After a successful 2024 legislative session, Utahns can look forward to more robust religious protections, better data informing family policy, and expanding education opportunities. Sutherland Institute’s expertise informed debate in crucial ways for various bills this session, but five stand out. 

SJR 3 – Joint Resolution Concerning the Success Sequence 

Research by the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies shows that millennials who finished high school, worked full time, and waited until marriage to have children avoided poverty as adults 97% of the time. These life milestones, together known as the “success sequence,” represent a framework for strengthening upward mobility for Utah’s youth. 

Spearheaded by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore and Rep. Tyler Clancy during the legislative session, Sutherland Institute supported SJR 3 because of the importance of preparing the next generation for successful and flourishing lives in adulthood. The resolution articulates the state’s support for the success sequence and encourages local schools to explore how to teach its outcomes to students in grades 6 through 12 – something supported by 73% of likely voters in Utah, according to a recent Sutherland/Y2 Analytics survey. SJR 3 passed both the House and Senate. 

HB 246 – Office of Families 

In 2022, Gov. Spencer J. Cox created the Utah Office of Families by executive order. HB 246, a bill sponsored by state Sen. Chris Wilson and Rep. Dan Johnson, formally establishes the office under the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Sutherland Institute advocated for HB 246 as an integral addition to how public policy can better support families. The bill includes a vital provision for collecting and reporting data on family structure in order to inform future policy debates of the impact of married two-parent households on child outcomes. The bill passed the House and Senate. 

SB 150 – Exercise of Religion Amendments 

SB 150, sponsored by state Sen. Todd Weiler and Rep. Jordan Teuscher, created a Utah version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). RFRA, originally passed by Congress in 1993 to protect religious people from undue burden by the federal government, has since prompted 25 states (26 with Utah this year) to pass state-level religious freedom protections.  

Sutherland worked closely with the bill sponsors to help ensure its passage. Sutherland’s constitutional law and religious freedom policy fellow, Bill Duncan, wrote an opinion piece with the Deseret News to highlight the bill’s benefits. Sutherland also published a Takeaway article and invited Weiler to join its podcast, Defending Ideas, to bolster the argument for a Utah RFRA. The bill later passed the House and Senate unanimously. 

SB 13 – Education Entity Amendments 

More parents are beginning to desire additional educational options for their children, and SB 13 implements protections for an innovation in home-based schooling called microschools. Sponsored by state Sen. Lincoln Fillmore and Rep. Stephanie Gricius, SB 13 establishes that microschools are entitled to the same county and municipal zoning laws as traditional schools. 

As programs like Utah Fits All expand, the Legislature’s passage of SB 13 is an example of how to get ahead of potential hiccups in local regulations. Sutherland supported the bill because of its proactive approach to ensuring students and families have access to an education and curriculum that works for them. The bill passed the House and Senate. 

HB 290 – Ranked Choice Voting Amendments 

In 2018, Utah created an opt-in pilot program on ranked choice voting for municipal elections. The program is set to expire at the beginning of 2026, but HB 290 would have ended the program early and immediately discontinued ranked choice voting in Utah. 

Sutherland Institute opposed the bill because the pilot program is working as intended and there was no compelling policy argument for ending it early. Sutherland released an issue brief on the topic which showed that 60% of likely voters in Utah support letting cities continue to have the option of using ranked choice voting. For more information on ranked choice voting and elections as a whole, visit Sutherland’s elections issue page here. The bill passed in the House but later failed in the Senate, allowing the pilot program to run until its originally scheduled completion in 2026.