2025 Legislative Recap BY SHAWN BENJAMIN, AIA, LEED AP Arnold Palmer once said, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening ...” Despite my meager efforts to play the game, I find myself defaulting to another famous golf quote from the immortal words of Mark Twain: “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” I can’t help but draw a comparison between the game of golf and the most recent legislative session. With all due respect, the players converged, possibly slightly overdressed, with a bag of tools in hand … blank scorecard but pencils at the ready to record the event and/or modify it. The perceived 30 minutes’ worth of exercise stretches to an unbearable two and a half hours. Each hole played to its conclusion, only to begin the next again and again until, finally, the last ball dropped, and the fans dispersed. Similarly, our legislators congregated on Capitol Hill with a plan in hand and the hopes for a hole-in-one. The AIA Government Affairs Committee (GAC) also surged into the session, but with the targeted goal, “To promote and enhance the health and safety of all Utahns in the built environment through relationship building and lobbying of government officials.” This year, GAC narrowed 962 legislative works down to a list of 52 bills to track. Those bills included topics related to professional licensure, building codes, planning and land use, energy, social, real estate and business. Some derived from 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 is definitely a certain stamina required, but fortunately, we have engaging and well-respected lobbyists. Our efforts within the industry, combined with their efforts behind the scenes, continue to be an effective pairing. For the past several months, the GAC has been working hand in hand with industry professionals, various organizations, lobbyists and lawmakers to improve the professional ecosystem and enhance the lives of friends, family and strangers alike. Where they were able, they were involved in interim sessions, carefully evaluated proposed legislation and debated the merits in the hope of contributing to positive outcomes for our state and our communities. Leading up to the 2025 session, the GAC tracked past legislation, trending issues and technical subject matter related to the built environment. They looked for potential pitfalls as well as opportunities to raise the proverbial bar in our industry and, as a result, our communities. This year, the following bills warranted particular involvement from the GAC: • H.B. 037 — Utah Housing Amendments: This bill focused on opportunities to expand affordable housing in Utah. GAC worked with the representative to align housing concepts with associated code designations and requirements. GAC suggestions were incorporated. • H.B. 040 — School Safety Amendments: The bill makes amendments to building safety provisions for K-12 schools. While GAC was able to discuss several provisions of the bill with the representative, the most encouraging result was an invitation to join future discussions related to the implementation of the bill’s provisions. 20 REFLEXION
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