SALT LAKE CITY — Bills that are expected to be considered in the upcoming special session of the Utah State Legislature got public hearings on Wednesday.
Rep. Jill Koford, R-Ogden, is proposing a bill that would give the state power to make snap decisions about the shrinking Great Salt Lake by letting Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands have more authority to manage the causeway berm that divides the north and south arms of the lake.
"Right now, the lake is three feet higher than its lowest level, right? So they just need a little more flexibility to act in the situation we’re in right now," Rep. Koford said in an interview Wednesday with FOX 13 News.
Right now, it's been open, which has resulted in lower lake levels and kept salinity low. But as the lake continues to decline, management of the berm is seen as vital to raise water levels on the south arm, where most of Utah's population lives. That will help to avoid dust storms and other problems.
"Nobody wants to cut off the arm, and nobody wants to do that permanently," she said. "But if we can adjust those lake levels and do that in a way that makes sense when we need to? That’s what we’re trying to accomplish."
Ahead of the hearing, the environmental group Utah Rivers Council has criticized the Utah legislature as trying to allow the north arm to dry up. But Rep. Koford insisted her bill had a provision that only allowed for raising the berm for up to 18 months. After that? They need to come back to the legislature for any extension. On Wednesday, the group testified against the bill in public comment and argued that lawmakers were striking out a line requiring the division to lower the berm.
Other environmental groups expressed some support for the bill, though many wanted more included in the legislation, such as dust management and plans to get more water into the Great Salt Lake.
In other committees, lawmakers heard a proposed bill to tweak the vehicle emissions inspection requirements for diesel trucks of a certain weight, and a number of "clean up" bills of legislation that have already been passed and signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox, but problems emerged. Those included bills on property manager licensure, higher education code and county council redistricting requirements.
Senate Majority Whip Chris Wilson, R-Logan, unveiled a "compromise" bill that Gov. Cox vetoed earlier this year. It would allow the governor to appoint the Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, who then had to return for re-confirmation hearings before the Senate. Gov. Cox vetoed it, arguing it gave the executive branch too much power.
"What we have here, this Judiciary Amendments bill, is a compromise bill that we’ve been negotiating with the governor," Sen. Wilson told the legislature's Judiciary Interim Committee.
The new bill still has the governor pick the Chief Justice (and the Senate confirms them), but now there is a term limit of eight years imposed on them. While the conservative policy group Sutherland Institute testified in public comment in support of the bill, two members of the public spoke against the bill.
Another bill that Gov. Cox complained about, dealing with election records and who gets access to what, is likely to wind up on the special session. The governor raised concerns that it put too much of a burden on county clerks, who are the ones who administer elections. On Wednesday, Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, said he had reached some compromise.
"We’ve worked together and I would say there’s stuff that I wanted that I’m not getting, and I'm sure there are things the elections people want they’re not getting. That’s what compromise is all about," he told FOX 13 News.
It is still to be determined if a bill banning public employee unions from collective bargaining will be reconsidered, though FOX 13 News is told House Republicans discussed it in their caucus on Wednesday with no consensus. If it does not wind up in the special session, voters will decide a citizen referendum on it in 2026.
Voter rights groups also left a committee hearing expressing concern about a potential bill emerging requiring "proof of citizenship" to vote. While Utah has long had voter ID laws, the group Stewardship Utah worried that any new proposal could create problems.
"When you’re asking voters to likely come in person to provide these very specific documents, you risk reducing access to voting for low-income individuals, elderly individuals, people who have maybe lost their birth certificate, indigenous communities and more," said Natalie Williams, the group's democracy policy associate.
The special session of the Utah legislature will take place next month.
