If Cox signs bills, Utah could be first state to enact sweeping flag restrictions, ban adding fluoride, allow gold payments by the state, roll back universal voting by mail, and overhaul general ed
At least five big firsts came out of the 2025 Utah Legislature.
If Gov. Spencer Cox signs this batch of bills, Utah will become the first state in the nation to enact laws of their kind. They include:
- HB77, which prohibits many flags — including LGBTQ+ or pride flags — from being displayed not just in school classrooms, but also all government buildings. The bill would only allow flags included in a prescriptive list, which includes the U.S. flag, the state flag, military flags, Olympic flags, college or university flags, and others.
- HB81, which prohibits adding fluoride to public water systems.
- HB306, which allows the state to pay vendors in gold and silver after a previous law allowed the treasurer to invest up to 10% of the state’s rainy day funds in precious metals.
- HB300, which enacts voter ID requirements and makes Utah the first state with universal voting by mail to roll back that system, starting in 2029.
- SB334, which could lay the groundwork to overhaul college general education classes statewide, starting with a pilot program by establishing the Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University to “govern” all general education courses. Among other provisions, the bill requires humanities courses that focus on “Western civilization,” “American Institutions,” and “the rise of Christianity.” The bill also requires a report to the Utah Board of Higher Education to consider “system-wide changes to general education.”
In another unique move this year, lawmakers also passed a pair of first-of-their-kind bills aimed at social media. One would require app stores to police the ages of users and link accounts for users under 18 to a parent or guardian to provide permission. The other would order social media companies to create a data sharing network that would give users more control over their personal information.
Find more details on each of these bills, here.
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About the Author
Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness. Read the original article on Utah News Dispatch’s website, here.
