Miranda Jones, WFRC government-affairs lead, told the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s Regional Growth Committee on Jan. 15 that the 45-day legislative session beginning next week will be marked by tight state finances and an emphasis on household affordability. Jones said the governor’s budget and the parties’ released priorities point to a focus on homeownership affordability, property-tax issues, childcare costs and proposals affecting the price of gasoline.

Jones described WFRC’s role on the Hill as a technical partner coordinating with UDOT, UTA, the League of Cities and Towns and the Utah Association of Counties to inform lawmakers. She said WFRC will publish and update bill and appropriations trackers and a weekly government-affairs newsletter during the session.

Kendall Thomas (Tooele County) raised a concern that cutting the gas tax could leave rural counties underfunded. In response, Jones and WFRC Executive Director Andrew Gruber said a House-majority proposal (sponsored publicly by Rep. Cal Roberts and supported by Speaker Schultz, according to WFRC staff) would reduce the pump tax while removing some tax exemptions for certain refiners/producers that export fuel out of state. WFRC staff said the stated intent is revenue neutrality for the transportation fund—preserving funding that flows to UDOT and the city/county formula—while acknowledging that a lower statutory rate could make revenues more volatile.

Gruber said WFRC and legislative leaders plan ongoing briefings; the council will hold weekly legislative updates during the session and host Speaker Schultz and Senate President Adams at an upcoming Capitol briefing to ask detailed questions about transportation funding and other priorities. Jones urged members to watch WFRC’s bill tracker and appropriations tracker for real-time updates.

The committee did not take formal action on the gas-tax concept at this meeting; WFRC staff said they would monitor bill language as it becomes available and report back to the committee.