Utah Senate passes state‑sovereignty resolution after adding 'under rule of law'

Senator Stevenson, sponsor of SJR6, told the Senate the joint resolution reasserts the rights of states under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments and urges Congress to respect those limits. "This more comprehensive resolution is one that we hope to send to the House for their consideration as well," he said.Senator Greiner raised a concern that wording on lines 106–107 could be read to encourage disobedience to lawful authority, asking whether the language might allow citizens to "ignore or reject" law enforcement. To address that concern, Senator Stevenson moved to insert the words "under rule of law" after the word "right." The amendment passed on a voice vote; the sponsor said the insertion ensures the resolution does not "give support for anarchy or for disobeying the laws of the land."Senator Romero spoke in opposition, saying the Senate had already adopted a similar tenth‑amendment measure and that repeating the language risked excess provocation of the federal government. "I think saying it once is as good as saying it 50 times," Romero said.In floor remarks explaining his aye vote, Senator Stoll listed local grievances he said motivated support for the resolution, citing federal regulation of prairie dogs under the Endangered Species Act and related economic impacts.SJR6 was placed under suspension of the rules for final passage and passed the Senate by a 23–5 vote with one member absent. The resolution will be forwarded to the House for its consideration and any further action.