put in. Um, if nothing else, for me to be able to watch Nathan's face during this process, it has been fantastic. Um, I think our communities function best when we get the maximum amount of turnout. And so that's the intent with the, with the bill. I appreciate you taking the time to listen to work on it. Thank you.
H.B. 583 Initiative and Referenda Signature Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Presented HB 583, which would allow a signature on an initiative or referendum petition to be cured, and said the technology to do this is not yet in place.
▶ Watch at 35:25Read what they said
Thank you. And I want to thank the chair and committee members for, um, just hearing all these wonderful ideas that I have this session. Uh, non-controversial, not novel, just, just good solid ideas. Um, so I, I'm gonna present this bill with a caveat that I, I think this is something we need to look at, but I don't think we have what we need currently in our clerk's offices to allow this to happen. Um, what this bill would do would allow someone to cure their signature on a initiative or a referendum petition. We have this for our ballots and it's great and works great. Um, but we don't have this for initiative and referendum and if …
H.B. 583 Initiative and Referenda Signature Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Said he did not expect the bill to be drafted in time, that signatures on election matters should be curable, and that he chose not to offer a substitute because the capability is not yet in place.
▶ Watch at 37:08Read what they said
Well, I think we should get rid of SB 54. Just kidding. Um, no, that was, um, I, I honestly, it's partly I did, I did not expect this bill to be drafted in time or get done. But yeah, anytime we are adding a signature to something dealing with elections, I think we should be able to cure that. And so, uh, as I said, something I would've fixed. But knowing that we don't have the capability to put this actually into play, I, I opted not to do a sub.
H.B. 583 Initiative and Referenda Signature Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Said he would like the bill to become an interim study item, and that the issue should be discussed with clerks and elections officials so people's signatures can be fixed.
▶ Watch at 38:19Read what they said
To happen? Yeah, um, I would love this as an interim study item, but it sounds like the good representative from Lagoon has already submitted it. Um, but, but I think it's something we need to talk about and something where we can sit down and work with the clerks and work with our elections office and see what we can do to, to make sure that people who are trying to get involved actually can be involved. Uh, because I think it's, it's disheartening when you sign something, you try to, you know, play a part in your community and then it doesn't count. And we should be letting these people know and letting them, giving the, um, opportunity …
H.B. 583 Initiative and Referenda Signature Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Asked to speak to the motion before the vote.
▶ Watch at 48:18Read what they said
and to make it an interim study item. Can I Speak to it First? Uh,
H.B. 583 Initiative and Referenda Signature Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 27, 2026
Urged support for the motion, saying more people should be involved in elections and that the bill could be worked on with clerks during the interim.
▶ Watch at 48:31Read what they said
Um, I, I do appreciate the time that this committee has given me this session. Um, I think the more people we involve in our elections, the better off they are. And I think the more people understand the process, they can feel confident in our elections and how we handle them. I love our clerks and the work that they do. I love our elections. I think we have the best run elections in the country, honestly. Um, I think this is a small step that we can do to make sure that people feel like they're heard and that they matter. And it sounds like we can sit down with the clerks and figure something out over our …
H.B. 420 Municipal Office Vacancy Modifications · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 26, 2026
Presents H.B. 420, which would use one process to fill municipal vacancies with more than two candidates, replacing repeated coin tosses, after last year's version was vetoed over the phrase "game of chance."
▶ Watch at 1:40:21Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. Committee members. Now, if you're looking at this bill thinking this seems really familiar, it's because it is last year we passed a bill almost identical to this, but because it included the phrase game of chance, it was veto by the governor for potentially running a foul of federal law, not the intent. So what we did is we just changed it in the bill to using lots. So this bill applies when there is a municipal vacancy and there are more than two involved in that vacancy under existing law. If there are two, we use a coin toss when it's a tie. Uh, in my city, Midvale, we had a, a mayoral vacancy …
H.B. 420 Municipal Office Vacancy Modifications · Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 26, 2026
Summarizes that the process is not perfect but the bill is meant to make it clearer and workable in situations that occur often.
▶ Watch at 1:46:13Read what they said
Uh, I appreciate you taking the time on this. Um, like I said, this, this process isn't perfect, but it's what we've got and we just wanna make it as clear as possible so that it, so that it does work in these situations that happen more frequently than, than they should.
H.B. 565 City Library Property Tax Amendments · House floor debate (day 37) · Feb 26, 2026
Presents H.B. 565, which applies only in first-class counties and lets the county auditor separate library levies from city property taxes so homeowners are not confused by an apparent increase; he says the Taxpayers Association, League of Cities and Towns, and Salt Lake County Auditor's office support it, and asks for the body's support.
▶ Watch at 26:02Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. This is a good bill. Okay, good. I saw some chuckles on there. Okay. Uh, this bill's actually very simple. Uh, it applies only in counties of the first class. So in Salt Lake County here, um, what happened is because of some changes we made in the law, it was listing library levees in addition to city property taxes. So, uh, homeowners got their property tax notice and looked like there was a large increase in their city property taxes causing a lot of confusion. So this just allows the county auditor to separate those. Uh, it's supported by the Taxpayers Association, the League of Cities in town, and the Salt Lake County Auditor's office. …
H.B. 558 Elections Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Expressed concern that a party label next to a candidate's name could lead voters to vote by party without understanding the candidate.
▶ Watch at 1:25:45Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, My concern with this, I I fully understand your intent and I think it's good to have informed voters. Uh, my concern is that by putting a letter designation next to their name, it's going to make voters less informed. And, and I see that looking at our body where on, you know, both Republican and Democrat, there is a wide range within that party philosophy. And, and I think echoing the comments of Representative Hayes that a lot of these issues that come up aren't on a municipal level, are not, uh, partisan issues. But I, I worry that it's going to, people are gonna see that and just, and not all people, so …
H.B. 558 Elections Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Asked whether the sponsor would amend the bill to make state school board, sheriff and district attorney races nonpartisan.
▶ Watch at 1:27:34Read what they said
May I ask a follow up question? You May, Would you consider amending your bill to make the state school board and sheriff and DA races nonpartisan?
H.B. 558 Elections Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Moved to hold the bill, recommending interim study on municipal turnout, and said party labels in city races divide people who should work together on local problems.
▶ Watch at 2:02:02Read what they said
I would like to make a motion to hold HP 5 58 for substitute. If I could speak to that. Alright, Go ahead. Um, I think this is an interesting issue on how we increase voter turnout in our municipal elections. And with this motion, I think it's important that we recommend it as an interim study item because we do want our elections to be voted in by the most amount of people possible. Um, but I don't think this is the answer. Um, naturally we as a people tend to follow our schemas and that we're going to divide people based on what our perceived trait of them is. And in our country, Republican and Democrat is how …
H.B. 558 Elections Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Said keeping municipal races nonpartisan without disclosure encourages voters to get to know candidates, and that turnout deserves further study, but the bill should be held.
▶ Watch at 2:20:09Read what they said
Thank you. Um, this has been a really good and interesting discussion. And, uh, I think we should be encouraging more discussion with candidates. And I feel like by signaling party affiliation, we're not doing that. And I want to encourage people to talk because as I mentioned before, there's a wide spectrum. Um, look at some of our voting records. I mean, we're all over the place, which is, I think is how it should be policy based and not party based. And I think if we keep this muni municipal elections nonpartisan without the disclosure, then we're encouraging people to get out to know the candidates. I, I do think it's an issue. I would like, it is …
H.B. 361 Elections Provisions Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 25, 2026
Asks whether the bill has protections against misuse of the Great Seal, then says he opposes rulemaking authority and withdraws the question.
▶ Watch at 2:30:16Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair Malloy. Um, are there any protections in the bill so that we don't get a rogue election officer misusing the great seal of the state of Utah In this bill? No, it's simply the rule making authority back in. Yeah, because on, on a principle I'm against rulemaking authority. I withdraw my question.
S.B. 69 School Device Revisions · House floor debate (day 36) · Feb 25, 2026
Supports the bill, saying some policies should be set at the state level and citing technology and social media's effects on teenagers' social skills.
▶ Watch at 43:47Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, with all due respect to the representative from somewhere in central Utah that just spoke, um, there are some policies that are so important that as a state we need to choose them. And I believe this is one of those policies. Um, lots of teenagers are great and they know how to interact and they know how to have conversations and they have good social lives, but there are a lot that do not. And that is largely due to technology and social media. And if we as a body are doing what we can to help them succeed and help them be functional adults, we need to pass this bill. So I'd ask …
H.B. 565 City Library Property Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 24, 2026
Presented HB 565, which would list city library levy amounts separately from other property taxes in first-class counties, after Murray City raised concerns that combined tax notices looked like an increase.
▶ Watch at 1:03:53Read what they said
Uh, Representative Stoddard, the time is yours to present HB 5 65 City Library Property Tax Amendments. Thank you Mr. Chair Committee. And I apologize for my tardiness. Um, I'm a charge to drop off and just gotta the capitol and ran up here. So if I'm outta breath, that is why, because I'm also outta shape. So, uh, this is a simple bill. It was brought to me by Murray City. So they had an issue where their tax notices went out and people saw a large tax increase or what looked like a tar large tax increase. And the reason is, is there were some recent changes in law that made it so that the county auditor in …
H.B. 565 City Library Property Tax Amendments · House Revenue and Taxation Committee · Feb 24, 2026
Said Salt Lake City and Murray are the cities with libraries that have had the same issue.
▶ Watch at 1:05:17Read what they said
As far as I know, it's Salt Lake City and Murray are the ones that have libraries that have had the same issue.
H.J.R. 25 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Secretary of State · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 24, 2026
Says he will vote no because the change is large and would be better studied as an interim study.
