PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2021
Salt Lake City, UT – Today, Alliance for a Better Utah published its annual Progress Report for the 2021 General Legislative Session. This year, lawmakers were graded for their votes on 66 important bills organized into four categories: Strong Communities, Equal Rights, Good Government, and Sustainable Future. All 104 legislators received one overall grade, as well as grades in each of the four categories.
The 2021 Progress Report scores, grades, and rubric can be found along with previous years’ scores at the interactive website, ProgressReport.BetterUtah.org. A summary of the overall scores can be found attached to this email.
Lauren Simpson, policy director at Alliance for a Better Utah, said, “For many people, the Legislative Session can be confusing, intimidating, and inaccessible. We hope that the Progress Report can help bridge this gap by giving people the tools to know what their representatives are up to and how they’re voting on the most important issues on Capitol Hill. Utahns deserve to know how committed their lawmakers are to building a state where everyone can thrive.”
The highest overall grades in the House and Senate were earned by Representative Angela Romero and Senator Luz Escamilla. The lowest overall grades in the House and Senate were earned by Representative Travis Seegmiller and Senator John Johnson. This is the second year that Senator Luz Escamilla has earned the highest grade in the Senate.
The top-scoring legislators in each of the categories are as follows:
- Strong Communities: Representative Angela Romero; Senator Luz Escamilla
- Equal Rights: Representatives Jennifer Dailey-Provost and Rosemary Lesser; Senator Daniel Thatcher
- Good Government: Representatives Angela Romero and Mark Wheatley; Senator Derek Kitchen
- Sustainable Future: Representatives Jennifer Dailey-Provost, Suzanne Harrison, and Doug Owens; Senator Kathleen Riebe
The lowest-scoring legislators in each of the categories are as follows:
- Strong Communities: Representative Phil Lyman, Senator John Johnson
- Equal Rights: Representative Mike Kohler; Senator John Johnson
- Good Government: Representative Rex Shipp; Senators David Hinkins, Derrin Owens, and John Johnson
- Sustainable Future: Representative Travis Seegmiller; Senator Derrin Owens
A list of bills in each of the four categories can be found here. An explanation of the methodology can be found here. Like last year, the 2021 Progress Report includes both bills that passed the Legislature and bills that received some votes but ultimately did not pass.
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Alliance for a Better Utah is a nonprofit that holds politicians accountable and advocates for progressive policies that make Utah an even better place. The organization improves the lives of all Utahns through advocacy, transparency, and accountability in Utah politics, policy, and government. More information at www.betterutah.org.