Utah Senate passes broad package of bills on land use, education, transportation and public health

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on Feb. 29 moved and passed a wide-ranging set of bills covering public land protections, education curricula, construction and transportation funding, public‑health protocol changes for schools, and other measures, often under suspension of the rules.

Senator Baldry introduced House Bill 496, saying the measure "prohibits natural asset companies or NACs from ever purchasing or leasing state public lands for their own purposes" and gives the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office tools to protect multiple‑use lands. "This is one of my favorite bills," Baldry said. The Senate approved HB496 on a roll call that the president recorded as 20 yay, 4 nay and 5 absent; the bill will be signed by the president and returned to the House for the speaker's signature.

Why it matters: lawmaking this week emphasized clarifying and consolidating authority over resources and processes — from public lands to how schools teach historical documents — after the Legislature’s budget and committee work.

Education and curriculum: Senator McKay described First Substitute House Bill 269 as "permissive language" allowing teachers to include historical…