Two high-profile bills have passed the Utah Legislature and were signed by Governor Spencer Cox. Both of these bills were controversial and had many people on each side contacting legislature participants with their point of view.
Transgender Surgery Bill
The first of the high-profile bills signed by Governor Cox is the Transgender Surgery Bill. The Senate Bill 16 was signed by the governor on Saturday. It prohibits health care providers from “providing a hormonal transgender treatment to new patients who were not diagnosed with gender dysphoria before a certain date” and it prohibits them from “performing sex characteristic surgical procedures on a minor for the purpose of effectuating a sex change.” The Governor signed the bill the day after it was sent to him by the 2023 Utah Legislature.
This bill also authorized the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a “systematic review of the evidence regarding hormonal transgender treatment.”
Among the variety of treatments for transgender people is hormone therapy. This consists of “feminizing” (introducing estrogen) or “masculinizing” (introducing testosterone).
As part of their policy statement, The American Academy of Pediatrics says that hormone replacement is appropriate for early adolescence, but the surgeries are typically more appropriate for adults.
In a statement released at the time of signing, Governor Cox said that the bill is not perfect and encouraged more research into treatments for transgender youth.
Teacher Raise and Homeschooling Scholarship
The other bill that has drawn a lot of attention during this year’s legislature is HB-215 which included a teacher raise of $6,000 a year along with a $8,000 a year scholarship for home- or private-schooled students.
Governor Cox called this bill “a very balanced approach” that gives “teachers the pay raise they deserve.” The governor had called for the $6,000 salary increase for teachers as part of his recommended budget. Republican legislative leaders decided to make those pay bumps contingent on approving a school choice measure.
This bill allocated $42 million in taxpayer funds for the scholarship funds and $200 million for the teacher salary increases.
There are many other bills that are working their way through Utah’s 2023 legislature which we will keep you updated on. Many of the bills will be budget bills which come up each year.
Of course water allocations are one of the hot topics at the legislature this year, so keep watching The Byway for what is happening on this topic.
Other bills are amendments to current laws, many which are of interest to local law enforcement. Our local county commissioners from all three counties along the Byway have been spending a lot of time at the legislature to help them remember our area has needs also.
– by Elaine Baldwin
Feature image caption: Governor Cox speaks at the capitol after signing two high-profile bills. Courtesy ksl.
Elaine Baldwin – Panguitch
Elaine Baldwin is an Editor/Writer for The Byway. She is the wife of Dale Baldwin, and they have three children, 11 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Elaine enjoys making a difference in her world. She recently retired after teaching Drama for 20 years at Panguitch High School. She loves volunteering and finds her greatest joy serving in the Cedar City Temple each Friday.