Utah Laws

 

Gov. Spencer Cox has signed into law the first nine bills approved by the 2022 general session of the 64th Utah Legislature.

Gov. Spencer Cox has signed into law the first nine completed proposals from the general session of the 2022 Utah Legislature, including the controversial Test to Stay law.

Eight of those legislative proposals were routine base budget laws. The other was a fairly controversial proposal limiting the authority of Utah public schools to implement Test to Stay protocols.

“Eight appropriations subcommittees prepare base budgets for their assigned subject areas over the first couple of weeks of the (legislative) session,” according to state Sen. Chris Wilson (R-Logan). “This prevents the state from shutting down.

“Then, typically during the final week of the session, we pass what is known as the ‘Bill of Bills,’ which is the comprehensive budget bill that includes additional appropriations not included in the base budgets.”

The base budgets bills signed by Cox on Feb. 2 included House Bill 1 (for public education); H.B. 5 (for natural resources, agriculture and environmental quality activities); H.B. 6 (for executive offices and criminal justice); H.B. 7 (for social services); Senate Bill 1 (for higher education); S.B. 4 (for business, economic development and labor); S.B. 6 (for infrastructure and general government); and S.B. 7 (for the Utah National Guard, veterans affairs and the Legislature).

As chair of the Senate Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, Chris Wilson was responsible for preparing S.B. 6.  By Charlie Schill Feb. 4, 2022.