Senator Hatch Urges Bipartisan Cooperation, Addresses Suicide Prevention and Public-lands Issues

Senator Hatch addressed the Utah House in a Committee of the Whole, praising lawmakers for fiscal discipline and urging bipartisanship while defending recent federal confirmations and judicial appointments. He lauded efforts on the Supreme Court vacancy and said judicial selection was a central issue in the last presidential election.

Hatch outlined federal concerns important to Utahns — including national monuments such as Bears Ears — and told members he was working with the state delegation to seek changes he described as more responsive to local preferences. He said monument designations "rankl[e] me to this day" and that he believes the administration "will rescind the action of President Obama" and seek a solution the local community prefers.

On suicide-prevention policy, Hatch told the chamber he and others are pushing for a national crisis line and said, "We are gonna do that," describing the problem in Utah as "really a crime that we have so much suicide here in Utah." Representatives asked how federal-level steps (including establishing 611 as a nationwide crisis number) could complement state action; Hatch said he would work "to get that 611 through." He also answered questions about immigration policy, saying the nation must balance the rule of law with care for children brought here without choice.

Hatch fielded questions from members on multiple topics and emphasized cooperation with the state delegation and federal authorities. The Committee of the Whole hearing concluded after an extended exchange of remarks and questions with House members.