45 unprecedented days come to a close... The 2021 Utah Legislature adjourned shortly before midnight on Friday, March 5, after a 45-day session. The session was unprecedented, most notably because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept the halls of the capitol (mostly) empty, but constituent participation actually increased through excellent virtual access. The Legislature adopted a $23.5 billion budget, including significant additional funding for education and infrastructure, as well as delivering tax cuts, enabled by Utah's resilient economy despite the pandemic.

Click here for our WFRC 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WRAP UP, which has information about key legislation that passed in the areas of:
  • Transportation and infrastructure, including:
  • HB433 which authorizes $1.1 billion in investments in roads, public transit, and active transportation.
  • HB244 which allocates funds in Salt Lake County for transportation.
  • HB142 which facilitates bike commuting.
  • Development and housing, including:
  • SB217 which allows the creation of Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zones (HTRZ) to help Utah tackle its housing crisis by facilitating mixed-use, multi-family and affordable housing development within a 1/3-mile radius of UTA FrontRunner stations.
  • SB164 which enacts consensus policy recommendations from the Commission on Housing Affordability.
  • HB82 which encourages development of additional accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
  • SB2 which allocates $50M in state funding to affordable housing and homelessness, which is expected to be matched by $730M in private sector funding and loans.
  • Planning, including HB368 which encourages enhanced coordination in planning in Utah and renames the Governor's Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) to the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget (GOPB).
  • Economic opportunity, including HB348 which creates a new Economic Opportunity Commission designed to develop a comprehensive statewide strategy to promote economic opportunity for all Utahns.
  • Budget and appropriations, including funding for infrastructure, outdoor recreation and new state parks, and development. 

Click here for our full WFRC 2021 BILL TRACKER that shows which bills passed and which did not.

Thank you... We appreciate the dedicated efforts of the Utah Legislature, and in particular WFRC members Representative Mike Schultz and Senator Wayne Harper. We appreciate the leadership of Governor Spencer Cox and his team. We thank our partner organizations, the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT) and the Utah Association of Counties (UAC), as well as the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). And finally, we give thanks to the members of WFRC and its committees -- including the city and county local elected officials in the region. Collectively, these people and organizations are motivated by a mission to serve all of Utah’s communities and ensure a great quality of life now and for generations to come. Thank you!


Andrew S. Gruber
Executive Director
C 801-824-0055