▶ Watch at 1:28:59Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. And thank you representative. Um, so I wanna explain my vote. I am going to vote no and not because I don't appreciate the thought and work you've done on this because I do think there is an inherent issue with this and I understand that a lot. You've done a lot of work on that. Um, I like what you're proposing, but I feel like this is such a huge shift that it would be more appropriate as an interim study where we look at every option and figure out what to do. So that's my, that's the reasoning behind my vote. But thank you for being here. Thank you for taking the time to …
H.B. 529 Secretary of State Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 24, 2026
Asks Seth Stewart what role he sees for the lieutenant governor under his proposal.
▶ Watch at 1:40:49Read what they said
Uh, Seth, so you're urging opposition to this bill. What do you see the role of the lieutenant governor as? Do you mean currently Under, under what you're proposing going back to precinct level voting?
H.B. 529 Secretary of State Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 24, 2026
Asks Seth Stewart about a recent party presidential preference poll and argues that centralized tabulation is less secure than oversight by the public.
▶ Watch at 1:42:27Read what they said
You. Um, so last major election, the Republican party used a, a poll for presidential preference. Um, people were storing votes in Tupperwares. There were more votes of people. And so this is, this is the system you want to use for all of our voting. You know what, the more, uh, the less centralized control we have over the elections, the more secure ultimately they'll be because the harder they will be to game if you have, if you have oversight from the people themselves. And that is truly independent. Whereas if, if you have centralized tabulation, et cetera, according to the Constitution, we should not be having presidential preference polls at all. It's supposed to be an indirect …
H.J.R. 26 Joint Resolution Amending Rules of Evidence to Address Machine-Generated Evidence · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Says the bill is good policy but expresses concern that the Legislature is overriding the judicial branch on court rules, and says he will vote no for that reason.
▶ Watch at 1:10:00Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I, I appreciate the good work the sponsor has done, and I think this bill is good policy. I do have some concern that the legislature is consistently overriding the judicial branch in terms of creation of rules of that. And for that reason alone, I will be a no vote here. Um, but I, but I do think it's good policy and would put on the record that the courts need to move a little bit quicker on these issues so they can keep up.
S.B. 63 Assault Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Said the sponsor's work on the bill has been good and that it is good policy.
▶ Watch at 1:15:05Read what they said
Um, you know, other than the sponsor being slow last year, it seems like he's done good work on this and it's good policy. Yeah. He's getting better over there. And I, I do appreciate that too.
S.B. 63 Assault Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Moved to place SB 63 on the consent calendar, saying the bill appears non-controversial.
▶ Watch at 1:16:02Read what they said
Uh, I mean, it seems like this is a quick, easy fix. Um, that was like the shortest that I've ever heard Senator Brammer talk. Yeah, I agree. Which I think Shows, shows that this feels non-controversial. In order we have a motion, uh, being that this is the shortest we've ever, any of us have ever heard Senator Brammer give a speech on Senate Bill 63 to put it on a consent calendar.
H.B. 553 Dog Attack Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Asks what level of dog bite coverage most homeowners carry under their homeowners insurance.
▶ Watch at 1:28:56Read what they said
Hello. Um, what limit or what level of protection do most homeowners carry On dog bite For homeowners insurance?
H.B. 553 Dog Attack Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Says most homeowner policies carry several hundred thousand dollars in coverage and that raising the cap would not make homeowners pay more personally.
▶ Watch at 1:29:09Read what they said
Alright. Um, and, and I ask that because I think most people don't have dog bite claims made against them. Um, but in my, in my experience, most homeowner policies are several hundred thousand dollars of worth of coverage. So raising the cap here, it's not like you're saying these people are going to be responsible to pay the amount. It's just saying the insurance might have to pay more if the damages are more. So I just wanted to point that out.
H.B. 553 Dog Attack Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Supports aligning statutes of limitations across the code and raising the arbitration cap to $75,000, citing medical costs and the desire to avoid full trials.
▶ Watch at 1:30:04Read what they said
I would, thank you. Um, I agree on the issue of statutes of limitations. Um, just a quick look through the code, they're all over the place. It would be nice to have them more in line. So if that's something you're willing to look at, I think that would be really good. Um, this bump is in line with what we did for our auto injuries. Uh, a lot of these dog bite cases, people are taken to an er. Um, those who work in the medical field work with hospitals are familiar or even have kids know how expensive that is. And a lot of times these, um, you know, initial visits are in the tens thousand plus …
S.B. 166 Line-of-Duty Death Benefit Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 23, 2026
Rep. Stoddard asked a question about a prior vote on the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:43:16Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I love this bill. I think it's great, but I wanna know what you had to vote no on. Uh, this was a 17 panel, um, homelessness for the Olympics bill that just it with a nobody else that nobody in the room that, um, is there a part of the 17 person panel?
H.B. 420 Municipal Office Vacancy Modifications · House floor debate (day 34) · Feb 23, 2026
Sponsor says the bill lets municipalities draw lots instead of holding coin tosses when a tie involves more than two candidates, mirrors a similar bill vetoed by the governor last year with its language issues addressed, and is supported by the League of Cities and Towns.
▶ Watch at 26:48Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker Pro Tem. Uh, and before I get started, I just wanna point out that I, I too am disappointed that HB four 20 does not deal with medical cannabis. We get to deal with the much more exciting topic of municipal vacancies. Now, if you actually looked at the bill for the small number of you that did, this bill may look familiar because last year we passed a very similar bill dealing with how we fill municipal vacancies. This issue came up in my own city of Midvale where we had a coin toss to elect our mayor. And because it was a three-way tie, it was not just one coin toss, there were 12 …
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House floor debate (day 34) · Feb 23, 2026
Says the bill is not consistent with Utah values, that undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy, and urges a vote against the bill.
▶ Watch at 2:08:35Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker colleagues. There is a flyer on your desk with a picture of the Statute of Liberty, and I wanted to put that out because I think it speaks to who we are as a nation, especially to who we are as Utahans and wanna focus on one of the last lines that is very well known. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. That is not what this bill does. As has been stated by multiple representatives. This bill is not the Utah way. We can protect taxpayer dollars and make sure that we're being prudent to our constituents, but our constituents are not just people who are here legally. …
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House floor debate (day 34) · Feb 23, 2026
Stoddard argues that the bill is not in keeping with Utah's values, says undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy, and urges members to vote against the bill.
▶ Watch at 2:08:35Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker colleagues. There is a flyer on your desk with a picture of the Statute of Liberty, and I wanted to put that out because I think it speaks to who we are as a nation, especially to who we are as Utahans and wanna focus on one of the last lines that is very well known. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. That is not what this bill does. As has been stated by multiple representatives. This bill is not the Utah way. We can protect taxpayer dollars and make sure that we're being prudent to our constituents, but our constituents are not just people who are here legally. …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Moves to adopt the first substitute to HB 443.
▶ Watch at 1:28:46Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to move first substitute of HB 4 43.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the substitute addresses concerns about unfilled seats during a legislative session by making sure no seat goes unfilled.
▶ Watch at 1:28:59Read what they said
Yes. Thank you. Um, colleagues, if you've read the bill, you know that this deals with what occurs when we have a legislative vacancy. Uh, there were some concerns about having a seat that was unfilled during a legislative session. So what the first substitute does is it addresses that and makes it so that no seat goes unfilled.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the bill addresses concerns about seats going unfilled during a legislative session by ensuring no seat goes unfilled.
▶ Watch at 1:28:59Read what they said
Yes. Thank you. Um, colleagues, if you've read the bill, you know that this deals with what occurs when we have a legislative vacancy. Uh, there were some concerns about having a seat that was unfilled during a legislative session. So what the first substitute does is it addresses that and makes it so that no seat goes unfilled.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says appointed members gain an incumbency advantage without general election vetting, and that the bill would put midterm vacancies on the next election ballot, with caucus-convention replacement only until then.
▶ Watch at 1:30:11Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, and I'd like to thank my colleagues on the floor for their enthusiastic support of the substitute. Uh, that was just really great. Um, colleagues, this bill addresses an issue that is very common. Uh, approximately 28% of our house started their terms in an appointment. And in the, or sorry, 28% of the Senator Vickers started their term in an appointment. And 21% of the house, we have a Senate district, Senate District six that has had, has been 39 years since a senator was first elected in an open seat. 95% of our elections are won by incumbents. And that's why this bill is important. When someone is appointed, we go through the …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says appointed legislators gain an incumbency advantage without a general election, and that under the bill vacancies would go to the next election, or to the caucus convention process until the regular election cycle, with a possible election on the municipal calendar.
▶ Watch at 1:30:11Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, and I'd like to thank my colleagues on the floor for their enthusiastic support of the substitute. Uh, that was just really great. Um, colleagues, this bill addresses an issue that is very common. Uh, approximately 28% of our house started their terms in an appointment. And in the, or sorry, 28% of the Senator Vickers started their term in an appointment. And 21% of the house, we have a Senate district, Senate District six that has had, has been 39 years since a senator was first elected in an open seat. 95% of our elections are won by incumbents. And that's why this bill is important. When someone is appointed, we go through the …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the substitute addresses interim vacancies by seating a replacement until an election, with the party's caucus-convention filling the seat.
▶ Watch at 1:34:01Read what they said
Hey, thank you for that question. Um, no. So under the substitute that we just adopted, it addresses those concerns. So if there is a vacancy, then the person will get put in, in the meantime until an regular election could be held. And, and I just want to take this opportunity to clarify that it is the caucus convention of the party when the person was elected to address the, the good representative from Twila's concerns so that we don't have a, another Thatcher situation as it were.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the substitute would put a replacement in place until a regular election, and that the caucus convention of the original party would select the replacement.
