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The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at [email protected].
Situational Analysis | February 12, 2026
It’s Thursday and NAACP Day!
There are 904 bills drafted and available for discussion.
Three things today
SB258 would allow more state employees to bring their infants to work with them by turning a 2020 “Infant at Work” pilot program into a permanent program. This bill will be heard In the Senate Business and Labor Committee which begins at 8:00 am.
SB180 would require the State Board of Education to take at least 20% of the funds from the liquor tax to support Utah school meal programs. This bill will be heard in the Senate Education Committee at 8:00 am.
HB443 would end mid-term legislative vacancies being filled via party delegates and instead move to a special election. This bill will be heard in the House Government Operations Committee at 8:00 am.
On the Hill, Day 24 of 45
8:00 am:
8:45 am: Health & Human Services
10:00 am: Senate and House floor time
12:30 pm: House Rules
2:00 pm:
Protect one of America’s most treasured national monuments.
Utah politicians are moving quickly to dismantle protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante. An overwhelming majority of Utahns support protecting these public lands for future generations, yet Utah politicians are ignoring their constituents. Learn more about this attack and what could be permanently lost at SUWA.org.
Utah Headlines
Legislative Session
Utah moves to ban proposition betting (KSL)
Does Utah's court system need a transparency overhaul? State lawmakers think so (KSL)
‘Blindsided’ by new homeless campus, west side lawmakers want a seat at the table (KSL TV)
DCFS case workers lag in response to thousands of child abuse and neglect reports, audit finds (KSL Newsradio)
Utah ranks last in judicial transparency. Here’s how GOP lawmakers plan to fix that. (Deseret News)
Utah House OKs bill taxing funds sent abroad; sponsor says it’s aimed at drug traffickers (KSL)
Proposed Utah bill takes aim at hidden rental fees by forcing landlords to show total rental price in listings (KSL TV)
Bill would allow public school teachers to discuss religion in context of curriculum (KUTV)
Utah Legislature votes to get involved in federal redistricting lawsuit via amicus brief (ABC4)
Utah state employees are torn over paid time off changes lawmakers are mulling (KUER)
LDS lawmaker proposes bill rooted in evangelical beliefs about Israel (Salt Lake Tribune)
Other Utah News
Other Politics
Utah wants to remove marriage tax penalties. Will D.C. follow? (Deseret News)
Voices: Why Utah students like me are walking out of schools (Salt Lake Tribune)
Utah
Utah students, seniors talk about America 250 (KSL)
Utah connections to the Epstein files (Deseret News)
Man who died in tragic West Valley incident remembered for ‘big, bright smile’ (KSL)
Olympics
Why Utah is a Winter Olympics powerhouse (Deseret News)
Former Ute wins back-to-back silver medals in moguls (Deseret News)
Utah’s Olympic super fan: 18 Games, 500 events and he’s not done yet (KSL TV)
'It feels like a dream': Experienced skiers Moltzan, Wiles pause to celebrate bronze win (KSL)
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych out of Winter Olympics over banned helmet honoring war dead (AP)
Crime/Courts
Here’s a timeline of the Kouri Richins case as jury is now selected for her murder trial (KSL)
BYU receiver Parker Kingston arrested on felony rape charge in St. George (Deseret News)
Utah high school coach charged with sexually abusing teens in exchange for alcohol (KSL)
Man accused of digging hole under UTA bridge faces new charges (2KUTV)
Culture/Community
BYU is retiring Jimmer Fredette’s jersey this weekend. Which other Cougars have received such an honor? (Deseret News)
Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neeleman explains the dairy’s decision to stop selling raw milk (Salt Lake Tribune)
Economy
Utah targets social media companies with new tax (Deseret News)
National economist reflects of 2025, lloks ahead to 2026 during Utah stop (KSL)
Education
Utah congressman wants to ban foreign countries from funding NIL deals (Deseret News)
A BYU landmark will now host President Oaks’ vision for the university (Deseret News)
Voices: Technology in the classroom doesn’t improve my kids’ education. It’s time to bring back proven learning methods (Salt Lake Tribune)
Environment/Energy
Why is the Great Salt Lake shrinking? Officials say it isn’t what you think (Deseret News)
Firefighters urge caution after February brush fire in Saratoga Springs (KSL)
Family
US Attorney for Utah warns of romance scam surge ahead of Valentine’s Day (KUTV)
Health
Study: This kind of brain trining lowers dementia risk by 25% (Deseret News)
Local 6-year-old a ‘medical mystery’ as doctors try to diagnose her shrinking body (KSL)
Housing
National Headlines
General
How much do I love thee? Valentines Day spending headed for record territory (Deseret News)
Instagram chief says he does not believe people can get clinically addicted to social media (AP)
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years (The Hill)
Politics
House votes to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada in rare rebuke from Republicans (Deseret News)
Trump threatens political payback on Republicans opposing Canada tariffs (Scripps/Fox13)
Perspective: Are American universities making a PragerU turn under Donald trump? (Deseret News)
US lawmakers accuse Bondi of hiding names of Epstein associates (KSL)
US House passes bill to require proof of US citizenship for midterm voters (Reuters)
Bondi clashes with Democrats as she struggles to turn the page on Epstein files furor (AP)
Immigration
For these clergy, Trump’s immigration blitz became a call to action (Washington Post)
Ukraine/Russia
Russian air attack knocks out power, heat to thousands of Ukrainians (Reuters)
World
Number of the Day
Guest opinion: Pro-marriage tax reform shouldn’t raise taxes on single parents
by Nic Dunn
Utah lawmakers are exploring ways to improve the state’s tax system to remove marriage penalties inadvertently built into the tax code. Their focus on pro-marriage public policies is warranted, but equally important is accomplishing these reforms without penalizing other groups. Legislators should proceed thoughtfully to craft a balanced approach.
