Utah’s 2024 legislative session concluded on March 1. During the session, the legislature passed a record 591 bills and approved a $29 Billion state budget. How did the legislature do? For planners, a way of considering this question is to look at a couple of legislative actions taken, or not taken, against the Planner’s Code of Ethics. What does such an analysis reveal? Two analyzes will be reviewed. • An appropriations request was again considered to fund a plan of development and environmental impact statement to construct the 38-mile-long road across Navajo lands to connect US-163 to destinations north. The road would shave 3 hours of travel time. The Navajo Mountain and Olijato communities are isolated from Utah by terrain and the San Juan River. • The 2024 legislature passed H.B. 562 – Utah FairPark Area Investment and Restoration District. The bill commits $900 million in taxpayer money, and perhaps more, towards the construction of a Major League Baseball stadium and development of a Fairpark District surrounding the ballpark. What does the Code of Ethics have to say on these two (2) items, if anything?

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