The Utah Legislature makes Congress look good

People fill the Senate gallery at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Fallout from the 2025 legislative session remains all over the news, reminding me of my brief time interacting with the Utah Legislature. It marked the most frustrating chapter of my academic and professional careers.

For the past school year I was able to be at the state Capitol during the recent session. I started out excited to cultivate relationships, have meaningful conversations and address important questions. By the end, I felt like an object of pity — and I realized the Legislature has failed to confront two major air quality issues: the literal pollution in our skies, and the air of arrogance within the Capitol each session.

My first interaction with a legislator was quite embarrassing. I patiently waited outside the House of Representatives chamber to talk with my representative about affordable housing.

When the chamber doors opened, my legislator waved in my direction. As we made our way towards each other, I reached out my hand, ready to introduce myself as a constituent. He brushed right past me to speak with someone else. Respectfully, I waited my turn. But after thanking the lobbyist for contributing to his campaign, he brushed past me again and disappeared. I felt my respect for the process disappear with him.

I’ve also spent two semesters interning in Washington, D.C. There was a stark difference between my experience at our state Capitol and my time working in D.C. While in D.C., I was able to meet with members of Congress from all over the country; every office had full-time staff, and several interns, who were quick to welcome constituents into their space for conversations.

I expected an even better experience with our state Legislature. I had always heard that our Legislature is approachable, efficient and constituent-friendly. “The legislative website is amazing!” “It’s easy to contact your legislator!” “Utah politics is so different!” But from my first interaction to my last, I found myself thinking, “Really? Did that just happen?”

Utah has a part-time legislature that meets for only 45 days each year and lawmakers have almost no professional staff. Every year we are shocked at the amount of bills they introduce and pass. But we should be more shocked by what this number says about the quality of those bills.

During committee hearings, it was clear that legislators had not read the bills they were meant to be vetting, much less understand their impact. Later, when the consequences hit their districts, legislators can just say, “well, we didn’t mean for that to happen.” But their affected constituents don’t get off the hook so easily.

There is also a purposeful lack of access-to information, to lawmakers, and to opportunities to be involved in positive policy change. By contrast, in D.C., it was so easy for me to connect with real people, find out about town halls, and get news from each district. While D.C. has its issues, I could clearly feel the passion and professionalism.

Our Legislature exudes an arrogance I did not experience in D.C. They seem to think themselves different from their constituents: more important, more worthy of respect. What I saw, does not back that up.

Our leaders seem determined to govern by nostalgia, as Utah continues to grow and experience new challenges. They cling to a vision of the nuclear family, market self-regulation, and rugged frontier individualism. Those images of “the Utah Way” haven’t been a reality for most Utahns for decades! Following “the Utah Way” and “disagreeing better” are not valid excuses for our legislature’s lack of professionalism and lack of access. They don’t justify ignoring the things Utahns need right now, and in the future.

When it comes to governance and leadership, we deserve better than just a balanced budget and tax cuts. We need something better than “what we’ve always done.” If that includes pushing past constituents to meet with donors, passing bills without serious review, or restricting public access-we should be coming up with a new “Utah Way,” and fast.