Utah House GOPers to focus on immigration, tech education, taxes and elections during session

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's GOP lawmakers have already announced plans to put a focus on illegal immigration in the coming legislative session.

But it's far from the only priority when the 45-day 2025 session convenes next week on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Other priorities, according to an announcement Monday from members of the Utah House Majority Caucus, will be bolstering technical education programs, reducing taxes, pursuing nuclear power and tweaking the state's election process.

"We hope this policy roadmap reflects Utah's voices and builds upon our state's rock-solid foundation as the best managed, most philanthropic, happiest and ... freest state in the nation," said House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper.

GOP leaders last week detailed legislative initiatives to crack down on immigrants here illegally, particularly those charged with criminal offenses. At Monday's press conference, they didn't offer many specifics on the additional priority areas, some of them mentioned previously by Republican lawmakers as likely priorities, but here are a few particulars:

Utah Fits All: They plan to look into increasing funding for the Utah Fits All program, which provides public funding to eligible participants to cover tuition at private schools, among other things. Some 27,000 applicants sought funding via the voucher program, but only around 10,000 received funding, Schultz said. He didn't specify a target to boost funds but called it a priority.

Elections: Utah's mail-in balloting system has sparked concern among some, worried about the possibility of fraud despite assurances from many Utah election officials that the system is secure. As such, reviewing the system will be a focus in a bid to "ensure security and transparency," said Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George. More specifically, he touted the implementation of recommendations outlined in an audit last month, which include stepped-up efforts to remove dead people from the state's voter rolls.

Schultz, furthermore, said discussion about who oversees Utah elections, authority now vested in the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, is "a fair debate to have." He'd like to "move away" from the current system since it results in the lieutenant governor overseeing his or her own election. "What that looks like — we've got a long time, and there's no clear consensus on a way forward," he said.

Tax cuts: Though the officials mentioned lowering taxes as a priority, what shape that potentially takes is not yet in focus.

"Who knows on that," Schultz said. "I think it's fair to say the only thing we agree on, at this point in time, is that there needs to be tax cuts."

Higher education: The target spending cuts for the University of Utah and Utah's other public universities, previously identified as a priority issue for GOP lawmakers, is 10% per institution, Schultz said. But the figure, he went on, "could be fluid either way." The aim, in part, would be to reduce tuition students pay.

Related to that, lawmakers plan to focus on bolstering career and technical education programs at the K-12 level and in postsecondary education.

A student at Ogden-Weber Technical College can earn an average salary of $51,135 after a seven-and-a-half month program leading to a certificate, "and they are debt free," Schultz said. The median salary in Utah for a graduate with a bachelor's degree, he went on, is $59,740, "and they come through that program with a whole bunch of debt, in most cases."

Immigration: While Republican leaders focused on their planned efforts to address illegal immigration at a press conference last week, the issue also got attention Monday. The varied measures, paralleling President-elect Donald Trump's plans to deport immigrants here illegally, aim to enhance criminal penalties for some drug- and gang-related crimes, among other things.

As expressed at Monday's press conference, the GOP lawmakers aren't focused on immigrants here illegally who are otherwise law-abiding. "If you're here, and you're committing crimes, you will be held accountable. That is the message we are sending this year with our illegal immigration package," said Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, the majority whip in the House.

Schultz said he worries about immigrants here illegally who are potential terrorists "and the other criminals that came across (the U.S.-Mexico border) that were smart enough not to get caught." Three massage parlors in Roy were shut down last week, he said, and the activity at the operations is tied to human trafficking and the "open" U.S.-Mexico border.

"We need to crack down on these people that are really the ones behind the scenes committing these crimes, and that's where we're starting," Schultz said.

Last year, lawmakers first tackled dismantling diversity programming at Utah's public universities, a thorny and controversial topic. But Schultz said there aren't any issues identified at this stage as likely initial focuses. "We're not pushing anything to move really quickly through the process toward the first of the session," Schultz said.

Other priorities pinpointed by GOP lawmakers, itemized without detail in a press release, run the gamut:

• Augmenting energy production in Utah and, more specifically, pursuing development of nuclear power.
• Promoting homeownership.
• Crafting a plan to meet "current and future water needs."
• Pushing back against "onerous federal regulations" and standing up "for Utah's lands." Earlier Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court opted not to take up a lawsuit filed by the state challenging the federal government's claim to some 18.5 million acres of land in Utah.

Parallel to Monday's announcement, House Republican leaders have launched a series of town hall meetings around the state ahead of Jan. 21 to convey planned priorities and to seek feedback. Here are the planned dates and locations of coming meetings, each of them to feature several Republican House members:

• Monday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at Sandy City Hall.
• Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. in the Oak Room at the Student Center at Salt Lake Community College in Taylorsville.
• Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. in the Viejo Lecture Hall at the Scott C. Keller Business Building at Utah Valley University in Orem.
• Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Spanish Fork Library.
• Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. in Barlow Lecture Hall in Lindquist Hall at Weber State University in Ogden.
• Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Business and Industry Room in Building B at the Lehi campus of Mountainland Technical College.
• Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at Bountiful City Hall. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson is to appear, along with other House members.
• Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. at Clearfield City Hall.
• Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Zions Bank Room in Holland Centennial Commons at Utah Tech University in St. George.
• Thursday at 6 p.m. at 5443 W. Lake Ave. in South Jordan.
• Thursday at 6 p.m. in the David B. Haight Alumni Center at Utah State University in Logan.

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