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Utah House overwhelmingly approves resolution protesting federal mandates, sends message to Washington
Summary
The Utah House passed HJR3, a resolution urging Congress and the president to stop unfunded federal mandates and to respect states’ Tenth Amendment rights; the measure passed the House 68–2 and will be sent to the Senate and to congressional delegations.
The Utah House of Representatives on Jan. 13 passed House Joint Resolution 3, a broad statement asking the federal government to stop issuing mandates that the sponsor said infringe on states’ Tenth Amendment rights.
Representative Nora B. Stevens, sponsor of HJR3, told colleagues the resolution is part of a multistate push developed through the Western States Coalition and encouraged lawmakers to seize “a window of opportunity” to press Congress. Stevens said the resolution asks the federal government to ‘‘cease from taking away states’ Tenth Amendment rights and to cease from sending down unfunded mandates’’ and framed the measure as a political appeal carried by many states.
The resolution drew several amendments and sustained debate. Representative Frank Jones proposed adding language noting that state mandates can also burden cities and counties; supporters said the amendment would align state practice with the resolution’s principles, while opponents argued it would make the interstate text less uniform and therefore less effective when sent to other states. The House adopted a friendly change directing copies to the congressional delegation (the amendment removed a state‑specific recipient and made the language fit for multistate transmission).
Members debated substance and strategy for roughly an hour, with advocates emphasizing the resolution’s political weight across many state legislatures and opponents cautioning against mixing state‑specific policy language into a multi‑state text. Representative Stevens repeatedly urged a unified message to Washington, saying the resolution is most effective if passed in the same form by many states.
After closing remarks, the House voted to pass HJR3 by a margin of 68 yes to 2 no. The clerk recorded that the resolution will be forwarded to the Senate and that copies will be sent to congressional delegations as amended.
The vote is purely a legislative statement; the resolution does not change state law and carries no enforcement mechanism. Sponsor Stevens and several supporters said the goal is to signal to federal lawmakers and encourage a coordinated multistate response on unfunded federal mandates.