H.B. 210 Tax Penalties Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Ballard, seeks to remove so-called “marriage penalties” in Utah’s tax code.
While Utah’s flat income tax avoids many of the marriage penalties that might otherwise exist, a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute report found that “targeted tax carveouts for certain groups, particularly within Utah’s income tax, can create marriage penalties.” In other words, some of Utah’s existing income tax credits may inadvertently penalize or discourage couples who want to marry.
And while it’s important to note that H.B. 210 only deals with the tax code, not social welfare programs that can also discourage marriage, the broad objective of this legislation is laudable and worth pursuing: that public policy – and the tax code specifically – should never discourage or penalize marriage.
Marriage is strongly associated with positive economic and social outcomes for adults and children, from higher earning potential and financial security to better mental and physical health. These well-documented benefits make pro-marriage family policy a worthy goal for policymakers.
H.B. 210 standardizes the thresholds at which marriage-penalty-prone tax credits phase out, and removes marriage penalties in these credits for married filers moving forward.
A simpler, more pro-marriage tax code is a good policy objective for Utah families. But how the bill arrives at that laudable outcome needs refinement. (Read More)
News Releases
Sutherland releases new report on ways artificial intelligence helps human flourishing
Sutherland Institute released 25 Ways AI is Helping People Flourish, a new policy report outlining how artificial intelligence is serving human beings by contributing to their flourishing in Utah and beyond.
The report highlights real-world examples of AI improving outcomes for people of all ages in education, government, health care, and family life. The report authors, Derek Monson and Ford Copple, argue that Utah is a leader in AI innovation because we have thus far pursued a sound approach to AI policy: Thoughtful, principled, and evidence-based discussion of how to balance important principles to arrive at policy outcomes that benefit people. (Read More)
Utah Senate and House Democrats on redistricting amicus brief
Utah Senate and House Democratic leadership wholeheartedly oppose the legislature’s involvement in the federal lawsuit via the amicus brief. This decision does not represent the Democratic legislators in this body. Instead of working to restore public trust, this litigation continues to deepen division and prolong uncertainty around our congressional maps. Taxpayer dollars would be better spent on other state needs instead of prolonging this legal battle. We continue to firmly defend Utah voters, our democratic processes, and the principle that elected officials should respect the will of the people, even when they dislike the outcome
Economic indicators signal strength heading into 2026
The Utah Chamber, in partnership with the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has released the January 2026 Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard to inform business leaders’ understanding of Utah’s economy. This tool prioritizes key data on the state’s economic outlook and actionable context for decision-makers.
“Utah’s economy is showing real resilience heading into the new year. Strong job growth in information, construction, financial services, and education and health services tells us the industries driving our future are expanding,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Utah Chamber. “These are the kinds of trends that reinforce why businesses choose Utah and why we must continue investing in the policies that keep our economy competitive.” (Read More)
Tweet of the Day
Upcoming
Feb 6-Feb 22 — Olympic Winter Games
Mar 6 — Legislative session ends
Mar 17 — Utah GOP and Dem Caucus meetings
On This Day in History
1793 - First Fugitive Slave law passed by Congress.
1809 - Abraham Lincoln is born. So is Charles Darwin.
1865 - Born a slave, Pastor Henry Highland Garnet became the first Black person to speak in the U.S. Capitol when he delivered a sermon on the abolition of slavery to the House of Representatives.
1870 - Utah’s acting territorial governor signed the suffrage bill into law.
1884 - Alice Roosevelt Longworth, “Princess Alice,” is born. When her father Theodore Roosevelt was asked why he could not discipline her, he explained that he do that or rule the country but he couldn’t do both.
1909 - The NAACP is founded.
1912 - The last emperor of China abdicates.
1930 - In Tuskegee, Alabama, the Rosenwald Fund made grants to the Alabama State Board of Health to help meet the cost of a study of syphilis in Black men - and the women they infected - living in rural Georgia and Alabama. Over 400 men were allowed to carry the disease without medical treatment for nearly 40 years.
1938 - Judy Blume is born.
1948 - First Lt. Nancy C. Leftenant became the first Black nurse accepted in the regular Army Nursing Corps.
1973 - The release of US POWs from Hanoi begins.
1999 - President Bill Clinton acquitted on both articles of impeachment.
2000 - Charles Schulz dies at age 77 from colon cancer.
2002 - Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial for war crimes.
2007 - Gunman kills 5 people at Trolley Square
Quote of the Day
Unitedly we declare that the answers to racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate will not come from government or law enforcement alone. Solutions will come as we open our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own, as we work to build bonds of genuine friendship, and as we see each other as the brothers and sisters we are — for we are all children of a loving God.
On the Punny Side
What do you give your valentine in France?
A big quiche.
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