President’s Message: Investing in Utah Through People, Policy and Partnership

Looking back on the 2026 Legislative Session, it is clear that Utah’s business community showed up and showed up well. Across 1,015 numbered bills, more than 540 passed into law, with lawmakers adopting over 400 substitute bills and 200 amendments along the way. The Legislature also finalized Utah’s fiscal year 2027 budget, a roughly $30 billion plan that directs approximately $10 billion toward public and higher education, $3.2 billion toward transportation and infrastructure and $2.5 billion toward health and human services; alongside continued investments in water infrastructure, housing programs and economic development. This was an intense session, and the outcomes reflect it.

As I reflect on what we accomplished together this session, I keep coming back to three principles that I believe define how we invest in Utah and what our state needs from us to succeed. The first is people. Dignity and respect matter. Every policy we champion, whether it is expanding access to affordable child care, supporting early literacy or opening legal pathways into the workforce, is ultimately about people: the employees, families and entrepreneurs who make Utah the remarkable place it is. When we fight for pro-prosperity policy, we are fighting for them.

The second principle is policy. We must all be in the policymaking process, because the voice of the business community is essential to protecting not only our economy but also our communities and families. This session, that presence made a real difference. The Legislature passed S.B. 241, advancing early literacy programs that will put more children on grade-level reading trajectories. Lawmakers approved H.B. 250, a meaningful win for small employers that makes it easier to offer retirement benefits to their workers. And the passage of H.B. 236, the Truth in Taxation measure, demonstrated what it looks like to get to the root of a problem and fix the system and offer a constructive, balanced alternative to property tax proposals that would have burdened commercial property owners and slowed economic investment. We were engaged on homelessness as well, supporting a more coordinated approach to connecting people with services, housing affordability and workforce reentry. Progress was made, and our advocacy was part of it.

The third principle is partnership. We build community on common ground. We must work collaboratively and avoid silos. Few things illustrated that better this session than the work around H.B. 492 and S.B. 130. The Infrastructure Fund secured $100 million in low-interest loan capacity to help communities build infrastructure that unlocks housing, a direct result of business and government finding shared goals. And the River Restoration bill, championed in partnership with The Larry H. Miller Company and featuring a press conference at the Power District, is a model for what happens when the private sector invests in the places where Utahns live, work and gather. Our members made that possible, and it will benefit communities across our state for years to come.

Utah’s long-term success depends on deliberate choices to invest in Utah, in our people, our infrastructure, our communities and our shared prosperity. The session is behind us, but the work goes on. With the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on the horizon and Utah Rising building momentum, the decisions we make together in the months ahead will shape what kind of state we hand off to the next generation. I am proud of what we accomplished and am excited for what comes next.