Gov. Cox signs 75 bills, vetoes 1 in latest review session

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Gov. Cox announced on Monday that he had signed 75 bills — and vetoed one — in the latest legislative review session.

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

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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:

1. H.B. 27, Voting Precinct Amendments
2. H.B. 29, Child Visitation Amendments
3. H.B. 31, Offender Information Amendments
4. H.B. 34, State Campgrounds Amendments
5. H.B. 39, Correctional Health Amendments
6. H.B. 54, Cannabinoid Amendments
7. H.B. 56, Civil Commitment Modifications
8. H.B. 70, Decommissioned Asset Disposition Amendments
9. H.B. 85, Environmental Permitting Modifications
10. H.B. 89, Water Transfer Amendments
11. H.B. 93, Rehabilitation Services Modifications
12. H.B. 95, Financial Disclosure Revisions
13. H.B. 103, State Land Access Road Amendments
14. H.B. 129, Adoption Records Access Amendments
15. H.B. 141, Adoption Modifications
16. H.B. 146, Mammography Amendments
17. H.B. 152, Health Care Facilities Amendments
18. H.B. 167, Offender Reintegration Amendments
19. H.B. 199, Substance Use Treatment and Enforcement Amendments
20. H.B. 237, Rollback Tax Amendments
21. H.B. 240, Urban Farming Assessment Amendments
22. H.B. 243, Agricultural Water Optimization Amendments
23. H.B. 244, Wildlife Management Area Amendments
24. H.B. 251, Pollinator Program Amendments
25. H.B. 253, Agriculture and Food Amendments
26. H.B. 254, Waste Classification Amendments
27. H.B. 255, Local Land Use Modifications
28. H.B. 274, Water Amendments
29. H.B. 285, Water Infrastructure Modifications
30. H.B. 294, Infectious Disease Procedures Amendments
31. H.B. 302, Minors in State Custody Amendments
32. H.B. 307, Wildfire Funding Amendments
33. H.B. 309, Wildlife Amendments
34. H.B. 311, Watershed Amendments
35. H.B. 333, Medications in Schools Amendments
36. H.B. 342, Animal Composting Amendments
37. H.B. 343, Cannabis Production Amendments
38. H.B. 346, Department of Agriculture and Food Amendments
39. H.B. 347, Medicaid Program Amendments
40. H.B. 352, Geologic Carbon Storage Amendments
41. H.B. 381, Civics Education Amendments
42. H.B. 396, Small School District Scale of Operations Formula
43. H.B. 411, Public Asset Ownership Amendments
44. H.B. 421, Grazing Amendments
45. H.B. 438, Environmental Legal Action Amendments
46. H.B. 439, Outdoor Recreation Revisions
47. H.B. 446, Great Salt Lake Amendments
48. H.B. 478, Brine Mining Amendments
49. H.B. 490, State Parks Modifications
50. H.B. 501, Law Enforcement Salary Amendments
51. H.B. 504, Financial and Conflict of Interest Disclosures by Candidates Amendments
52. H.B. 520, Water Entity Amendments
53. H.B. 547, Diaper Program Amendments
54. H.B. 551, Elected Official Publicity Amendments
55. S.B. 18, Election Fundraising Amendments
56. S.B. 30, Forest Fire Resources Compact Amendments
57. S.B. 33, Water Rights Recording Amendments
58. S.B. 36, Water Quality Board Amendments
59. S.B. 51, State Resource Management Plan Amendments
60. S.B. 73, Statewide Initiatives Amendments
61. S.B. 80, Water Fee Amendments
62. S.B. 113, Traffic Code Amendments
63. S.B. 145, Technical Senate District Boundary Adjustment
64. S.B. 149, Natural Resources Modifications
65. S.B. 158, Sale or Lease of Federally Managed Public Land Amendments
66. S.B. 159, Environmental Quality Modifications
67. S.B. 172, Local Health Department Amendments
68. S.B. 216, Environmental Quality Amendments
69. S.B. 220, Construction Modifications
70. S.B. 234, Severance Amendments
71. S.B. 290, Candidate Licensing Amendments
72. S.B. 314, Special District Modifications
73. S.B. 328, Alcohol Amendments
74. S.B. 334, Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University
75. S.B. 338, Nonprofit Entities Amendments

Lindsay Aerts and Matthew Drachman contributed to this report.