House observes moment of silence for 3 women killed in Wayne County

By Bridger Beal-Cvetko, Daniel Woodruff and Tim Vandenack, KSL | Updated - March 5, 2026 at 5:27 p.m. | Posted - March 5, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives on Thursday held a moment of silence for three women who were killed Wednesday in Wayne County.

Lawmakers paused for a moment to honor the women as they enter the final stretch of the legislative session, which ends Friday at midnight.

More than 300 bills have passed and many more will be considered during lengthy floor debate sessions.

This story will be updated throughout the day to bring you the latest from Utah's Capitol Hill.

Thursday, 05:26 pm

Lawmakers look to crack down on unlicensed drivers

The Utah Senate on Thursday approved HB136, meant to keep unlicensed drivers off the roads. The measure, already approved in the House, gives law enforcement officials authority to impound cars driven by people without licenses or driver's privilege cars, getting them off the road. During House debate, lawmakers put a particular focus on its impact on immigrant drivers, though the measure would apply to any unlicensed driver.During Thursday's debate, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, the HB136 Senate sponsor, cited the instance of a constituent he referred to as "Jane." An unlicensed driver was pulled over three times in a month last year, given a citation on each occasion but allowed to continue because state law contains no provision allowing for impoundment in such circumstances.After the third time he was stopped and released, he caused a head-on collision, killing Jane's husband.Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, asked whether those cited for driving without a license would face a temporary prohibition on applying for a driver's license or driving privilege card. McCay said a previous version contained such language, but the latest one doesn't.Those whose vehicles are impounded would face an administrative fee of $600 to get their cars back, up from $425.

The Senate approved the bill 20-7, and it now goes back to the House for concurrence.— Tim Vandenack

Thursday, 04:39 pm

Moment of silence for 3 Utah women brutally killed

The Utah House of Representatives on Thursday held a moment of silence for three women who were brutally killed Wednesday in Wayne County.Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, a former police detective, became emotional as he talked about the women's deaths. Prosecutors said a 22-year-old Iowa man killed the women at random to steal their cars. He was charged Thursday with three counts of aggravated murder."What makes me sad," Clancy said, "is that I think as a country and as a society, we've become too callous to hearing about this type of violence in the news."Clancy read a quote from then-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy after the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., saying that anytime an American takes the life of another American, the "nation is degraded."House lawmakers then held a moment of silence in honor of the three Utah victims.— Daniel Woodruff

Thursday, 04:08 pm

More maternity leave for state employees

The Utah Senate gave final approval to a proposal to double the amount of maternity time for state employees.HB329, sponsored by Rep. Ariel Defay, R-Kaysville, passed in a 25-2 vote Thursday afternoon and now heads to the governor's desk.The bill increases the amount of state-provided maternity leave from three to six weeks. It also allows employees to take paid leave if they adopt a child 6 years old or younger.Defay called the bill a "tangible way for the state to show families that we are serious about supporting them." HB329 also specifies that women may pump breast milk in public places where breastfeeding is allowed."By investing upstream in the health and well-being of both mother and baby, we send a clear message that strong families matter in Utah," Defay said in a statement.— Daniel Woodruff

Thursday, 03:05 pm

Bill would give Utah courts a transparency overhaul

Lawmakers gave final approval on Thursday to a bill requiring the state court system to revamp its website to make it easier to obtain legal records and listen to audio recordings of public hearings.HB540 was a favorite of House Speaker Mike Schultz, who called out the courts as the "least transparent" branch of state government ahead of the session. He boasted about the Legislature's website, which allows people to easily read bills, track changes and see how lawmakers voted.The bill initially included a provision barring former judges from working for law firms that are suing the state for at least two years after stepping down. But that was removed by the Senate, as the courts have recently proposed a similar regulation, according to bill sponsor Rep. Logan Monson, R-Blanding.He said the latest version of the bill also removed a requirement that the courts hire a third party to create the new website.Schultz said he got the idea for the bill after a KSL report last year about a sentencing hearing that 7th District Judge Don Torgerson presided over. During that hearing, Torgerson twice referred to the defendant's "privilege" as he decided not to require him to serve any additional jail time or pay a fine for possessing and distributing multiple images of children being raped and sexually abused.The speaker has called on the judge to resign, and the House voted to censure Torgerson on Tuesday.HB540 was approved by the Senate on Wednesday and given a final vote by the House on Thursday. It now heads to the governor.— Bridger Beal-Cvetko

Thursday, 11:54 am

Lawmakers OK pay raises for governor, other executive officers

The Senate passed a bill that would raise the annual salaries of the governor and other elected officials in the executive branch, but only after the bill's original sponsor offloaded the bill to a colleague to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.SB235 was introduced by Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork. In its original form, it would have raised the attorney general's salary to equal that of the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court.Lawmakers set the salaries of executive and judicial officers each year. Traditionally, lawmakers set the salary for the governor. Other officers are then given a scaled amount, with the attorney general earning 95% of the governor's salary, and the lieutenant governor, state auditor and state treasurer earning 90%.When it comes to judges, lawmakers set the salary for a district court judge. Judges on the Utah Court of Appeals earn 105% of that and Utah Supreme Court justices earn 110%.For the next fiscal year, lawmakers have set the salary for a district judge at $224,750 and the governor's salary at $197,950.McKell said earlier this year that his bill was meant to bring the attorney general's salary in line with the higher salaries paid to the top jurists in the state.It passed the Senate last month, but members of the House of Representatives opted instead to make the governor's salary equal to the amount paid to the chief justice, while retaining the same pay scale for the rest of the executive branch. That means the governor, lieutenant governor, state auditor and state treasurer would also get a significant pay increase next year.The bill returned to the Senate for approval of the changes, but McKell opted out as the bill sponsor, likely because Gov. Spencer Cox is his brother-in-law."What the House said is, 'We don't really want the attorney general to be paid more than the governor,'" Sen. Brady Brammer, R-Highland, the new sponsor, told the Senate Thursday."They might be related," he added, "and so they dropped off of the bill and I became the new sponsor at that point to avoid any conflicts of interest."The bill passed 26-2 and now goes to Cox's desk. McKell voted in favor.— Bridger Beal-Cvetko

House observes moment of silence for 3 women killed in Wayne County

By Bridger Beal-Cvetko, Daniel Woodruff and Tim Vandenack, KSL | Updated - March 5, 2026 at 5:27 p.m. | Posted - March 5, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.

The Utah House of Representatives on Thursday held a moment of silence for three women who were brutally killed in Wayne County. (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)

Lawmakers look to crack down on unlicensed drivers

Moment of silence for 3 Utah women brutally killed

More maternity leave for state employees

Bill would give Utah courts a transparency overhaul

Lawmakers OK pay raises for governor, other executive officers

Most recent Utah Legislature stories

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House observes moment of silence for 3 women killed in Wayne County

By Bridger Beal-Cvetko, Daniel Woodruff and Tim Vandenack, KSL | Updated - March 5, 2026 at 5:27 p.m. | Posted - March 5, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.

The Utah House of Representatives on Thursday held a moment of silence for three women who were brutally killed in Wayne County. (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)

Lawmakers look to crack down on unlicensed drivers

Moment of silence for 3 Utah women brutally killed

More maternity leave for state employees

Bill would give Utah courts a transparency overhaul

Lawmakers OK pay raises for governor, other executive officers

Most recent Utah Legislature stories

Utah could help America keep up with China in race for critical minerals

Here are the biggest spending and tax cuts approved by the Utah Legislature this year

Utah lawmaker attempts to put 'Word of Wisdom' in state code

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