By rssfeeds-admin After this recent batch of 75 bills, the governor has signed a total of 176 bills. He has 406 bills left to act on before this week’s Mar. 27 deadline. If a bill is not acted upon before that deadline, it becomes law without needing the governor’s signature.
Cox most recently signed bills into law ranging in topics from civic education to medical cannabis regulation and more. Cox also announced that he had vetoed a bill addressing tax rate amendments for education.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the major bills that were most recently addressed by the governor.
Cox vetoes tax rate amendments for education
On Monday, Cox announced that he vetoed Senate Bill 37, or “Minimum Basic Tax Rates Amendments,” which would have changed how property taxes would be used for education.
In a letter to Senate President J. Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz, Cox explained the reasoning behind his veto of SB 37.
“Moving restricted property tax funding into the general fund creates significant technical and legal questions,” Cox’s letter reads. “For one, it’s not entirely clear whether these property tax dollars, once they land in the general fund, still carry the restrictions that have always protected them for education use.”
Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon sent a letter to Cox after reviewing SB 37, listing several concerns about the implications of the bill. Cox went on to say in his letter that the bill he vetoed “sets up a complicated system where school districts have to track these dollars as both incoming and outgoing revenue….”
The Utah Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, issued a statement in support of Cox vetoing SB 37:
The Utah Education Association applauds Governor Spencer Cox’s decision to veto SB 37. This bill would have redirected public education funds away from Utah’s public schools and weakened local control. Utah must preserve education funds for their intended purpose: supporting the success of Utah’s public school students.”
UEA statement on Cox vetoing SB 37
Cox signs civic education bills
Gov. Cox signed SB 334 and HB 381, which he called “two of the most important bills of the 2025 legislative session.”
HB 381, “Civics Education Amendments,” amends the graduation requirements for public high schools in Utah, making it so that students must meet specific social studies requirements and receive “certain social studies related instruction.”
Of this bill, Cox said, “Foundational civic education in our high schools will aid our students with a better understanding of our government institutions and their critical role in American society.”
SB 334, “Center for Civics Excellence at Utah State,” establishes a Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University, with Cox saying in a statement that the center “will be tasked with building out a general education curriculum focused on viewpoint diversity, civil discourse and helping our students develop the analytical skills necessary to contribute in the public square.”
HB 381 and SB 334 will go into effect on July 1 and May 7, respectively.
Cox signs cannabis, alcohol bills
On March 23, Cox announced that two bills related to cannabis and cannabinoids had been signed. One bill on alcohol amendments was also signed.
The cannabis bills — HB 54, “Cannabinoid Amendments,” and HB 343, “Cannabis Production Amendments” — address medical cannabis regulation and medical cannabis production.
The alcohol bill — SB 328, “Alcohol Amendments” — adds provisions relating to banquet licensing for amphitheaters. The amendments define amphitheaters and under which circumstances alcohol would be licensed to be sold there.
Other bills most recently signed by Cox
The full list of bills signed announced by Cox on March 24 can be viewed below:
- H.B. 27, Voting Precinct Amendments
- H.B. 29, Child Visitation Amendments
- H.B. 31, Offender Information Amendments
- H.B. 34, State Campgrounds Amendments
- H.B. 39, Correctional Health Amendments
- H.B. 54, Cannabinoid Amendments
- H.B. 56, Civil Commitment Modifications
- H.B. 70, Decommissioned Asset Disposition Amendments
- H.B. 85, Environmental Permitting Modifications
- H.B. 89, Water Transfer Amendments
- H.B. 93, Rehabilitation Services Modifications
- H.B. 95, Financial Disclosure Revisions
- H.B. 103, State Land Access Road Amendments
- H.B. 129, Adoption Records Access Amendments
- H.B. 141, Adoption Modifications
- H.B. 146, Mammography Amendments
- H.B. 152, Health Care Facilities Amendments
- H.B. 167, Offender Reintegration Amendments
- H.B. 199, Substance Use Treatment and Enforcement Amendments
- H.B. 237, Rollback Tax Amendments
- H.B. 240, Urban Farming Assessment Amendments
- H.B. 243, Agricultural Water Optimization Amendments
- H.B. 244, Wildlife Management Area Amendments
- H.B. 251, Pollinator Program Amendments
- H.B. 253, Agriculture and Food Amendments
- H.B. 254, Waste Classification Amendments
- H.B. 255, Local Land Use Modifications
- H.B. 274, Water Amendments
- H.B. 285, Water Infrastructure Modifications
- H.B. 294, Infectious Disease Procedures Amendments
- H.B. 302, Minors in State Custody Amendments
- H.B. 307, Wildfire Funding Amendments
- H.B. 309, Wildlife Amendments
- H.B. 311, Watershed Amendments
- H.B. 333, Medications in Schools Amendments
- H.B. 342, Animal Composting Amendments
- H.B. 343, Cannabis Production Amendments
- H.B. 346, Department of Agriculture and Food Amendments
- H.B. 347, Medicaid Program Amendments
- H.B. 352, Geologic Carbon Storage Amendments
- H.B. 381, Civics Education Amendments
- H.B. 396, Small School District Scale of Operations Formula
- H.B. 411, Public Asset Ownership Amendments
- H.B. 421, Grazing Amendments
- H.B. 438, Environmental Legal Action Amendments
- H.B. 439, Outdoor Recreation Revisions
- H.B. 446, Great Salt Lake Amendments
- H.B. 478, Brine Mining Amendments
- H.B. 490, State Parks Modifications
- H.B. 501, Law Enforcement Salary Amendments
- H.B. 504, Financial and Conflict of Interest Disclosures by Candidates Amendments
- H.B. 520, Water Entity Amendments
- H.B. 547, Diaper Program Amendments
- H.B. 551, Elected Official Publicity Amendments
- S.B. 18, Election Fundraising Amendments
- S.B. 30, Forest Fire Resources Compact Amendments
- S.B. 33, Water Rights Recording Amendments
- S.B. 36, Water Quality Board Amendments
- S.B. 51, State Resource Management Plan Amendments
- S.B. 73, Statewide Initiatives Amendments
- S.B. 80, Water Fee Amendments
- S.B. 113, Traffic Code Amendments
- S.B. 145, Technical Senate District Boundary Adjustment
- S.B. 149, Natural Resources Modifications
- S.B. 158, Sale or Lease of Federally Managed Public Land Amendments
- S.B. 159, Environmental Quality Modifications
- S.B. 172, Local Health Department Amendments
- S.B. 216, Environmental Quality Amendments
- S.B. 220, Construction Modifications
- S.B. 234, Severance Amendments
- S.B. 290, Candidate Licensing Amendments
- S.B. 314, Special District Modifications
- S.B. 328, Alcohol Amendments
- S.B. 334, Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University
- S.B. 338, Nonprofit Entities Amendments
Lindsay Aerts and Matthew Drachman contributed to this report.
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