- Utah lawmakers rejected two bills to establish new state holidays.
- Election Day would have been made a holiday to encourage more people to vote.
- Bill to add Good Friday as a holiday comes after Utah added a list of holy days last year.
Two bills that would have created new holidays in the state have both failed in the Utah Legislature this session.
One of the bills, HB104, would have made Election Day a state holiday, and the other, SB193, would have the state recognize Good Friday as a legal holiday.
HB104 made it through a House committee, but on Feb. 9, it failed to pass a vote on the House floor.
After advancing through a Senate committee, the Good Friday bill went to a vote on the Senate floor on Monday. It failed with a vote of 12 to 12.
The discussion around Election Day becoming a new holiday
HB104, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, would add Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, as a state holiday.
Wilcox’s goal of making Election Day a state holiday is to encourage people to go out and vote.
There are already provisions in state code that require employers to give employees time off to vote.
Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful, raised concerns about the cost of lost state productivity that comes from adding another holiday.
“By making it a holiday, we emphasize its importance. It doesn’t force businesses to close, but it gives them a reason to allow their employees time to go vote in person if they choose,” Wilcox said.
The discussion around making Good Friday a state holiday
Last year, Sen. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, passed a bill that created a number of state “holy days” recognizing and honoring traditions from different cultures and religions.
One of the reasons Stratton has supported these pieces of legislation, he said, is that he believes in the importance of religious liberty. This year, he has focused on Good Friday.
“To honor the most solemn day on the Christian calendar, recognizing the supreme sacrifice Jesus made for all humanity. And No. 2, practically allow people to take the day off to reflect and participate,” Stratton said.
SB193 would have required schools around the state to plan their spring breaks and other days off based on Good Friday.
Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, spoke in opposition to the bill.
“As we look across the state and we deal with all the districts, not every district wants to have the same week off, and it’s actually been nice to have varying weeks off for the holidays. I think a lot of our school districts would find this to be problematic for creating their calendar,” she said.
Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, spoke against the bill and argued that a compromise had already been reached by designating the list of holy days last year. He added that establishing Good Friday as a state holiday feels premature.