One bill garnering attention has been introduced by Summit County Republican Rep. Kera Birkeland. HJR 24 would amend the Utah Constitution to allow state-operated lotteries.
Right now, the code is written to prohibit any kind of raffle that requires a purchase. It needs two-thirds of the legislature to approve the amendment and then it would go on the ballot in November for Utahns to decide. However, KUER Politics Reporter Saige Miller said even if it doesn’t make it far in the legislature this year, it will likely return next legislative session.
Another bill of note, HB 355, requires landlords to give tenants 60 days' notice before raising rent. Republican Rep. Marsha Judkins sponsored this legislation. She said there is no statute requiring landlords to give any notice to tenants, although many write 30 days’ notice in the contract.
“Housing costs have been increasing faster than incomes have been increasing,” Judkins said. “So, this would allow adequate time, I hope, for a renter or a family to figure out whether they can absorb an increase in rent into their budget, or if they need to be looking for another place to live.”
Judkins said this will also benefit landlords since turnover and evictions are expensive. The bill is awaiting debate in the House.
Utah’s 2024 and 2023 legislative sessions also introduced bills to combat sensitive, or pornographic, materials in schools. Recently introduced HB 417 would criminalize public school employees who have not removed books deemed indecent or pornographic.
This is on top of proposed changes to Utah's sensitive materials law which sets a threshold for removing sensitive materials in schools. If three school districts deem something a sensitive material, then all 42 school districts must remove it.
Lawmakers have also proposed changes to Utah’s Social Media Regulation Act passed in 2023. The bill requires social media platforms to verify the age of users and get consent from a guardian if a user is a minor.
Now lawmakers are proposing a change so people would no longer have to upload an ID. While the change would no longer require parental consent, there will be other measures to ensure minors don’t have access to content meant for adults.
Utah’s 2024 legislative session ends March 1.
