Sen. Nate Blouin wants to raise income taxes on Utahns, but only those with incomes of $1 million or more.

Instead of paying the current 4.55% rate, Blouin's SB244 would raise taxes on wealthier Utahns to 5.55%. The $1 million threshold would be adjusted up or down for inflation every year.

The Republican-controlled legislature has been on a tax-cutting spree in recent years, slashing income taxes by nearly $1 billion. Most of those cuts have benefitted Utahns at the upper end of the income scale, while poorer taxpayers only received a cut of a few hundred dollars.

Don't expect Blouin's bill to go anywhere this session. Republican leaders have already set aside $160 million for another round of tax cuts.

New bill ends same-day voter registration

Utah voters could lose their right to register on Election Day under a new bill that would end a popular voting option used since 2018.

The proposed legislation, HB445, would require voters to register at least 29 days before an election, effectively ending a program that has allowed last-minute registration for nearly a decade. The same-day registration option, first tested as a pilot program in 2014, was made available statewide in 2018 with safeguards including provisional ballots and strict ID requirements.

Rep. Doug Fiefia, who introduced the bill, is also pushing for faster election results. Fiefia's bill requires that election officials finish counting most ballots by 11:30 pm on election day and post the results by midnight.

New bills that caught my attention

  • Sen. Brady Brammer is proposing a constitutional amendment that would allow prosecutors in a sexual assault case to introduce evidence of other instance where the defendant has been accused of sexual assault.
  • SB242 requires the state's health insurance for public employees to cover medical treatments for infertility, which is usually IVF.
  • Speaker Mike Schultz is sponsoring HB447 to create "catalyst centers" in local school districts to better prepare students for the workforce.
  • HB449 allows colleges and universities to directly pay student athletes under their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program.
  • HB451 raises the bar for judicial retention elections, requiring that a judge receive at least 67% of the vote to keep their job.
  • Rep. Lisa Shepherd has proposed a bill to make the signature gathering process for candidates more complicated. HB458 says that a voter's signature on a petition can only be verified by an election official in that voter's home county.

Afternoon headlines

Bill mandating firearm safety instruction in public schools passes through Utah House committee. [KSL]

Utah Board of Education says $500M needed for school safety upgrades. [KUTV]

Lawmakers look to ramp up penalties for fentanyl tracking. [Utah News Dispatch]

Utah Bill would add extra protections for child welfare workers. [Deseret News]

Snowpack in the Rockies is lagging well below average. Colorado River forecasters still see hope on the horizon. [Tribune]

Will Big and Little Cottonwood canyons become state parks? [Deseret News]

St. George issues public apology for denying drag show performance. [Fox 13]

What's on Monday's agenda