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May Legislative Interim Meetings
The Utah Legislature met for the first time last month since the 2022 General Session for interim committee meetings. They will continue to meet monthly until November to receive reports, study issues, and craft legislation for the 2023 General Session.
Worth noting was the Transportation Interim Committee’s study of roadway safety items. Our partners at UDOT, along with the Department of Public Safety shared important information about what compromises safety on our roadways, and how we might improve it moving forward. WFRC’s Hugh Van Wagenen and Ted Knowlton also presented, highlighting the importance of creating safe active transportation infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.
The legislature will meet for interim again on June 14th and 15th, and will not be meeting in July.
Unified Economic Opportunity Commission (UEOC)
The UEOC met last month to finalize their working groups and study topics for the remainder of the year. Notably, under the UEOC, there will be a Growth & Transportation Working Group that WFRC will be heavily involved in moving forward (see more below). Additionally, the Commission on Housing Affordability (see below) will now be a part of the UEOC, and will have three subgroups on rural housing, attainable housing, and low-income housing.
The UEOC will meet every other month to allow the working groups to convene and study their priority issues, with the intent that they will return back to the UEOC with recommendations. The next UEOC meeting will be scheduled in early August.
UEOC Growth and Transportation Working Group
The newly established Growth & Transportation Working Group met for the first time this week to get to work on the outlined study items identified by the UEOC. The working group is expected to meet every two weeks through June and July and report back to the UEOC in August on the following topics:
- Evaluate current transportation funding and recommend improvements or overhaul
- Look into public transit, improving speed and efficiency, recommendations for future investment, and funding for expert study of the future of Utah’s transportation system
- Determine regions that can be opened as economic hubs
- Consider recommending the development of a Unified Statewide Transit District Plan
- Evaluate and consider changes to land use authority around transit
- Oversee efforts for Statewide Conversation on Growth
- Any other efforts pertaining to growth and transportation needs in the state
Teeing up the transportation funding study item in this May meeting, both UDOT and WFRC gave an overview of transportation funding and needs as contemplated in Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan. We anticipate this group will further study the adequacy and stability of Utah’s transportation funding over the coming weeks. Laura Hanson from GOPB also shared with the group more about the plan for the Statewide Conversation on Growth which both the sustainable growth subcommittee and UEOC endorsed last year.
UEOC Commission on Housing Affordability
The Commission on Housing Affordability met to establish three subgroups under the subcommittee, including rural housing (3rd-6th class counties), attainable housing (81% - 120% AMI), and low income housing (<80% AMI). These subgroups were established in order to more effectively study the challenges, and recommend solutions for each distinct category of housing affordability. The subgroups are intended to meet during the month of June and report back to the Subcommittee on July 12th. You can find the tentative schedule for the CHA HERE.
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