▶ Watch at 1:34:01Read what they said
Hey, thank you for that question. Um, no. So under the substitute that we just adopted, it addresses those concerns. So if there is a vacancy, then the person will get put in, in the meantime until an regular election could be held. And, and I just want to take this opportunity to clarify that it is the caucus convention of the party when the person was elected to address the, the good representative from Twila's concerns so that we don't have a, another Thatcher situation as it were.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the bill applies only to legislative vacancies and that the party of the winning candidate would fill the seat until the next year's election.
▶ Watch at 1:35:17Read what they said
Thank you for the question. This bill only applies to legislative vacancies. So I think you're talking about a Box Elder representative. So what would happen in that situation if it were to play out under this bill, is whoever won the election at that point, then that party would be able to fill the spot because there wouldn't be enough time to fill the vacancy through another election until the following year.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the bill applies only to legislative vacancies and that the party of the winning candidate would fill the seat until the next year's election.
▶ Watch at 1:35:17Read what they said
Thank you for the question. This bill only applies to legislative vacancies. So I think you're talking about a Box Elder representative. So what would happen in that situation if it were to play out under this bill, is whoever won the election at that point, then that party would be able to fill the spot because there wouldn't be enough time to fill the vacancy through another election until the following year.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the seat would initially be filled through the party process of the party at the time the person was elected.
▶ Watch at 1:36:53Read what they said
Thank you. So the seat would be filled initially through the party process of the party at the time that person was elected.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the seat would initially be filled through the party process of the party at the time the person was elected.
▶ Watch at 1:36:53Read what they said
Thank you. So the seat would be filled initially through the party process of the party at the time that person was elected.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the only difference is when there is time for a special election, and the party would fill the seat through its delegates until the next election.
▶ Watch at 1:37:29Read what they said
Thank you. So really the only difference here is if it occurs and there's time to hold a general, uh, special election on a municipal calendar. So same situation, whatever party that person was when they were elected, they would get together, go through their normal route through the delegates, and they would fill that seat. And then at the next chance there is to have a special election, uh, whether it's on the municipal calendar or just the regular calendar that would go through the normal election process.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Says the main difference is when there is time for a special election on a municipal calendar, and that the party delegates would fill the seat until the next election.
▶ Watch at 1:37:29Read what they said
Thank you. So really the only difference here is if it occurs and there's time to hold a general, uh, special election on a municipal calendar. So same situation, whatever party that person was when they were elected, they would get together, go through their normal route through the delegates, and they would fill that seat. And then at the next chance there is to have a special election, uh, whether it's on the municipal calendar or just the regular calendar that would go through the normal election process.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Makes closing remarks arguing that delegate-filled vacancies can give appointees an incumbency advantage and that the bill would lead to more vetted candidates, and asks for support.
▶ Watch at 1:40:11Read what they said
Mr. Speaker, I can assure you're not alone in that sentiment. Uh, to quote the good representative from one of the Jordans, I don't remember where. It's not the worst idea. I contend that there is a problem, colleagues. We've got elections that are being, or vacancies that are being filled through delegate elections where we're getting less than 20 votes and they're winning with that. And then they get to represent the whole district. And if that's what we need to make sure that it's not an open seat, that is okay, but then these people are getting an incumbency bump where they're getting, you know, the additional resources, the additional, um, name recognition, everything that comes with it, …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Closing argument: says delegate-selected replacements can win with few votes and gain incumbency advantages, and that the bill would bring more vetted candidates and better legislators, and asks for support.
▶ Watch at 1:40:11Read what they said
Mr. Speaker, I can assure you're not alone in that sentiment. Uh, to quote the good representative from one of the Jordans, I don't remember where. It's not the worst idea. I contend that there is a problem, colleagues. We've got elections that are being, or vacancies that are being filled through delegate elections where we're getting less than 20 votes and they're winning with that. And then they get to represent the whole district. And if that's what we need to make sure that it's not an open seat, that is okay, but then these people are getting an incumbency bump where they're getting, you know, the additional resources, the additional, um, name recognition, everything that comes with it, …
H.B. 36 Gold Medal Schools Pilot Program · House floor debate (day 31) · Feb 20, 2026
Asks, on behalf of a constituent, whether the bill requires giving gold to schools.
▶ Watch at 2:39:37Read what they said
I appreciate you hesitantly taking my question. Um, I I'm actually asking this on behalf of a friend who lives in West Jordan. Does this bill require us to give gold to the schools?
H.B. 539 Public Safety Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Asks how a child listed on a jail release agreement could waive it and whether a guardian ad litem would be involved.
▶ Watch at 2:08:52Read what they said
Thank you. Uh, and either who want to answer it, um, I appreciate what you're trying to do with the JRA on behalf of the children. Um, so how would a child potentially waive that? Is there like a guardian ad litem situation? What, how do you envision, or is it just it's minor child? It's not waivable
H.B. 539 Public Safety Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Says they had misunderstood and asks how the waiver would work in practice.
▶ Watch at 2:09:34Read what they said
Okay. I apologize. I thought you said neither parent could, if the child was listed as a victim, and I was like, okay, how does this play out practically? That's probably my bad. No, and
H.B. 539 Public Safety Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Moves to adopt the second substitute to HB 539.
▶ Watch at 2:14:54Read what they said
I would move that we adopt sub two on HP 5 39. That's an order. Would you like to speak to it? He already spoke to it. Okay.
H.B. 539 Public Safety Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Moves to favorably recommend HB 539 second substitute.
▶ Watch at 2:15:14Read what they said
Okay, it's done. Representative Stoddard, I move that we favorably recommend House Bill 5 39 second substitute.
H.B. 539 Public Safety Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 19, 2026
Says the bill has much good in it but asks the sponsor to keep working with defense attorneys on concerning definitions.
▶ Watch at 2:15:23Read what they said
I would, I think there's a lot of good in here. Um, I do hope you'll keep working with the defense attorneys because I think the definitions are a little concerning, but let's get it going.
H.B. 366 Judicial Modifications · House floor debate (day 30) · Feb 19, 2026
Stoddard says he has no questions for the sponsor and supports the bill, citing his prior municipal practice and the burden of multiple simultaneous court appearances.
▶ Watch at 20:10Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker Pro Tem. Uh, I have no questions for the sponsor, but I stand in strong support of this bill. Uh, this was a world I lived in for almost a decade, and it's a lot when you have one or two attorneys per municipality that have to be in multiple times at once. And to make the process easier for everyone involved in the justice court, which is most of our constituents interaction with the judicial system is a great move. So I'd ask you to vote yes on this bill. Thank you.
H.B. 176 Trust Business Modifications · House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Moved a substitute motion to adopt the first substitute and pass it out favorably. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 2:42:27Read what they said
Sorry, I'd like to make a substitute motion. Can we, well, I know we have to adopt the first sub, but I'd like to adopt the first sub and pass it out favorably.
H.B. 453 Unspent Funding Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Moves to adopt the first substitute to H.B. 453 and speaks in support of the idea and the need for childcare. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 1:23:38Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. I, I move that we adopt HB um, five substitute HB 4 53 for Substitute. Okay. Yes ma'am. Alright, so the motion is to, uh, adopt first substitute to HB 4 53, which I speak to that. Yeah, I just think this is a really creative idea and, you know, someone who, um, depended on afterschool care childcare like this, this is really creative because that took a lot of my budget and I think it's important to remind members, and I know all of us are related to someone or are experienced this in our own family, childcare is expensive and some people don't have the choice they have to work. And so I think …
H.B. 453 Unspent Funding Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Moves to pass H.B. 453 as amended or substituted out favorably and says it deserves floor discussion. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 1:24:45Read what they said
Yeah, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I move that we pass out HB um, 4 53 unspent funding amendments as amended or as substituted. I just think it's a really creative way and I think it deserves a conversation on the floor.
H.B. 453 Unspent Funding Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 18, 2026
Says the bill merits a floor conversation about funding childcare and mental health and that it is a creative idea. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 1:27:39Read what they said
Mr. Chair. I think I, I hate, there's like a lot of myths about us up here and I think all of us are concerned about the children of Utah and I think all of us have had honest conversations about how do we fund, um, childcare, how do we make sure we're protecting people with their mental health? And so I think this is a, a good reason to pass it so we can have that conversation on the floor and get more voices at the table on how we move forward. I think it's very creative.
H.B. 346 Sexual Abuse of a Child Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Said he would make the consent calendar motion on condition that the sponsor not run similar bills again, saying he is uncomfortable with the topic being discussed.
▶ Watch at 1:04:24Read what they said
I would, I'm willing to make this motion as long as the good representative doesn't ever run any bills like this again, because I'm very uncomfortable with him talking about this.
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked how much undocumented immigrants pay into the state system.
▶ Watch at 1:11:09Read what they said
I take that as a challenge. Uh, thank you. Um, just curious, so you, you're presenting this issue as a fiscal one, so I just wanted to ask, do you know how much, uh, undocumented immigrants are paying into our state system?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Cited a 2022 estimate that undocumented immigrants paid about $235 million in state and local taxes and asked what benefits they received.
▶ Watch at 1:11:41Read what they said
So I, I am looking at some data here from the Institute for Taxation Economic Policy, and from 2022 saying that then, uh, state and local taxes paid by undocumented immigrants was two just over 235 million. Does that seem accurate? I mean, it could be. Do you know what amount of benefits they were receiving, say, in a year like that?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked whether other states have tried a similar law.
▶ Watch at 1:12:12Read what they said
Okay. So a couple other questions about this. Um, have any other states tried something like this,
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked why Utah should act before federal courts resolve the Idaho case.
