- Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed bills on rural school bus internet and medical provider complaints.
- Cox cited concerns about screen time and conflicting legislation as reasons for vetoes.
- He signed an additional 53 bills into law and allowed one to be enacted without his signature.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox uncapped his veto pen for the first time this year to axe two bills providing internet access on school buses in rural areas and addressing complaints against medical providers.
The vetoes were issued Thursday — the final day for the governor to take action on legislation passed during the recent session — along with the signing of 53 other bills into law. Cox also allowed one bill to become law without his signature.
What did the governor veto?
The governor explained his decision to veto the two bills in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday. The first, HB462, would have established a grant program to provide internet access on some school buses in rural areas.
"I acknowledge and respect the sponsor's goal of helping students get their homework done even while they participate in extracurricular activities. And, as a student who grew up in a rural district, I recognize the added challenge of longer bus rides for rural students," Cox wrote. "But I am very concerned about signaling to our students that we value more time spent on devices rather than more time interacting with one another face-to-face. Our kids simply need less screen time and more human connection."
The governor has been a vocal critic of social media companies and the impact of their platforms on children. He championed a bill this session, which he recently signed into law, establishing a "bell-to-bell" cellphone ban during the school day.
But the sponsor of HB462, Rep. Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan, said the bill was a "practical, narrowly tailored solution" to help students who often travel for hours to participate in activities. She called the veto a "missed opportunity."
"Screen time isn't the issue. The question is whether that time is wasted on scrolling or used productively to complete homework earlier," she told KSL in a lengthy statement. "Gov. Cox has made student health a priority, which makes this veto especially disappointing, because this bill directly supported that goal in a thoughtful, limited way. Rural students shouldn't have to choose between participating in school activities and getting enough sleep to succeed."
The other vetoed bill, HB164, would have required health care providers to tell patients how to file complaints with the state Division of Professional Licensing while invalidating certain nondisclosure agreements if providers didn't follow certain steps.
But Cox said a separate bill, SB117, addressed the same issue. That bill says any action by providers that would prevent a patient from filing a complaint — including certain nondisclosure agreements — can be considered unprofessional conduct. He said those two bills "conflict with each other," and so he vetoed one of them.
"I appreciate Gov. Cox and his team for their strong partnership and thoughtful collaboration on this legislation," Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain, the sponsor of HB164, said in a statement. "I look forward to working together in the coming months to find the best path forward that better protects Utah's patients."
Precious metals
Additionally, Cox allowed one other bill, HB195, to become law without his signature. The bill, which passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support, lays the groundwork for creating a precious metals-backed state electronic payment system.
The governor noted he already vetoed a similar measure last year.
"With this year's bill, while I have received messages in support of the bill, I have also received a significant number of messages in opposition," Cox wrote. "Many are concerned that this will result in unwelcome government involvement in the gold market."
Yet, Cox added, the Legislature "appears to be intent on passing the bill," so he decided to allow it to become law, though he didn't sign it.
Cox approves spending and transportation bills
The governor also gave approval to several large spending bills and a major transportation measure that caused some consternation due to its impacts on Salt Lake City.
One of those spending bills, HB2, contains a transfer of the Rio Grande Depot to the University of Utah, which will use it in the future for undetermined "educational purposes." That sparked some concerns from a group seeking to restore the depot as a transit hub. That group called on Cox to veto either that section or the full bill.
Cox explained that he wouldn't do that last week, saying he believes the transfer might even bolster the case for an ambitious plan to tunnel the rails west of the building. That's because it would remain with the state and keep it occupied once the rehabilitation of the building, which was damaged in an earthquake six years ago, is completed.
"I don't see (the transfer) as a threat to those plans at all," he said. "As those plans are developed. If we're able to get the funding and do something like (the Rio Grande Plan), we would still want to pursue that, and we'd work with the University of Utah to do that. … This would not prohibit that at all."
SB242, which the governor also signed into law, deals with several transportation issues, including projects and rule changes. However, it gained the most attention for how it handles roads in Utah's capital city.
It breaks down most of Salt Lake City's roads into four tiers, banning the city from implementing lane reduction projects on some of the biggest roads that cut through it. It also gives the Utah Department of Transportation a say on certain road projects.
The bill also calls for mitigating some of the city's more recent road projects. It's not a bill the city wanted, but Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said it's an improvement from a road bill last year that paused certain projects in the city.
"It ended in a better place than where we sat in the 2025 session," she told reporters earlier this month, noting that it provides better clarity over what roads the state is interested in.
