UTAH LEGISLATIVE HUB

Learn how to follow along and engage with lawmakers working at the Capitol.

Introduction

What Is The State Legislature?
When and What Is The Legislative Session?

Get Involved

Who Represents You?
Contact Your State Legislators
How To Follow Along

How Does The Session Work?

Bills Decoded – coming soon!
How To Read A Bill – coming soon!

What is the State Legislature?

Our state legislative branch consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives, just like in our federal government. These elected representatives are collectively known as our “state legislature.”

In Utah, each resident has one state representative and one state senator. However, our Senate and House districts are different from one another and don’t necessarily coincide with city or county boundaries. Utah is broken down into 29 Senate districts and 75 House districts.

Utah is called a supermajority state because both legislative bodies are comprised of a strong majority of Republicans.

Representatives are elected to 2-year terms.
Click here to find current House leaders.

State senators are elected to 4-year terms.
Click here to find current Senate leaders.

In Utah men make up 80% of the Senate and 75% of the house while women make up 20% of the Senate and 25% of the House

State legislators are part-time politicians who often have a full-time occupation on the side, such as being a doctor or a lawyer.
To become a state legislator, you need to be

a citizen of the United States
25 years or older
a resident of Utah for at least three consecutive years before filing for office
a resident of the district for six months

Interested in running for office? Visit vote.utah.gov and Real Women Run.

January 19, 2021

When is the session?

The session begins on the first Tuesday after the third Monday in January. That’s the Tuesday immediately following Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The session runs for 45 days.

January 19, 2021

March 5, 2021

What is the session?

The legislative session is when the house and the senate convene to propose, debate, and vote on nearly all state legislation for the year and is also when the state budget is balanced.

March 5, 2021

Who Represents Me?

Find your Utah state senator and Utah state representative by visiting the Utah state legislative website.

Find My State Legislators

Contact Your State Lawmakers

State Representative

Click here to send an email to your state representative now.

State Senator

Click here to send an email to your state senator now.

Utah Governor

Click here to send an email to Governor Spencer Cox now.

Helpful Tips

Be civil

Every time you contact an elected official, it is an opportunity to build a relationship with them. You may not agree with your legislator, but every elected official is still a person and will respond better to you if you don’t call them names or use offensive language. Remember your goal in reaching out to them in the first place. Approaching reps with civility, respect, and trustworthy information will get you farther faster and will leave the door open for future communications.

Use your own words

• Revise form letters and subject headers or – better yet – write your own letter for FAR greater impact.
• Briefly share your unique perspective on the issue you are reaching out about. Why do you care enough to reach out?
• Don’t forget to add a greeting and to sign your emails and letters, as you would in a business or personal email.

During the session, emails and texts are more effective than calls, but keep it brief!

• State legislators are in meetings throughout their long legislative days and are often unable to answer the phone.
• Legislators receive thousands of emails, so be sure to make sure your email gets right to the point, starting in the subject line. An example email subject might be: “Please vote NO on HB 93: Judicial Nomination Amendments.”
• Include any credible data, helpful resources, or personal stories to help make your point.
• Emails can be a couple of sentences or a couple of paragraphs. Any longer, and it likely won’t get read.

If you are contacting your own legislator, make sure you mention that you are a constituent.

You can even include the word “constituent” in your email header, so your elected official knows right away that you live in their district. Include your name and full address with zip code in both written communications and voicemails. Elected officials want to know if they represent you and will often prioritize communication with you if they know they represent you.

How To Follow Along

The 2021 Legislative session is different than any held before. Eventually, you will be able to head up to the Capitol to observe and participate, but for the time being the Capitol is not open to the public due to safety concerns. Once the Capitol opens up to the public, there will still be many restrictions and limited seating due to COVID-19.

Use the Utah Legislature’s website

Visit le.utah.gov

Engage with Better Utah

Sign up for the Alliance for a Better Utah daily legislative email
Follow the Better Utah Institute on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Follow Alliance for A Better Utah on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Join the Better Utah Insiders group on Facebook

Follow local journalists

Explore local hashtags

Follow lawmakers

Now that you know who represents you, sign up for their email lists and follow them on the social media channels they post on.