▶ Watch at 1:12:37Read what they said
So is there a reason you want to push this through instead of waiting to see how federal courts handle it?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Said attorneys he consulted are not confident and asked why the courts would view this differently than Idaho's law.
▶ Watch at 1:12:52Read what they said
I mean, I've talked with a number of attorneys on this, um, and they're not so confident. What makes you confident that the courts are gonna view this differently than they have in the Idaho case?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked why Utah should pay for a legal challenge when Idaho is already in one.
▶ Watch at 1:13:16Read what they said
So my question is, why us foot the bill for that legal challenge when Idaho is already doing it? Well,
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked whether the cause of action section lets any taxpayer sue a person who violates the law.
▶ Watch at 1:13:26Read what they said
Okay. Um, can you talk to me a little bit about the cause of action section? So as I read it, um, any, essentially any taxpayer, say someone does this in violation, if this were law, law were put in place, uh, any taxpayer then could sue this person for violating the law? Is that accurate?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked him to explain the change.
▶ Watch at 1:14:02Read what they said
You explain, just since this came out so recently, can you explain how it changed it?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Read line 188 of the substitute and asked whether any injured taxpayer could bring a private right of action against an employee who violated the law.
▶ Watch at 1:14:36Read what they said
So I, so I'm looking at sub three here. Um, so not, not the criminal penalties, I'm looking at line 180 8. So an individual taxpayer who's injured by a violation of this section has a private right of action against an employee or executive director. Uh, if there alleged damages are reasonable, foreseeable and approximately caused by a viol violation of this section. So the way that I read that, if someone has been convicted of this were in place, then any taxpayer in the state could bring a private right of action against that person saying, I am a taxpayer. I have been hurt by this person's decision to violate this law. Is that
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Questioned the financial logic of saving money on benefits while exposing the state to legal costs from taxpayer lawsuits.
▶ Watch at 1:15:23Read what they said
So, I, I'm just trying to understand the financial motive of this section, because to me, it's, you're saying you want to take away these benefits to save money, but then you want the state to foot the legal bill for these people who could potentially be sued by every taxpayer in the state.
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Said past private rights of action did not open suits to every taxpayer in the state.
▶ Watch at 1:15:48Read what they said
But I don't think we've had private right of actions that open it up to every taxpayer in the state.
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked about the fiscal impact of the state covering employees' legal bills and of violations paid by state risk management.
▶ Watch at 1:15:54Read what they said
So I, I mean, I see, I see the state being one on the hook for the legal bill because this person was an employee while they would've committed this crime. And two, any violation is gonna be paid by state risk. So do you have any idea what the fiscal impact of that would be, those two components?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked about high school food pantries that may use taxpayer money.
▶ Watch at 1:16:57Read what they said
But if you've got a, if you've got a high school food pantry that is taxpayer money potentially, right?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked whether students taking food home from a school pantry would need to verify ID or status.
▶ Watch at 1:17:17Read what they said
And I'm not saying like the feeding in school, what, like, so my wife's school has a food pantry in the school. These kids get this food, take it home. Are they gonna have to verify id? No. Are they gonna have to verify status?
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked where the bill exempts schools.
▶ Watch at 1:17:30Read what they said
Can you show me where in the bill it says that schools are exempt. It
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Raised a point of information that a fifth substitute had just been released.
▶ Watch at 1:23:47Read what they said
Actually, just a point of information for the chair and maybe the bill sponsor. I see a fifth sub just dropped. Just wondering.
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
Asked the sponsor to explain the fifth substitute, saying the committee should not change substitutes mid-hearing without explanation.
▶ Watch at 1:24:03Read what they said
We'll see. Okay. I just, I would love to hear comments on applicable subs. So I, I mean, I know he presented to the third, if he's planning on moving the, the fifth, I would rather him take a minute and talk to it. Just, I think it's irresponsible of us as a committee to be changing subs in the middle of a committee hearing while we have this many people showing
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
He moved to hold the bill and asked to speak to the motion.
▶ Watch at 2:06:57Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Um, I would like to make a motion to hold, and if I could speak to that,
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
He argued for holding the bill because late substitutes lack fiscal notes, the bill shifts indemnity costs to counties and cities, the data is incomplete, and denying care would shift costs to emergency rooms and raise insurance rates.
▶ Watch at 2:07:04Read what they said
Um, we've had a substitute come out in the middle of committee. We had the substitute that the sponsor spoke to come out within the last hour of floor time. Uh, there's some pretty substantial policy changes within those that I think will greatly affect the fiscal note. Um, as I mentioned in my comments, I think there's some real financial concerns about this bill, uh, not just in terms of the private right of action. Um, one of the changes that one, one of the subs does is it takes away the state's, uh, indemnity of that, where they will cover the costs of our local political subdivisions. And that will be shifted onto our counties, onto our cities. …
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
He said the third substitute makes reckless failure to verify or keep records a class B misdemeanor that any taxpayer could sue over, which could ruin lives over mistakes, and asked for support to hold the bill.
▶ Watch at 2:17:51Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Vice Chair. Um, I wanna push back a little bit on what was said. Um, looking at, so I'm looking right now at sub three because that's what the sponsor said he was speaking to, which is another issue, which why I think we should hold it, is, like I said, there's three subs here and we know very little about the changes or the economic impacts from the fiscal note, but I'm looking at lines 1 79 to 180 2, which specifically dictates when this is a crime. So an employee of a state agency or political subdivision. So either with willful or reckless disregard. So I know this committee is a law enforcement. We deal …
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
He opposed the motion, calling the bill fiscally irresponsible and saying it would catch people in mental health crises and domestic violence situations.
▶ Watch at 2:24:29Read what they said
Thank you. I'm sure everyone is surprised that I wanted to speak on this again. Um, I think this bill is fiscally irresponsible and outside of that, I think this bill is cruel. The language in it is such that it casts such a wide net. You heard from people who deal with those in mental health crises, those suffering from domestic violence, those are the people that are going to get cast into this large net at the so-called expense of taxpayers. But that's why we have government is to help those people. If it costs us $900 a year to help those people in need.
H.B. 88 Public Assistance Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 17, 2026
He said helping those most in need is worth the cost and predicted the bill would raise taxpayer and health insurance costs.
▶ Watch at 2:25:12Read what they said
It costs us $900 a year to help the people most in need, then we should absolutely do it. This bill does not fix the problem of taxpayer dollars. I can guarantee that if this bill is passed and is put in place, we will be paying more for tax dollars. We'll be paying more for our health insurance premiums and our communities will be poor if we lose our immigrant population. I ask you to not support this bill. Thank you.
H.B. 420 Municipal Office Vacancy Modifications · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Presents HB 420, which revises last year's municipal vacancy bill to remove language that the governor's and attorney general's offices raised, and describes a lot-drawing process for filling vacancies and the changes in the substitute.
▶ Watch at 40:45Read what they said
Thank you chair and committee members. Uh, this is the first time I've presented in this committee and it's an honor to be here. Um, but I'm sorry to let you down because HB four 20 is not a marijuana bill. It deals with municipal vacancies. I know. Yeah. It is boring. So, uh, if you're looking at this and thinking, this bill sounds really familiar. Last year we passed a bill that was almost identical, uh, that had the phrase game of chance in it. So apparently that specific phrase, game of chance runs afoul of Indian gaming law. And so because of that, the Attorney General's office, the governor's office, once the bill had been passed, they all …
H.B. 420 Municipal Office Vacancy Modifications · House Political Subdivisions Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Summarizes that the bill creates a uniform, public process for filling municipal vacancies so cities have predictability, and asks for support.
▶ Watch at 48:17Read what they said
Thank you. And, and I appreciate the time on this. Um, as Representative Peterson noticed, this is, is a very common occurrence. And, you know, that was something that was really interesting to me in talking with people first running this bill last year, was how regularly it happens and also how differently cities were approaching it. And I think that's what this bill does, is it puts in a process. I'm not gonna say the process is perfect, it's not. Um, but these vacancies occur. We need to make sure that there's a uniform process, that it's out and open in the public and that cities know how to do it so that there is some predictability. And so …
S.B. 51 School Safety Modifications · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Moves that the committee favorably recommend S.B. 51, second substitute, and says it is clearly needed.
▶ Watch at 34:58Read what they said
I move that we favorably recommend SB 51 second substitute Order. Would you like to speak to It Just seems clear that it's something we need to do.
H.B. 455 Peace Officer and Dispatcher Standards Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 13, 2026
Spoke in support, saying the bill allows a second chance after a mistake and that the current limit shrinks the pool of law enforcement applicants.
▶ Watch at 1:01:27Read what they said
I would. Um, and this is a really interesting bill. I had a long conversation with the sponsor a few days ago. Um, I, I fully recognize law enforcement's concerns about lessening restrictions, but I think what this bill does is make a situation where there has been a mistake or a misunderstanding and not ruin someone's career chances for life. I, I appreciate this bill. I think it's the, the tone that we need to set. Um, I've, I've worked at places that have hired law enforcement officers, and the pool is not as big as it should be. And to leave something like this in place that's going to limit the pool for no reason is, is a …
H.B. 180 Dangerous Weapons at Daycares and Schools · House Public Utilities and Energy Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Presented H.B. 180, saying it clarifies that a person must conceal carry on daycare and school premises, with no change to existing concealed carry permit requirements.
