[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6374014,"mediaKeyId","2145241-e89dcf2b20710be2f1c8581fc4440703","parentId",2145241,"title","House committee advances bill barring public-sector collective bargaining, tightening union rules","audioSeconds",3346,"startMs",265000,"endMs",3611000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2145241-e89dcf2b20710be2f1c8581fc4440703&start=265&end=3611","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2145241-e89dcf2b20710be2f1c8581fc4440703/thumbnail_265000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6374014/Utah/House-committee-advances-bill-barring-public-sector-collective-bargaining-tightening-union-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6374014-bc0c4504553830c89bc81a8eb194e3ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1770683264&Signature=S8PQUOAJbY468JaMUUxtug3-DZa8H7eDI-VsrlxkfIs6pJPn8qWqrJ2uQLhgiUfhmmqnaGet-6ReaFQezGnUPgw-Y6~-s7MFU8Fw~cMZcpdLKgBHRjYj4VWeT30pqEiOQBvKthXLm4QlOCCGjEgii1eHmB6Pr6d9EbyFiBOStfF0QowkM7gE5cD9z2TYQdqhe4gnSgF-G7yMyH~4Ddz4LNKG2kW7Oymiqhb7FV0rMzZhF5mXbTgThpnhKdMWZWgQZjwIzyU8n0~JDa3h5hDQ5l1u3krDQ-vxAQWx4T4SZ4uz2aqcJrxPTQC2nUOZ33DLzp4LyZnbpmnrlsMv1gkkXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Utah State Legislature","date","2025-01-23T00:00:00Z","article","The Utah House Business and Labor Committee on Thursday adopted a first substitute to House Bill 267, Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, and voted to send the bill to the full House with a favorable recommendation by an 11–4 roll call vote.

Rep. Corey Malloy, chair of the committee, called the question after a lengthy sponsor presentation and a 30‑minute public comment period that drew dozens of teachers, school staff, firefighters, public‑employee association leaders and advocacy groups.

Rep. Kirk Tesher, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure aims to change how public employers and employee associations interact. “This bill really does four things,” Tesher said in his presentation: it would prohibit public‑sector collective bargaining; ban certain uses of public resources for union activity (including paid “release time” for union work); stop nonpublic labor‑organization staff from participating in the Utah Retirement System for new hires; require financial reporting for unions that use payroll deduction for dues; and create an optional professional liability insurance product for teachers.

Why it matters: Tesher and supporters said the measure protects taxpayers and opens public employers to input from any individual employee or group rather than granting an exclusive bargaining agent a monopoly at the table. The sponsor said the bill does not prevent individuals from joining unions or unions from meeting with public employers, and that existing employees who participate in URS would be grandfathered.

Opponents said the bill would reduce worker protections and could harm safety and services. Jack Tidrow, president of the Professional Firefighters of Utah, testified that bargaining helps address staffing and equipment needs. “We have to have the ability to sit down with our employers … to talk about our safety,” Tidrow said, adding that bargaining or the prospect of bargaining can strengthen local meet‑and‑confer arrangements. Several teachers and education‑support professionals described instances where association contracts or negotiated programs — from peer assistance to pay corrections — were used to address local staffing, training or safety needs.

Other testimony was sharply divided. The Utah Education Association warned the committee that removing bargaining recognition would harm educators’ collective voice and that the bill’s effects would fall on teachers statewide. The National Right to Work Committee and taxpayer groups urged support, arguing that bargaining restricts elected officials’ flexibility and places long‑term costs on taxpayers.

Key provisions and clarifications from the hearing:
- Prohibition on public‑sector collective bargaining outside specified existing arrangements; sponsor said collective bargaining presently is uncommon in Utah outside Salt Lake City police and fire and some school districts.
- Ban on public paid “release time” for employees to perform union duties and a requirement that public property be made available on equal terms to unions and other public groups.
- Utah Retirement System (URS): the substitute would bar new, nonpublic labor‑organization staff from enrolling in URS; current participants would be grandfathered, the sponsor said.
- Transparency: unions that request payroll deduction for dues would be required to report membership counts and expenditures (representation, lobbying, political donations) annually to members and the Labor Commission.
- Optional professional liability insurance: the bill directs the Division of Risk Management to identify an optional policy for teachers; the sponsor said preliminary cost estimates are roughly $110–$150 per year and that a separate RFA could lower that figure.

Votes and formal actions: The committee adopted the first substitute for HB 267 and then voted 11–4 to recommend the bill favorably to the House. The committee recorded “no” votes from Representatives Matthews, Nguyen, Peterson and Thurston; all other members present voted “yes.”

