We did it!

Another general session has ended and we’re feeling good here at the Utah Association of Special Districts.

With a record number of bills coming before our legislators at the 2018 Utah State Legislative General Session, many didn’t make it through the House and Senate before the clock struck midnight March 8, in effect killing them until the next session. But we fared well in the number of bills we supported, and the handful we opposed.

We will know once they’re signed into law how the bills will affect operations at our local and special service districts, but we wanted to share the statistics that let us know we’re on track in supporting and encouraging our members and keeping legislators abreast on their importance in Utah’s communities.

Here’s how it adds up:

• Of the 1,364 bills introduced in this session, we followed and addressed a record 212, not including bills that dropped from our radar during the proceedings. The majority of our priority bills passed and went on to the governor to be signed and the majority of those we opposed did not pass or were amended or substituted enough to earn our approval or merit tracking.

• Of the 48 bills we supported, 34 passed. And for the most part, those that didn’t pass simply ran out of time in competing with the record load. We may see them again when the next session begins next winter!

• More than 21 of the bills we opposed were changed or substituted, and we are keeping those that still haven’t earned our approval under close watch. While legislators might have headed home after March 8, we’re still on the job.

• Of the 15 remaining bills we opposed, 12 failed and the other three passed, despite amendments and substitutions that did not change our position.

These numbers didn’t happen by chance, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank our interns Olivia Horlacher and Brett Palmer, who did a wonderful job for us, along with Heather Anderson-Bostock, Mark Anderson, and so many others who shared their time and expertise with us throughout the session.

Stay tuned into our social channels for more to come and know that just you serve our fellow Utahns, we’re here to serve you!