▶ Watch at 32:38Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee members. Uh, it's great to be here at pug, right? That's the, the official name, what I've been told. Um, so this is a bill that came out of a large firearm bill last year that representative Liz NBE had, uh, her bill was 99% reification, and then there was a little bit that was clarifying statute. So this was part of the clarifying statute. So, uh, I wanna be clear about what this bill does. It does not change the law regarding concealed carry on daycare or K 12 schools that is already existing in code. If a person wants to carry a firearm onto either of those premises, they have to have a …
H.B. 180 Dangerous Weapons at Daycares and Schools · House Public Utilities and Energy Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Said the after-school question was raised recently, that it is not a simple fix, and that he is looking into definitions of school-sanctioned events with the drafting attorney.
▶ Watch at 34:17Read what they said
Uh, thank you. That's a great question. Um, I, this was raised to me yesterday. I spoke with the drafting attorney. Um, it is not a clean easy fix. We weren't able to clarify anything in amendment before the committee, but that was an issue that was raised. So it is something I am looking into. It could be common amendment. It could. Mm-hmm. And the, the issue was definitions. You know, what's school sanctioned? What's not? Because I, I understand there's some concern because things like caucus nights are held at school events that don't have anything to do with the function of a school, but differentiating between those and like a, you know, a school basketball game or …
H.B. 180 Dangerous Weapons at Daycares and Schools · House Public Utilities and Energy Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Said the bill would not allow districts to set their own policy, based on legislative history and existing statute as he understands it.
▶ Watch at 35:12Read what they said
Yeah. You're not gonna allow districts to form their own policy. No. And, and the reason is, is I think based on legislative history and other parts of statute, I think this is the widely understood interpretation of existing law. But this is just the clarification.
H.B. 180 Dangerous Weapons at Daycares and Schools · House Public Utilities and Energy Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Said he is willing to keep working on the issue, which is more complicated to fix than he initially intended.
▶ Watch at 44:02Read what they said
I'm, I'm up to the will of the committee. Um, this is an issue I, I would love to keep working on. Like I said, uh, it's, it's more complicated fix than I initially had intended, but I, I'm happy to keep working on it.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says he is pulling up the bill so he can follow along.
▶ Watch at 1:13:32Read what they said
Sorry, I'm just calling up your bill real quick, uh, so I can follow along.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Presents HB 443, which sets a process for filling midterm legislative vacancies by a general election, a municipal election, or a special election instead of by party delegate selection.
▶ Watch at 1:13:42Read what they said
All right. Thank you Mr. Chair. Committee members. Um, I wanna note that this is the, the first interesting bill I brought to this committee and I appreciate your attention to it. Um, we have an interesting problem in our state, and that is the issue of filling vacancies. So just a little bit of data, 28% of our current Senator Vickers were initially appointed as a midterm vacancy replacement, and 21% of representatives were, uh, Senate District Six. Just for an example, it has been 39 years since there was an totally open seat election. Uh, the most in our body in the house is House District 60, where there's been three appointments in a row. Um, that's representative …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says he does not have the cost figure; the bill would require a special session to appropriate money, which is why the fiscal note does not include it.
▶ Watch at 1:17:18Read what they said
Yeah. And I don't, I don't have that information what the cost would be. Um, but under the bill it would be, and KIS looking at me like she knows the answer. Oh, well now I'm nervous. She wants to see if to get it right. Right. Yeah. Um, so under the bill we would, we would have essentially a special session vote where we'd have to appropriate money to do that. So, but since there is no requirement to do that, that's why it's not in the fiscal note.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says funding could be set district by district, and that Senate districts are larger and may need special election funding if several seats are vacant.
▶ Watch at 1:17:58Read what they said
Yeah. So that, that's why the fiscal note is set up the way it is because it doesn't automatically allocate money for it. That's something that we would have to do and we could do that on a district by district basis, however we wanted to handle it. And, Oh, Go ahead. Oh, I'll just say it, you know, because it may be different. Um, I know I've talked with somebody who've raised concerns of a house district versus a senate district because we have far fewer Senator Vickers and they cover a lot larger areas. You know, that may be one where we want to call and, you know, say especially if we have more than one Senate vacancy, …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Explains the bill's deadlines for party candidates and the governor's 90-day window to call a special election.
▶ Watch at 1:23:12Read what they said
You can take those one at a time if it's Too much. Yeah, I will. Um, and, and I don't want to disappoint you, but I know very little of the timing of when, uh, of This bill No, no, not of this bill of Senator Thatcher's resignation. I, I pay far less attention to him than I think he would like. So, um, if you can clarify as to when that would be. I, I mean, under the bill they have, they have a certain amount of days that the parties can put up a candidate June Or, um, and then a certain amount of time where the governor can, you know, within 90 days the governor can call …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Responds to the hypothetical. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 1:24:08Read what they said
Brilliant legal mind. Yes. Brilliant legal mind is, that's the phrase I was looking for.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says a December vacancy likely could not be filled before session, and that a special session would be needed to appropriate funds, so the governor and legislature would decide.
▶ Watch at 1:24:19Read what they said
Yeah, so I, I mean, and that's, and that's the tricky part because of the timeline there. If it's December, you know, the chance of getting someone in before the legislative session is unlikely because they have a certain amount of days where they have to put up candidates and then you've gotta hold the election. Um, so, uh, sorry, scrolling through here. I was on the Senate side, so in between 21 and 28 days to select a candidate and then they would hold, they'd have to do the general election route because there's not, or a special election route because there is not an election before the next November. So that would be something that we'd have to …
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says the main difference is that the whole district would vote instead of a group of delegates, and that many people seek vacancy seats.
▶ Watch at 1:28:07Read what they said
Yeah. And as so as to the reasoning, like we are getting, uh, by and large, a lot of people trying to fill these vacancies, which is great. I love that. Yeah. The main difference is, as opposed to having, you know, whatever group of delegates, I don't know how many are in Senator Balder's district voting, it would be the district.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says the bill addresses appointees who gain incumbency benefits without being chosen by the district.
▶ Watch at 1:29:44Read what they said
Yeah. Alright. And that's, and, and that is what I see as the problem is, you know, whether or not we want to admit it, being an incumbent has a huge advantage. And you can have someone step into that seat and gain the incumbent tag and all the benefits that come with it without having earned that from the district. Instead, they're getting it from a small subset of people in the district who are largely self-selected.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Says signature gathering is not currently allowed for special elections and would not be under the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:30:39Read what they said
We don't, do we? No. And in this new process, there would still be no signature gathering. I, I might have misunderstood the question, but like, there's no signature gathering involved in this, in, in any form. Is that correct? Paul's nodding yes. I did read by Bill. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Confirms that without appropriated funds the seat would be filled at the next election, which could be a primary, municipal, or general election.
▶ Watch at 1:39:57Read what they said
That is correct. And some people might argue that it already is when I'm there, so, but yes, if, if we choose to appropriate no money, then it would just fall on the next election. Whether that be, and it could be, um, could be a primary election, could be a municipal election, could be general election.
H.B. 443 Amendments to Procedure to Fill A Legislative Vacancy · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 12, 2026
Sums up that the bill returns vacancy selection to the voters of the district while delegates would still have a role.
▶ Watch at 1:43:55Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair and, and thank you committee members. I, I, one thing I really appreciate this committee is there are good questions asked and good hypotheticals raised. And I think we do a good job as a committee of diving into these really difficult and interesting policy questions. And, and fundamentally that is what this is, is a policy question. And you know, just because I think this is a better way doesn't mean that everyone's going to agree with me and that's okay. Um, but I do think that what this bill does fundamentally is puts the seat back in the hands of the people that we are supposed to represent. Um, you know, to echo what …
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks to yield for a series of questions to the sponsor.
▶ Watch at 23:24Read what they said
Thank You, Mr. Speaker with the sponsor yield to a series of questions. Representative Lee would yield to a series of questions.
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks to yield for a series of questions to the sponsor.
▶ Watch at 23:24Read what they said
Thank You, Mr. Speaker with the sponsor yield to a series of questions. Representative Lee would yield to a series of questions.
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks whether any other statute currently allows these agencies to contract with a third party for private information.
▶ Watch at 23:34Read what they said
Thank you. So I, I just want to confirm, so there's no other statute currently in place that would allow, uh, these two groups to contract with a third party to get all this private information. Is that accurate?
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks whether any current statute allows these agencies to contract with a third party to obtain private information.
▶ Watch at 23:34Read what they said
Thank you. So I, I just want to confirm, so there's no other statute currently in place that would allow, uh, these two groups to contract with a third party to get all this private information. Is that accurate?
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks what a third-party audit like this would cost.
▶ Watch at 23:55Read what they said
A follow up question, are you aware what the cost would be for a third party audit like this?
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks what a third-party audit like this would cost.
▶ Watch at 23:55Read what they said
A follow up question, are you aware what the cost would be for a third party audit like this?
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks whether there are other instances where private data is handed to third parties outside election code.
▶ Watch at 24:16Read what they said
And are there other instances where we hand over this private information and data to third parties outside of the election code?
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Asks whether other laws allow handing private voter data to third parties outside election code.
▶ Watch at 24:16Read what they said
And are there other instances where we hand over this private information and data to third parties outside of the election code?
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Opposes the bill, citing fiscal and privacy concerns about giving third parties access to private records, lack of vetting, and no provision addressing data breaches, and urges opposition.
▶ Watch at 24:42Read what they said
Uh, colleagues, I appreciate what the sponsor is trying to do here, but I have huge concerns. One's about the change of the tone of the bill. Uh, this bill started out initially as a very straightforward bill, uh, with no opposition to now having a very concerning part added to it. Uh, with this substitute, it allows our government to hand over information such as driver's license records, property track records, vital records, uh, a lot of very private information to a third party. Um, I think there's fiscal concerns about it, but also just privacy concerns. Uh, if this is an issue, I would rather see this go through the regular committee process and be vetted as an …
H.B. 288 Voting Registration Amendments · House floor debate (day 21) · Feb 9, 2026
Opposes the bill, citing concerns about privacy, data breaches, cost, and lack of time to vet the substitute, and asks that it go through the regular committee process.
