SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox vetoed a series of bills, signed one banning flouride in the water and allowed a controversial bill restricting certain flags to go into law without his signature.
The decisions were announced about an hour before the midnight deadline for the governor to make decisions on bills. He also called for a special session to fix some bills.
One of the bills he allowed to go into law without his signature now bans most flags from being displayed in classrooms and on government buildings, except a specific list including the U.S., Utah and Olympic flags.
House Bill 77 has faced protests as critics have accused it of targeting the LGBTQ community in Utah. Supporters have insisted it is about "political neutrality" in classrooms, but the provision on government buildings could invite a First Amendment free speech lawsuit.
After the bill passed through the Utah State Legislature, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall ordered the LGBTQ Pride flag raised at the Salt Lake City & County Building, where it has flown since the legislature adjourned. Asked if Salt Lake City would sue over the bill should it become law, the mayor told FOX 13 News last week that the city's attorneys were reviewing it
"HB77 has been one of the most divisive bills of the session, and I am deeply disappointed that it did not land in a better place. My understanding is that there was a deal on a compromise that would have removed problematic portions of the bill while retaining others that would support political neutrality in the classroom. Sadly the sponsors did not move that deal forward. I continue to have serious concerns with this bill. However, because a veto would be overridden, I have decided to allow the bill to go into law without my signature, and urge lawmakers to consider commonsense solutions that address the bill’s numerous flaws," Gov. Cox wrote in a letter to legislative leaders.
In his letter, the governor also told lawmakers Utahns are tired of "culture war bills" and directly addressed the LGBTQ community.
"To our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult. Politics can be a bit of a blood sport at times and I know we have had our disagreements. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know these words may ring hollow to many of you, but please know that I mean them sincerely," Gov. Cox wrote.
The other major action by the governor makes Utah the first state in the nation to ban the fluoridation of water. While only Salt Lake and Davis counties and a handful of cities in Utah fluoridate their water, the bill faced pushback from some dentists, with supporters arguing that it was about "medical choice."
Gov. Cox vetoed Senate Bill 197, which would have wound down the "circuit breaker" property tax program.
"While SB197 contains well-intentioned goals of reforming and streamlining property tax relief programs, it risks cutting off the most vulnerable of Utah’s expanding senior population from a critical tax relief lifeline, while also adding administrative burdens on counties," he wrote.
The governor allowed House Bill 353, which called for reviews of criminal codes, to go into law without his signature. But he also issued an executive order late Thursday creating a new task force to review things.
"The task force will work directly with you and others to develop a criminal justice framework to aid in making criminal justice policy decisions. It will consider many different factors including public safety, victim needs, deterrence, proportionality, recidivism, and prison and jail capacity," he wrote.
Other bills Gov. Cox vetoed include:
House Bill 306, which "required the state treasurer to hold a competitive procurement process to find a company to operate a precious metals-backed electronic payment system on behalf of the state."
"I am concerned that a specific entity offered to fund the bill, which could jeopardize the required competitive process in the bill," Gov. Cox wrote explaining his veto.
He also vetoed House Bill 315, which would settle ties in elected offices by doing away with the "coin flip" when there's three or more candidates in a vacancy. Gov. Cox told legislative leaders he was worried it violated the Utah Constitution's gambling law that forbids any "game of chance."
"I am vetoing the bill out of an abundance of caution to avoid creating potential legal issues for the state in this area. I applaud the efforts of the sponsors to improve the code in this area, and support finding a new approach to accomplish their goal," he said.
The governor also vetoed Senate Bill 106, which created the "Utah-Ireland Trade Commission."
"While I understand the intent of this bill, I continue to be wary of creating new commissions in statute. Thanks to your outstanding work, we are now under 400 boards and commissions in the state. Let’s not go backward on this when it is not necessary to do so!" he wrote.
Gov. Cox said he would call a special session to fix some bills he had concerns with, but reached agreements with their legislative sponsors. One dealt with "election transparency" that had veto requests from county clerks. The other dealt with county forms of government.
"I will also include on a special session call that we should remove a $3.5 million appropriation that had been allocated for the Sundance Film Festival. Let’s reappropriate that money to efforts in Utah to create a new festival and a world-class film economy right here in our state," he wrote.
Read the Governor's letter to legislative leaders here:
Why is most of southern Utah brushing aside fluoride controversy?
The bill allows for people to seek a prescription from a pharmacist for flouride, should they want it.
