Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz announced on Friday the Legislature will review a law inspired by a criminal case involving the family member of Senate President Stuart Adams.
Over the past week, Adams has rejected calls for his resignation, defending his choice not to disclose his personal connection to a bill passed in 2024 that later was referenced in the trial of his granddaughter.
The provision, making up just a few lines in a 49-page criminal justice omnibus bill, SB213, allows 18-year-old high school students to be charged as 17-year-olds if they engage in noncoercive sexual activity with teenagers under the age of consent, which in Utah is 14.
In a stated effort to keep the process fair, Adams did not tell legislators, except for the bill’s primary sponsor — Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore — that his granddaughter was currently the defendant in a Davis County criminal case falling into that narrow category.
The law did not apply retroactively to Adams’ granddaughter. It was, however, referenced at her sentencing. Court observers disagree on the extent to which legislators’ actions may have shaped the eventual plea bargain that let the granddaughter avoid a prison sentence and sex offender designation.
“With the recent heightened attention on S.B. 213, I believe it’s important to reconvene stakeholders for further discussion to ensure we arrived at the right policy,” Schultz, R-Hooper, said in the statement.
How did the law come about?
Schultz affirmed what Adams and Cullimore previously told the Deseret News, that SB213 “was vetted through the full legislative process” and that “the proposed policy change was transparent to legislators, stakeholders, and the public.”
The provision based on the experience of Adams’ granddaughter was included in SB213 after Cullimore collaborated with Cara Tangaro, the granddaughter’s defense attorney, to identify changes to state code that would prevent future high school students from being charged with child rape when no force was involved.
While the policy change stemming from these conversations did not emerge from the same interim meetings that produced the rest of SB213, it was mentioned in every committee hearing and floor debate, and was read aloud in its entirety before the House vote.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, the House sponsor of SB213, said she was not aware of the origin of the policy change. In a statement to the Deseret News, she said she was “grateful” for the opportunity to take another look at the state’s “sex crimes against minors code.”
“The Legislature and the public are both focused on this topic, and with that focus, I am confident that sound, concise, and clear policy will be the result of this working group’s effort,” Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, said.
What will legislators do about the law?
Schultz said he and Adams agree that following the bipartisan backlash there is a need to revisit the policy. The two leaders plan to organize a group of policy experts to analyze state laws related to unlawful sexual activity among high school students, according to Schultz.
“It’s certainly within their purview as legislators,” Tangaro told the Deseret News. “I think this statute will stand up to scrutiny and am happy for it to be reviewed.”
Last week, state Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City, and Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King, called on Adams to resign, alleging that he had abused his power by not disclosing the potential conflict of interest posed by SB213.
There are always “messy and opaque” processes in a part-time legislature, but institutions can lose credibility if constituents believe policies are shaped by “abuses of power,” Blouin told the Deseret News in a statement.
“Acknowledging and correcting the mistake made here confirms the need to address our work with more humility, transparency, and truthfulness,” Blouin said.
In an interview with Deseret News and KSL.com on Monday, Adams repeatedly defended his actions, saying that if he would have revealed his family situation it would have biased the process and distracted from the policy itself.
Adams claimed to have had no participation in the drafting of the provision, or its placement in SB213, and said the way the bill became law “was done ethically and morally perfect.”
“A thoughtful review of S.B. 213 will ensure our policies remain grounded in safety and fairness,” Adams said in a statement on Friday. “I welcome the opportunity for a working group to ensure our laws are thoughtful and reflect Utah’s values.”