▶ Watch at 24:42Read what they said
Uh, colleagues, I appreciate what the sponsor is trying to do here, but I have huge concerns. One's about the change of the tone of the bill. Uh, this bill started out initially as a very straightforward bill, uh, with no opposition to now having a very concerning part added to it. Uh, with this substitute, it allows our government to hand over information such as driver's license records, property track records, vital records, uh, a lot of very private information to a third party. Um, I think there's fiscal concerns about it, but also just privacy concerns. Uh, if this is an issue, I would rather see this go through the regular committee process and be vetted as an …
H.B. 391 Vacancy Replacement Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Stoddard offered a substitute motion to hold the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:45:51Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. I have a substitute motion that we hold, if I could speak to that.
H.B. 391 Vacancy Replacement Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Stoddard said many questions remain about the processes and the bill is not ready for the floor.
▶ Watch at 1:45:58Read what they said
Um, I think there's still a lot of questions about the processes and how this would play out. Um, I'm, I'm hoping that I'm not the only one, but based on the questions asked by the committee, I I think there's some good things in here that we can suss out. Um, but I, I don't think it's ready to go to the floor.
H.B. 92 Presidential Electors Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Stoddard presents H.B. 92, which would split electoral votes by congressional district with two votes for the statewide winner, and asks the committee to study the issue in an interim.
▶ Watch at 2:00:02Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. Um, I've talked to a number of you and I'm, uh, under no illusion of what's going to happen to this bill. Um, But I want to introduce and put it out there because I think it's a novel idea. Currently, our state is essentially a flyover state when it comes to presidential elections. You'll have someone pop into Park City, raise some money and leave. But I think there's a better way to do it where we can actually matter as a state and where we can have our presidential candidate candidates actually trying to earn our votes and showing up. I don't know if this solves the problem or if this is the answer, …
H.B. 92 Presidential Electors Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Stoddard says he considered both views, gave two votes to the statewide winner, and believes Utah has been overlooked in presidential campaigns.
▶ Watch at 2:02:39Read what they said
Um, and, and I see both points and I think that that's why I structured the bill the way that I did. 'cause I recognize the, the majority winner and that's why I allocated the two votes there. But I also, um, we have a state that has not been in question in terms of majority votes for a long time, but because of that we're forgotten. I mean, when's the last time someone came other than just to raise money? I think that's true of a lot of states. Yes. I think there's about seven states that that matter. Right. But I think that we are better than all those states. And so I think that we should matter. …
H.B. 92 Presidential Electors Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Stoddard responds jokingly to the chair's remark about the motion.
▶ Watch at 2:06:57Read what they said
I do, but I always win. So that's, that's How I, I can, I can only imagine Kurt STI and I, you, You're,
H.B. 92 Presidential Electors Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 6, 2026
Stoddard says he feels good about the motion and wanted to start a conversation that could continue in committee.
▶ Watch at 2:07:21Read what they said
Feel great. Like I said, I wanted this to start a conversation in the hopes that we can continue it and maybe work on something as a committee.
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Asked whether data exists on repeat drug offenders and said he had concerns about changing non-judicial rules without data.
▶ Watch at 1:12:24Read what they said
Can I ask a follow up question, Mr. Chair Maybe? Yeah, go ahead. Thank You. Do you have data? I mean, just curious what level of repeat offenders are there? What level of offenses? Even, even if just specific to, you Know, your school district, you reference this specifically is about drug offenses in school. Do you know how many offenses there are happening? How many are repeat offenders? You know, right. With me, I don't have all of my data stuff. I have a whole packet of stuff probably in a drawer in my office that I did not bring. Um, we could probably find some of those points for you if you want me to get those things. …
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Supported the motion to hold, saying he wants data before changing non-judicial options.
▶ Watch at 1:29:10Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I was going to make that same motion. I, I like what you have here in framework, but, um, the, the shift on the non judicials for me without having the data to back it up, that's, that's a really big policy change I think in how we've approached juvenile justice and what we know works. And if we're gonna take away some of these options, I would love to see some numbers on it to see what, what the issue is, how prevalent it is, how they're currently being handled. And I, and I think that that's the right move for us too. Just get some of that and come back and have that …
H.B. 289 Child Sexual Abuse Material Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Moves to adopt House Amendment 1 to the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:51:59Read what they said
We need to move house amendment one, right? We do. I would make that motion.
H.B. 289 Child Sexual Abuse Material Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Comments favorably on the amendment.
▶ Watch at 1:52:12Read what they said
It's a good amendment. I love that one. All right. I mean, if someone wants to make another one so I can do the second amendment thing again, I'd appreciate it.
H.B. 289 Child Sexual Abuse Material Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Feb 5, 2026
Says the bill is important and good, and thanks the sponsor for her work.
▶ Watch at 1:52:59Read what they said
Uh, it's an important issue and it's a good bill. Thank you for working on it.
H.B. 392 District Court Amendments · House floor debate (day 16) · Feb 4, 2026
Praised the sponsor and said the bill may help build trust in the judiciary, urging members to respect the courts and use the appeals process for disagreements.
▶ Watch at 19:55Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, I want to applaud the sponsor of this bill. I know there's been a lot of work that's gone into it, and it's, it's to a point where I feel comfortable with where it is now. Um, I do hope that this bill, as mentioned by the representative from South Jordan, that it, it helps bring some trust in the judiciary. And I hope along with that, that we as members of this body can respect the role of the judiciary and the work that they do. I think one of the things that's going on that scares me most in our country is the negativity towards our judicial rulings. And I see that on …
H.B. 167 Signature Collection Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Asks whether the bill takes into account voters with privacy protections, such as victims of domestic violence.
▶ Watch at 45:02Read what they said
Thank You, Mr. Chair. So, oh, fix the mic. Okay. It's getting over here now. Good Work. It's always difficult to know exactly which mic we're gonna grab, so problem solved. Yeah, there you go. Go ahead. Um, so I know that there's certain ways for people to keep their information private. I'm thinking specifically like victims of domestic violence, stuff like that. Does this bill take any of that into consideration?
H.B. 167 Signature Collection Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Asks whether a person with a protected address could still be linked to a legislative district.
▶ Watch at 45:58Read what they said
So then Someone based on the laws that have, because you do have, like you said, there are some state laws that allow that. So then the person would be able to be at least pinned down to my legislative district If they've gone through the process of, of removing their name
H.B. 167 Signature Collection Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Expresses concern that public listing could deter people from signing petitions and make it harder for candidates to reach the ballot.
▶ Watch at 46:16Read what they said
Um, I, I see what you're trying to do here. I do have some real concerns about the privacy aspect of it. Um, not just physical safety of victims or anything like that. I think that's a large part of it. Um, but also I think we live in a time when positions and politics are so hyper-focused and extreme that there are gonna be a lot of people who are going to be hesitant to sign anything based on the fact that someone who disagrees with them can go and see publicly what they did. I mean, we don't require people to put out there that they, who they voted for how they voted. That is a very private …
H.B. 167 Signature Collection Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Moves to hold the bill and asks to speak to the motion.
▶ Watch at 54:39Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. Uh, I would like to make a motion to hold at this point and if I could speak to that Yeah.
H.B. 167 Signature Collection Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Says there are logistical issues with the bill and wants to see where HB 32 stands before the committee hears this bill.
▶ Watch at 54:52Read what they said
If I could. Um, I, I think there's a few logistical issues that I have with this bill. I, I see what you're trying to do, but I, I would like to see one where we're at on Representative Cutler's bill that the clerk's office said that they agree with and see what's still, what issues you still have outstanding. Um, not saying you don't have anything here and not trying to kill the bill, but Understood. I, I think there's some things that need to be worked out before we can hear it as a committee.
H.B. 32 Signature Gathering and Verification Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Thanks the sponsor and says he can support the first substitute.
▶ Watch at 1:21:48Read what they said
Yes, I would. I, I'd like to thank the sponsor 'cause the first version of the bill was garbage, but I can get behind this first substitute, so,
H.B. 32 Signature Gathering and Verification Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Moves to favorably recommend the substitute.
▶ Watch at 1:22:38Read what they said
Go ahead, Representative Stoddard, I would move that we favorably recommend for substitute house bill 32.
H.B. 32 Signature Gathering and Verification Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Says he considers the bill a great bill that addresses signature issues and supports the training and standardization.
▶ Watch at 1:22:46Read what they said
I would like to, um, in all seriousness, I think this is a great bill and I appreciate the work that the sponsor has put into it. Um, you know, aside from the lengthy list of people he collaborated with, you can tell there's been a lot of thought that's gone into this. I think this solves a lot of our signature related issues and, uh, I, I like the training, the consistency, the standardization. I think it's the right direction for signatures in the state.
H.B. 112 Political Advertising Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Asked whether the bill would require political groups, C4s, or PACs to disclose more than they already do.
▶ Watch at 1:35:29Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I, I think there's some confusion or concern here that, um, so I, I get what you're saying. Whoever paid for it needs to list it. Mm-hmm. So if a candidate pays for it, the candidate has to list it. Is this in any way going to change any political groups, any c fours, any pacs or anything? And they're gonna have to disclose more than they're already doing?
H.B. 112 Political Advertising Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Gave a hypothetical about a committee mailer paid for in part by another committee.
▶ Watch at 1:36:19Read what they said
So if, so if my committee, the committee to elect Andrew Stoddard wanted to put out a mailer in Representative Cutler's district on his behalf, it would just have
H.B. 112 Political Advertising Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Feb 3, 2026
Moved to hold H.B. 112 and said members support the intent but want language clarified on how the process works.
