I vaguely recall, from my youth, the Oscar-winning movie “Chariots of Fire,” loaded with what I’m sure was an amazing cast and compelling storyline, a veritable struggle between “good” and “evil” and the inevitable triumph of right over wrong. I have to admit, the only part I remember was the ending — where everyone is running on the beach and that song starts to play. I’m sure you know it … dun, dun-dun-dun, dunnnnn. It’s been stuck in my head for days now.

Not unlike the plot to that silver screen classic, our legislators converged on capital hill with an unfiltered school of thoughts running through their heads. To help tame that, the AIA Government Affairs Committee (GAC) also charges into each session, but with the directive, “To promote and enhance the health and safety of all Utahns in the built environment through relationship building and lobbying of government officials.”

From the first day, legislation was pouring in from seemingly everwhere. Early on, we saw several social bills run through the halls of the House and Senate chambers passing quickly to be signed by the Governor within days of the opening of the session. SB089 (Social Media Modifications), HB0257 (Sex‑based Designations for Privacy, Anti-bullying and Women’s Opportunities) and HB0261 (Equal Opportunity Initiatives) were a few among the first waves to hit the shore and seemingly crash over the remaining efforts of the 45-day undertaking.

Once the more charged bills of the session found their way to passage, the rest of the record 940 bills came to light. Some derived from legislators’ personal experiences, others from community clamor, some from agencies within the state and others from interests out of state. On every front they make their way through committees, draft revisions and substitutions to land at the final floor vote before being signed into law. There’s a certain stamina required, but fortunately, we have engaging and well-respected lobbyists. So, our efforts within the industry, combined with their efforts behind the scenes, continues to be an effective pairing.

Leading up to the 2024 session, the GAC tracked some past legislation, community issues and technical subject matter related to the built environment. They looked for potential pitfalls as well as opportunities to improve our industry and as a result, our communities. Here are a few of the highlights from the session:

By the Numbers

• • 940 pieces of legislation were introduced.
  • 591 bills passed with 555 signed by the governor; and 7 vetoes.

Additional Bills of Interest

House Bills

• • HB0011: Restricts lawn or turf by certain government entities.
  • HB0058: Broadens education/experience requirements, temporary license.
  • HB0064: Construction Code revisions including revert ICC A117.1-09.
  • HB0188: No changes can be required after the permit is issued, except for life safety.
  • HB0275: HOA can’t require to keep lawn or turf — effort to encourage water-wise use.
  • HB0289: Allows for legal fees if prevailing with an ombudsman decision in your favor.
  • HB0343: Modifies list of design professional, for purposes of the Utah Procurement Code, to include landscape architects.
  • HB0518: Amendments to various building codes.
  • HB0534: Modifies and combines the architects’ and landscape architects’ licensing boards.
  • HB0562: Utah State Fair Park Restoration District Amendments.

Senate Bills

• • SB0144: Public Art Funding Amendments.
  • SB0168: Modular Building Provisions.
  • SB0185: Allows for third party building inspections when cities can’t accommodate.
  • SB0188: Modified CEU requirements for contractors.
  • SB0208: Requires 12% to be ‘affordable’ housing, met in each phase of development.
  • SB0272: Sales tax for revitalization including professional sports venues.

For more info on the bills that passed this last session, visit https://le.utah.gov/asp/passedbills/passedbills.asp?Session=2024GS&SortType=billno.

Congressional Bills

As noted from previous articles, AIA has been advocating for you directly and is excited to see HR 7024 (Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024) making its way through the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Part of this bill addresses provisions of research and development deductions that switched to an amortized model under a prior sunset provision. Due to the intense impact on design firms across the nation, AIA members on both local and national levels have reached out to their representatives to encourage support of this and other similar bills. On Jan. 31, the House voted in favor of this new bill with significant bipartisanship and a 357-70 count. Thank you everyone for your collective efforts, but it still has to pass the Senate, so keep up the pressure and help your interests be represented across the country.

As we step into the off-season, we’re finding that more and more participation is needed from our industry in the interim sessions to help us stay engaged in a process that seems to progressively be doing the majority of work before and after legislative sessions. Our goal is to be in a position to preemptively respond to coming legislation by working with House and Senate representatives earlier in the process. If you don’t see a bill that you’ve been tracking, let us know and join us for our GAC meetings the second Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. each month. We’re certainly open to more input from all our professionals as we prepare for the next session. We’ve got an amazing group of industry professionals, networks of related industry organizations and tremendous lobbyists, but we can definitely use your help in this effort. Whether it’s joining our meetings, making calls to your local representatives, or sharing your subject matter expertise, your voice matters most when it is heard.

… And if you happen to see a group of legislators running around the Great Salt Lake beaches on a cloudy day, just let it happen. They probably just have that song stuck in their heads too … dun, dun-dun-dun, dunnnn-dun … dun, dun-dun-dun-dunnnnn.

In addition, AIA Utah’s Board of Directors offered support for two letters encouraging Utah Legislators to consider additional focus for both the homeless population, as well as the often underrepresented LGBTQ+ groups in our communities and business interests. If you are interested in reading the advocacy letters sent by AIA Utah, please visit the Governmental Affairs page on our website at www.aiautah.org.