Lt. Gov Henderson orders a stay of controversial union bill

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Lt. Gov Henderson has ordered a stay of the controversial union bill as county clerks continue to certify more signatures in an ongoing effort to force a referendum on the law.

The order released Tuesday afternoon comes after many county clerks have reached the required signatures to certify the referendum process. The order will “stay” H.B. 267, meaning it will halt the new law from going into effect, while clerks continue to count. As

of 9 a.m. this morning, the verified count stood at 245,513.

The Lieutenant Governor’s order contains three parts:

• H.B. 267 will not take effect until further notice listed within the order
• County clerks will continue to count and certify signatures as is the law
• The order will remain in effect until one of the following:
  • 5 days after the Lt. Governor finds the referendum insufficient, or
  • Indefinitely when the referendum is certified.

“[We are] proud that the Lt. Governor ordered a stay preventing H.B. 267 from going into effect,” The Protect Utah Workers Coalition said in a statement. “This deeply unpopular bill would have stripped public workers of our rights. We are one step closer to letting voters, not politicians, decide the future of collective bargaining in Utah.”

H.B. 267 passed the state legislature on Feb. 6, 2025, and was among the first bills that Governor Spencer Cox signed into law. The bill prevents collective bargaining among public employees by prohibiting public employers from recognizing public unions as a bargaining agent. It also prohibits the agreement to contracts from public unions, and prevents public money to promote unions.

As a part of the referendum process, the Lt. Governor has authority under their election powers to stay bills that are the subject of a referendum initiative. According to Utah State Code, the governor is required to issue a stay when a bill is subject to a referendum, and its procedural for this to be issued.

The count continues as clerks count the remaining signatures and engage in signature verification. Updates on this count are given at 9 a.m. and will continue until the signatures are all processed.