▶ Watch at 1:48:18Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. I make a motion that we hold house Bill one 12. Alright, that's in order. Do you wanna speak to that? I Would, um, I just gauging the, the tone of the questions here. I, I think everyone is on board with the spirit, but need a little bit of language clarification on how the process plays out. So I, I think based on what I'm hearing, everyone's open to working on it and would like to see it in some form. But the friends of Paul Cutler need a little help.
S.B. 134 Court Amendments · House floor debate (day 11) · Jan 30, 2026
Stoddard asks whether it would surprise Snider that the district court backlog is far greater than the appellate backlog.
▶ Watch at 11:45Read what they said
And Mr. Speaker, would it surprise you to know that the backlog in district court is far greater than the backlog in our appellate courts?
S.B. 134 Court Amendments · House floor debate (day 11) · Jan 30, 2026
Stoddard says the bill begins to address the district court backlog but adds complexity without addressing the Supreme Court, which he says has no backlog, and he will vote no.
▶ Watch at 12:16Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Speaker. And I want to echo the comments of our, our Good Pirate colleague from Salt Lake County. We have a huge backlog in our district courts, and I, I appreciate this bill, that it starts to address that issue. We do not have a backlog in our appellate courts and especially not at the Supreme Court. Um, this bill increases the complexity of our courts. I mean, we look at us as, as a body, if we had five people, it would be far easier to get to a decision, but we have 75 of us and that's how it's structured. And it's not that we don't have the ability under our purview to change the …
H.B. 223 Electronic Signature Collection Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 29, 2026
Moves to favorably recommend HB 223.
▶ Watch at 1:04:35Read what they said
Go ahead, sir. I'm gonna make my motion first, so don't forget, uh, I move that we favorably recommend HB 2 23 electronic signature collection amendments.
H.B. 223 Electronic Signature Collection Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 29, 2026
Opposes the motion to hold, saying the date issue can be fixed and the bill should move forward.
▶ Watch at 1:12:49Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Um, I would oppose the motion to hold. Um, I understand there's some concerns about the data collection, but it seems the maker of the motion is only concerned with the year. That's something that could be easily fixed. We've worked on this issue, we've talked about this issue. It's time to get it going. I think the biggest question here is whether it's gonna be Android or Apple devices, but we're gonna have to wait to see the result of Senator Cullimore bill to figure that out. So right here I'd say no on the motion to hold and let's, let's get this thing going.
H.B. 223 Electronic Signature Collection Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 29, 2026
Says the bill makes the process more secure and easier and should go to the floor for debate.
▶ Watch at 1:14:56Read what they said
No, you kinda need that. Thank you. There You go. Um, I, I think this is important. I think we ought to be making sure that the process we have are secure, are easy. And I think this bill does just that. Uh, I appreciate the sponsor's work on this. I know he's worked very hard on it, but I think this is the direction we should be heading. And so let's get this to the floor. Let's have a debate on it, but thank you for your work on it.
H.B. 230 Offender Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 28, 2026
Said the bill includes useful provisions for the incarcerated population and corrections.
▶ Watch at 53:02Read what they said
Uh, just seems like there's a lot of good info on here in terms of things that are needed to help with our incarcerated population corrections.
H.B. 392 District Court Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 28, 2026
Asks how appeals from the new court would proceed compared with a traditional appeal.
▶ Watch at 1:10:11Read what they said
Uh, Representative Stoddard. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so I'm a little bit unclear as to the appellate procedure past this court. Can you run through that? Is it like a traditional appeal from a district court that'll go to court of appeals and then the Supreme Court? Is there some sort of fast track? Um, Jacqueline, are you here?
H.B. 392 District Court Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 28, 2026
Asks why the bill is preferred over using the fiscal note to fund more district court judges.
▶ Watch at 1:10:54Read what they said
Thank you. And thank you Mr. Chair. May I ask a different question, I suppose? Um, so I know we've had a lot of discussions about the backlog in the courts. I I know that will partially come up in another bill, but I know that other bill's looking at funding three different district court judges. I mean, I would say that most of us here want judges that are well-rounded and can handle any matters. You look at the district court judges, we have that, you know, toggle between civil and criminal calendars. Um, why this versus just using this fiscal note to fund more district court judges to reduce the caseload there?
H.B. 392 District Court Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 28, 2026
Asks how presiding judges are chosen and whether a rotating panel could be used.
▶ Watch at 1:13:14Read what they said
Can I ask a follow up question, Mr. Chair? Go ahead. I'll be quick. Thank you. Um, so now currently the, the presiding judges in each courthouse or chose chosen on a rotating basis, correct? Is that, Well, how that works specifically how the rotation and, and what the selection, I'm not sure, but I, that's what I understand.
S.B. 134 Court Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 28, 2026
Asks Senator Wilson about Supreme Court filings, how many cases were not taken up, and the amounts of new ongoing and one-time funding.
▶ Watch at 3:02:08Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll be brief. Um, Senator Wilson, do you know, I think you said 270 cases were filed with the Utah Supreme Court last year? Is that, That's what my numbers are, yeah. Okay. Do you know how many of those were not taken up due to issues with standing or ripeness or mootness? Uh, I do not. Okay. But, uh, um, no, I don't. Let's that Okay. Thank you. That was a long Shot. I figured I'd ask. Yeah, no, it's okay. Yeah. Okay. Appreciate it. I'm not an attorney, as you know. Yeah. So yeah, three Years. It's okay, we have like a hundred, there's, there's someone in here that knows that. Thank you. Okay. …
S.B. 134 Court Amendments · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 28, 2026
Responds to the funding clarification and comments on the total cost.
▶ Watch at 3:04:01Read what they said
Oh, okay. And I, I not Familiar with didn't do do math in Cash Valley Senator, So I'm sorry, I'm a Logan High graduate. I do need a little bit of Slack, Sian. Okay. Alright,
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Presented HB 106, which directs the State Board of Education to gather and analyze data on chronic absenteeism and recommend actions, noting it was a consensus bill from last year.
▶ Watch at 1:14:00Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. And committee. Uh, this bill may seem familiar, it's because you heard it last year. Uh, this bill made it through the house and then died in the Senate at the end of the session. Um, oh my gosh. Can we, can we move some of these people on the end? Get some, I Don't if the chair has that prerogative Representative Stoddard security. I know in education it's common to have assigned seats, but I don't know that the chair has that prerogative under our rules. Yeah. Okay. Well, I appreciate you looking into it. Um, so this bill was actually a consensus bill last year. What we did is we got together all the …
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said the language was crafted by stakeholders and he is open to changes to the reporting language while keeping the focus on the issue.
▶ Watch at 1:16:22Read what they said
Um, I mean, like I said, this was language that was crafted by these groups. Uh, if there is something more they need, happy to include it. And I know there is some people from the board here if there is something they need. I'm, I'm not tied to this language, like I said Okay. Tied to the issue, but not the language. Uh,
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said audits are valuable but the bill's main purpose is to bring stakeholders together to identify solutions that work.
▶ Watch at 1:17:48Read what they said
I, I mean, and I think the audits are great. I think these are important issues, but I think until we're getting all the stakeholders together and coming up with actual solutions, like we can get all the data we want, but I think the main part of this bill is having the board come and say, here's what's actually going to work, and here's what is working in different schools. There's a lot of great programs out there. You know, I've spoken with a number of districts who have things that they're doing that are working, and those are great. We should expand those. But until we have the groups working on them to know what is working, uh, …
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said the goal is to get everyone on the same page by convening stakeholders, and that the bill is not adding steps but gathering recommendations for policymakers.
▶ Watch at 1:18:48Read what they said
And is that a rhetorical question or would you like a response? I would love a response actually, if, if you're aware of like the work we're doing in this committee and the attendance and stuff around it. Um, I know you're not on the committee, so I didn't know if you knew that this was something that we've done audits, we've done studies multiple years, et cetera. Um, and, and I know loosely I spoke with the chair of this committee last year, representative Pucci, um, we had these conversations and, and I mean, no disrespect, and I don't want to imply that, you know, you're not doing anything on this issue because I know you are. But I …
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said the bill's goal is to determine what causes chronic absenteeism, supported combining it with other approaches, and gave examples of reasons students miss school.
▶ Watch at 1:23:16Read what they said
Um, no, and, and I'm totally open to that. And I, and I think the big difference between, uh, yours and Senator Fillmore's bill and this bill is, um, really the goal of this is to figure out what is causing this chronic absenteeism. And, and I love the approach in that bill, and I think it's great. And I, and I would love to see them combined. 'cause I think if we just keep trying things without understanding why it's happening, we're not going to actually solve the problem. You know, my wife's an educator and I talk to her about this a lot. You know, she has kids that don't show up to school because they're lazy. They …
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said he has been in conversations with the other sponsors for over a year and is willing to work with whichever bill the committee chooses.
▶ Watch at 1:24:49Read what they said
Yeah. And, uh, so I discovered Representative Thompson and Senator Fillmore's bill this morning when Chair Walter texted me about it. And I know he's been working in this space. We've been having conversations for over a year about this. Uh, same with Representative Welton. Um, honestly, however, the committee chooses to proceed, I am fine. I will work with whoever I need to work with. And if, if the committee wants to go forward with the Fillmore Thompson bill, I'll work with them to ensure that whatever they approve of from this bill goes into it. Um, I, it doesn't have to be my bill. It's not my issue. It's not my bill. But what matters is that we …
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said he is not tied to a specific approach and that understanding why chronic absenteeism happens is the priority.
