Utah Senate opens 2023 session; J. Stuart Adams elected president and dozens of bills introduced

The Utah State Senate convened Jan. 17, 2023, at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City and formally organized for the 2023 general session. President Pro Tem Taylor Randall called the chamber to order, leaders swore in newly elected members and the Senate elected J. Stuart Adams as president by acclamation.

Adams took the podium after the oath and opened the session with a wide-ranging address that focused on water, infrastructure, taxes, education and transportation. "2023 will be the year of the tax cut again, again, and again," Adams said, framing tax relief as a central priority while also praising record education funding and urging further support for teachers. He urged long-term planning for water infrastructure and said, "last year, we allocated almost $500,000,000 to our state waters infrastructure," while…