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August 21st, 2024
Utah House Democratic Caucus on the Passage of Constitutional Amendment Legislation
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah House Democratic Caucus released the following statement at the conclusion of the 2024 4th Special Session:
“Tonight, the Utah Legislature pushed through a bill to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. If approved, this amendment would give the Legislature unprecedented power to amend, enact, or repeal laws established by citizen initiatives or referendums. This power grab is a direct response to the Utah Supreme Court’s ruling that limited the Legislature's ability to interfere with voter-approved initiatives.
This amendment is a blatant attempt to silence Utah voters. Republicans have spun this as giving people a choice, but in reality, it’s an effort to grab more power for themselves. They claim the Supreme Court’s decision ties their hands, but in truth, it’s a necessary check on their overreach. This proposed amendment isn’t about protecting the process; it’s about undermining Utahns’ rights through a rushed, unthorough, and nontransparent special legislative session designed to obstruct public input. If it passes in November, the Legislature could drastically change or even overturn the intent of voter-approved initiatives, effectively erasing the will of the people. Despite their talk of small government, this is big government overreach at its worst.
The Republican supermajority is pretending to let voters decide, while actually stripping away their power to reform government. They don’t trust Utah’s electorate to make the right decisions. Utah’s constitution places the power to reform government in the hands of the people, but with this proposed amendment, the Republican supermajority is trying to take that power away—a betrayal of the trust Utahns place in their democracy.”
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