For many years, I have supported the work of our Republican-run state Legislature. Utah’s Republican supermajority has served us well with strong economic policy, fiscal discipline and individual liberty. Many members of the Legislature prioritize limited government and respect for our tax dollars. But in recent years, some Republicans have begun to legislate secrecy and self-preservation. I am concerned by the distrust, and, in some cases, disdain our leaders are showing for the voting public. Why all the effort to increase power and decrease accountability?
During the 2022 legislative session, Republican leaders passed SB170 . This bill quietly moved Utah’s candidate filing period to the first five business days of the year. The filing period had previously commenced three days after our 45-day legislative session. Moving the filing date up two months allowed legislators to protect their jobs and create a two-year buffer for any challenges. If you are unhappy with the actions or votes of your representative during this year’s legislative session (which took place Jan. 13 to March 1), your first opportunity to run against them or support any other candidate will not be until 2026! This change was about protecting incumbent lawmakers, not about good governance.
On Feb. 28, Utah legislators passed SB240 , which was immediately signed into law. This legislation made the official calendars of elected officials private. It came in response to the repeated information requests from Utah media outlets to state Attorney General Sean Reyes since 2022. The attorney general refused to release his official calendar and continues to do so even after the 3rd District Court and State Records Committee each ruled that he is required to do so. He has used taxpayer dollars to appeal these decisions for two years. Rather than defend the public’s right to information granted in Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act, the state Legislature privatized public officials’ calendars to protect themselves and their friends. Why the strong opposition to voters seeing and evaluating how our politicians spend their official time?…