▶ Watch at 1:26:35Read what they said
Yeah, and, and like I said, uh, I am not tied to the specific way to get there, but I think what is important is understanding why chronic absenteeism is happening.
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said the numbers are known but the reasons for absenteeism are not, and that the bill aims to learn why and what works in different districts.
▶ Watch at 1:30:07Read what they said
No, and thank you. I think that's a great question. Um, we know it's happening. We know the numbers, but I don't think we really know why. And I think that varies based on, not even by demographic, not in by LEA, um, by, but by individual. But it's just like you said, the why is the very things that you pointed out to us just from your spouse, you said, I have a variety of reasons. Everything from babysitting their brothers and sisters to working to, I just didn't feel like going to school today. Are you expecting something different than that? I, I mean, I don't like to go off of anecdotal evidence. I didn't. Okay. I know …
H.B. 106 School Attendance Changes · House Education Committee · Jan 27, 2026
Said he hopes all members will work together on the bill and is happy to work with everyone. · speaker not certain
▶ Watch at 1:34:17Read what they said
Yeah, I think that's a great idea. I would, I would hope that we'd all be working together because I think at, at, at our core, we all want these kids to succeed. Um, you heard Representative Thompson put it on the record, so if he fails to live up to what he's promised you do with him what you want, it's your committee. Um, but I think it's great and I am happy to work with everyone, so thank you.
H.B. 160 Statewide Initiative Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Presents HB 160, which would set the signature requirement for indirect initiatives equal to that for direct initiatives.
▶ Watch at 1:35:05Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair and committee members. Uh, I hope you've all had time to digest this bill. It's rather extensive. Lots of changes. That was, that was a joke to see who had read it. Thank you Representative Hayes. Looks like you pass. Um, so in our statutes we currently have two kinds of initiatives. We have direct and indirect initiatives. So a direct initiative is one that will go directly on the ballot and that requires a certain percentage of voters to be able to get it on the ballot. Then we have indirect, which puts it directly in front of the legislature. So under our current state code, it requires half the amount of signatures as the …
H.B. 160 Statewide Initiative Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Explains that the bill puts both routes at the same signature level and removes the shortcut to the legislature, saying people who want a say should use the ballot.
▶ Watch at 1:37:48Read what they said
So, uh, it puts it in line. I I get what you're saying that, you know, 'cause there is that part in the section that says if you don't meet that and the legislature doesn't do what you want, you can add it and get the additional one. But here, you could go either route. I I mean, I think the bigger question is why do we have these legisl uh, these indirect legislative initiatives? In any case, you know, I think if someone wants to put something before the legislator legislature call your legislator and have them open a bill file. Um, so, but I, I, I think what I'm trying to do here, my intent is to cut, …
H.B. 160 Statewide Initiative Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Says if people gather signatures they should put the measure to voters, and he cannot think of a time the legislative route would be necessary.
▶ Watch at 1:40:23Read what they said
Yeah, I mean, I think if you're going to gather signatures and go that route, you should just put it to the people. I, I don't think we need a route where you gather signatures and then get it in front of the legislature. I, I can't think of a time when that would be necessary.
H.B. 160 Statewide Initiative Modifications · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 26, 2026
Says initiatives serve as a check when the legislature does not act on widely supported issues, and questions why gathering signatures to reach a body that is not listening would be useful.
▶ Watch at 1:40:55Read what they said
Well, you see, historically, there's times when the legislature refuses to listen to the will of the people. And there are things that pull very highly in the public, but the legislature refuses to act year after year. So I'm not opposed to ballot initiatives in a hole because I think it's a good gauge. If you've got enough people who want something and the legislature isn't acting, go for it. But if you're gathering signatures to get the legislature to act because they're not acting, why would you do it? To get that in front of the same body that is hypothetically not listening
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House floor debate (day 7) · Jan 26, 2026
Thanks the sponsor and says the substitute's notice requirements and easier citizenship-proof provisions lead him to support the bill.
▶ Watch at 39:37Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Uh, I just want to thank the sponsor of this bill. Um, aside from being the second best dresser in this body, uh, he was very gracious to work with me on some of the issues I had with this bill. Um, the, the substitute that we just adopted is great in terms of the notice requirements and also the ease it places on allowing people to prove their citizenship. And so because of those changes made, I will be supporting this bill. Thank you.
H.B. 80 Firearm Storage Requirements · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 23, 2026
Presents HB 80, which sets conditions under which an adult who stores a loaded firearm unsecured can be charged if a minor under 16 accesses it and uses it unlawfully, and cites data on child access laws and youth suicide.
▶ Watch at 52:09Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. Committee members, uh, so I'm just going to walk you through what the bill does. I do wanna speak briefly on the handout. So the handout has some data on it about child access protection laws, uh, safe storage laws that's used interchangeably in the language. Um, the data here is from a RAND study that was done nationwide on gun violence. So that's where those numbers come from. Um, you'll see at the bottom there are some descriptions of events that have happened recently in our state due to unsecured firearms. So that's just a, a sampling of, of incidents that we're trying to prevent with this legislation here. So to start, this bill is …
H.B. 80 Firearm Storage Requirements · House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee · Jan 23, 2026
Closes by responding to public testimony, saying the bill applies only when a child uses an unsecured firearm unlawfully, and urges support to move it to the floor.
▶ Watch at 1:31:04Read what they said
I'm just gonna walk through a few things that were said. I, I appreciate the committee, I appreciate the conversation and all the public that showed up to testify. Um, I, I respect Mr. Pot and he and I have worked together on a number of bills to tighten up our, um, protective order statutes in reference to firearms. Um, but I, I think he said a couple of things that were inaccurate. He talked about the burden of proof being shifted with the affirmative defense. And he talked about how all these people were going to made be, made criminals because of this bill and they'd have to go into court and show that. But then in a second …
H.B. 33 Political Signs Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Asked whether googly eyes placed over a candidate's photo on a sign would be prohibited under the bill.
▶ Watch at 38:56Read what they said
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so I have a question. You handed out this lovely flyer here. Um, the picture you have of Jeff Farnberg Uhhuh, would Those googly eyes be prohibited under your bill? It,
H.B. 33 Political Signs Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Asked whether someone could print a separate sign that looks like another candidate's sign and place it nearby.
▶ Watch at 39:14Read what they said
Even if they're funny. Thank you. Now, it wouldn't prevent you from printing your own sign that looks just like that and putting it right next to it. That's your first amendment right?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Asks what databases election officials would use to confirm citizenship.
▶ Watch at 59:24Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Thank you. We good? Okay. We're good. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so I'm just a little curious about the processor and you'll have to excuse my ignorance. So what databases are they looking at to confirm citizenship?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Asks whether new immigrants can simply present naturalization papers without online verification.
▶ Watch at 1:00:47Read what they said
So I want, may I ask a follow up question? You May No, I, I think someone spoke but I didn't hear, so I'm gonna move on. Um, so I wanna focus on the, the new immigrants here. Um, so they can just present naturalization papers. They don't have to have any sort of verification online. Is that, is that what you're saying?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Asks about any lag for someone newly naturalized close to election day.
▶ Watch at 1:02:10Read what they said
Do you know if there's any la in between? I'm just, I'm just thinking about, I Dunno, The hypothetical where you have someone that's a newly naturalized citizen and
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Asks whether two ballot types would complicate sorting and counting votes.
▶ Watch at 1:27:37Read what they said
Thank you Mr. Chair. Uh, so I'd be curious to get your perspective. Would having two different types of ballots complicate your processes in terms of sorting accounting votes?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard asked to have Ryan Cowley from the Lieutenant Governor's office come up to answer a question.
▶ Watch at 1:32:58Read what they said
Um, it, it's, it's related to something the witness said, but I was wondering if we could phone a friend and have Ryan Callie come up.
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard asked whether the Lieutenant Governor's office has done an audit to gauge non-citizen voting.
▶ Watch at 1:35:46Read what they said
You come here enough, you should just know what we're gonna ask. But, uh, thank you for popping up. Um, I'm curious, has your office done an audit and, uh, to try to gauge if there is an issue with non-citizens voting?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard asked when the audit is expected to be completed.
▶ Watch at 1:36:27Read what they said
Uh, do you have an anticipated end date for when the audit will be completed?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard asked whether there is evidence that non-citizen voting regularly happens and in what amounts.
▶ Watch at 1:36:37Read what they said
Has your office, are you able to con, I mean, we hear all these people showing up and saying, oh, I'm sure this has happened. I'm sure this has happened. Uh, do we have any evidence that this is regularly happening? And, and if so, by, by what amounts?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard asked whether any of those individuals actually voted.
▶ Watch at 1:37:19Read what they said
And, and, sorry, last question. Um, I, I know you talked about them being registered. Do you have any information on whether or not these individuals have actually voted?
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard said the information is important to discuss given the bill.
▶ Watch at 1:37:37Read what they said
But I think, and given the, the bill that's before us, I think it's important to, to discuss that.
H.B. 209 Voting Amendments · House Government Operations Committee · Jan 21, 2026
Stoddard said he respects the sponsor but opposes the bill over barriers to verification for people with disabilities and Native populations and concerns about federal enforcement affecting minorities.
▶ Watch at 1:59:01Read what they said
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I, I wanna let the sponsor know that I appreciate him and I don't vote against all of his bills because of him. I know he puts a lot of work into these, um, and, and I admire what he's trying to do here in helping build trust in our voting systems, in our elections. Um, but there's a, a couple of hiccups that I have that I just can't go get there to, to vote. Yes. And I think we still have a lot of barriers and people obtaining the kind of verification, you know, I'm looking specifically at people with disabilities, our native populations, and I I look at how this might affect …
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