What comes next: With the committee’s favorable recommendation, HB 267 moves to the full House for consideration. Committee members said they remain open to continued conversations with stakeholders about amendments.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the committee record: Representative Kirk Tesher (bill sponsor); Jack Tidrow (president, Professional Firefighters of Utah); Cole Kelly (Utah State Board of Education member and public‑school teacher); Mike Harmon (president, Salt Lake Education Association); Kevin Green (state director, Americans for Prosperity Utah).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee - January 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Utah House Business and Labor Committee on Thursday adopted a first substitute to House Bill 267, Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, and voted to send the bill to the full House with a favorable recommendation by an 11–4 roll call vote.","taxTitle","2025 Utah Legislature, Utah Legislature, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",78171,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6374009,"Committee advances bill requiring on‑campus sex‑designated housing be assigned by biological sex; allows gender‑neutral option",3966,6604000,10570000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2145241-e89dcf2b20710be2f1c8581fc4440703&start=6604&end=10570","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2145241-e89dcf2b20710be2f1c8581fc4440703/thumbnail_6604000.jpg","/articles/6374009/Utah/Committee-advances-bill-requiring-oncampus-sexdesignated-housing-be-assigned-by-biological-sex-allows-genderneutral-option","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6374009-225a3d446d95723d35b8bad8f4d676ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1770683264&Signature=mewQ-ULLJW8UHTt8lCiOIty3wBi3cMHE8W2YJQswTxShvGw~bIqfur-7nOvP8tb~o~is7-D824raJYX8z8PsfjIfsfr0dj5duR9Tdc-k4c6qmDBDEPSC43I-dNVHTm8CbGQTKJEjYO22vd8IgCND3a16Zmu9iX-kTCV6TB4O6jcF~KaVYo6sqKfzFoPT1oyzotW5XyMpPcj9C18VJFzrr~KC0xeRspIDGiL3ypa3qYnR-emEOsDZO8VeVYKrm2U-wXwdeIKeJavNUg1EdYPQG2nBBNSGI7AGSW9M9JY8BdJ9gvp7ANow~uGw651IQs5Bu8PvnfGoVZ0L1fzRy~THpA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Utah House Business and Labor Committee on Thursday adopted a substitute to House Bill 269, Privacy Protections in Sex‑Designated Areas, and voted to recommend the bill to the full House by voice roll call 13–2.

Rep. Gracious, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure “is common sense legislation that provides for greater privacy for students living in on‑campus housing.” The substitute, the sponsor said, requires public higher‑education institutions to assign students in sex‑designated on‑campus housing according to biological sex, while still allowing higher‑education institutions to offer gender‑neutral housing on request and to publish policies for assignment and rulemaking.

What the substitute does: according to the sponsor’s presentation, the substitute applies to public universities’ on‑campus housing only, does not affect private institutions or off‑campus housing, and removes a prior provision allowing access to sex‑designated spaces based on medical documentation. The sponsor said institutions may designate gender‑neutral housing units but those must be requested by students; the bill’s aim, the sponsor said, was to ensure that students who select sex‑designated housing have an expected level of privacy.

Public response at the hearing was strongly divided. Supporters described personal accounts in which students were placed with roommates of a different biological sex and later sought new housing. Avery Saltzman, who identified themself as a student and said they were moved after discovering a resident assistant assigned to a women’s suite who was biologically male, said the experience caused anxiety and that students should be able to rely on sex‑designated housing for privacy. “I would never have chosen to live on campus in an apartment with a man pretending to be a woman,” Saltzman said.

Opponents and civil‑rights groups urged lawmakers to reject the bill or further revise it. Marina Lowe, policy director at Equality Utah, told the committee that the bill would reduce access and protections for transgender students and that college campuses are typically places where adults learn to engage with a diverse public. Trans students and allies described the bill as harmful; several speakers said they had personal experiences of discrimination and urged the committee to defer to campus housing officials, which they said are better placed to handle accommodations and reassignment on a case‑by‑case basis.

Committee action and votes: The committee passed the first substitute and then voted 13–2 to recommend the substitute favorably to the House. The committee recorded “no” votes from Representatives Matthews and (recorded in the transcript) “Gwen.” The committee chair said the measure now proceeds to the House calendar.

Points of policy clarification raised during the hearing:
- Scope: sponsor said the bill applies only to on‑campus housing at public higher‑education institutions and does not govern private or off‑campus housing.
- Gender‑neutral option: institutions may offer gender‑neutral housing if students request it; sponsors said the substitute avoids labeling neutral units in a way that would out students.
- Medical documentation: the substitute removes a provision that previously allowed use of medical documentation to access sex‑designated spaces.

What comes next: With committee approval, the bill moves to the full House. Supporters said the measure protects students’ expectations of privacy in sex‑designated housing; opponents asked the Legislature to leave housing assignment policies to universities and to consider the effect on transgender students’ access to housing and safety.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the committee record: Representative Gracious (bill sponsor); Avery Saltzman (student); Marina Lowe (policy director, Equality Utah); Celeste Winters (trans woman and Utah State University alum); Kayla Aitken (trans woman).","The House Business and Labor Committee on Thursday adopted a substitute to HB 269, a bill that would require students assigned to sex‑designated on‑campus housing at public universities to be placed according to biological sex, and recommended the substitute to the full House by a 13–2 vote.","actionData","errors"]

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House committee advances bill barring public-sector collective bargaining, tightening union rules

Committee advances bill requiring on‑campus sex‑designated housing be assigned by biological sex; allows gender‑neutral option