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Senate approves substitute congressional map after heated debate over Salt Lake City split
Summary
After testimony from Salt Lake City leaders and floor amendments, the Utah Senate passed substitute Senate Bill 2, a three‑district congressional plan, following a roll‑call vote that defeated an amendment to keep Salt Lake City undivided.
The Utah Senate passed substitute Senate Bill 2, a three‑district congressional reapportionment plan, after hours of debate and a roll‑call vote that rejected an amendment aimed at keeping Salt Lake City whole.
Sponsor Steven J. Reese presented the substitute map as a compromise reached after months of deliberation, saying the plan preserves two largely urban districts and a third that combines West Valley and rural areas. Reese said the change was necessary because "Salt Lake County is too big for only one congressional district" and that the committee tried to minimize dividing municipalities.
Salt Lake City leaders urged senators not to fracture the capital. Tom Godfrey, introduced to the Senate as the city's mayor and supported by council leaders, told lawmakers: "Do not build a wall in the capital city," arguing that splitting the municipality would "disenfranchise" neighborhoods and complicate local policy coordination, including airport‑related issues.
Senators debated tradeoffs between keeping municipal boundaries intact and meeting population parity. Senator Black proposed an amendment to keep Salt Lake Airport in the Second Congressional District to preserve city cohesion; the amendment was defeated on a roll call. Supporters of the substitute plan said it represented a necessary compromise to achieve balanced population deviations across districts.
Under suspension of the rules, the Senate read the substitute bill for second and third readings and called the final roll. The bill passed final passage by recorded vote, with 20 ayes and 9 nays, and was ordered transmitted to the House for further action. Senators who asked for additional fiscal or map detail were assured that colored maps and numeric summaries would be circulated and that further technical cleanup could occur during the general session if needed.
The Senate also approved several related districting cleanups in subsequent motions; the body noted some remaining pockets and said additional adjustments might be addressed during the regular session.
