Newsletter- Rep. Albrecht’s Fourth Week of Session 2/14/25; It was another week of great work on the Hill as we officially hit the halfway point of the Session. My colleagues and I are working hard to pass legislation that is good for Utah and Rural Utah. As we approach these final few weeks, we will continue to pass bills that strengthen public safety, secure Utah’s energy future, and address issues that affect the future of Utah.
Week 2 Highlights
I had two more bills pass through the House Floor with both HB 174: Water Rights Restricted Account and HB 239: Disaster Funds Revisions passing unanimously on Tuesday. HB 174 makes Rural Utah water infrastructure more secure by allowing the state engineer more freedoms in legal payments with the restricted account, while HB 239 allocates funds differently, making the money needed during disaster relief and prevention more accessible.
I presented my last bills in House Committees, HJR 3: Joint Resolution Regarding State Prisoner Placement in Iron County Correctional Facility and HB 202: Private Landowner Big Game Revisions. On Wednesday, HJR 3 was presented to the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee. This bill allows jail expansion, providing much needed additional space in the Iron County Correctional Facility. HB 202 was presented to the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment. HB 202 allocates bull elk tags to landowners between 4,000 to 8,999 contiguous acres. This bill protects landowners’ rights, giving them the ability to legally deal with the elk causing damages to their property. Both passed unanimously.
On Monday I presented two of my water bills, to the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee; HB 41: State Water Policy Amendments and HB 47: Public Lands Watering Rights Amendments. These two bills help improve water management in Utah by promoting state water planning and protecting grazers water rights from Federal Government overreach on Public Lands. Both passed unanimously.
My bill HB 249: Nuclear Power Amendments was heard in the Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee. After robust conversation, we’re one step closer to securing Utah’s energy future with the bill passing unanimously.
On Wednesday, members of the Utah Local Leadership Academy joined Rep. Christine Watkins and I at the Capitol for a tour of the House Floor and a Q&A. It was a great opportunity to meet with local rural leadership to explain our process to them while answering their questions.
Our weekly Rural Caucus was a success as usual. We heard a number of presentations spanning from higher education in rural communities from SUU President Mindy Benson to an update from Congressman Owens on his works to help Rural Utah. These efforts all go a long way in preserving Rural Utah and our rural way of life.
I had the opportunity to briefly speak with the Utah Federation of Republican Women on Wednesday where I updated them on my bills this session. It’s important to keep groups like this informed and involved throughout the legislative process.
Dennis and Kellie Jorgensen from Jorgenson Powersports joined me for a citation on the House and Senate Floor to recognize their contributions and service to their community. The Jorgenson’s are leaders of the Richfield community, owning several different businesses and dealerships in Richfield that benefit the area immensely. They have served Central Utah for decades, and it was an honor to recognize them in this manner.
Committees
This week we finished appropriations committees, meaning that we will now be holding committee meetings in the morning as well as the afternoon. As we head into this back-half of the Session, we will be seeing an increase in committee meetings and floor time in an effort to get more bills through the legislative process.
The 2025 General Session has produced some great legislation for our state thus far, but we’re far from finished and your involvement is vital to our process. Please make your voice heard and feel free to attend any public meetings or attend online to listen and testify.
Contact me through phone or email; carlalbrecht@le.utah.gov, (435) 979-6578, or contact my intern Joe Boyle; jboyle@le.utah.gov, (386) 420-3096.
Thank you for your continued support.
