Rep. Birkeland announces she’ll resign from Utah Legislature

SALT LAKE CITY — State Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, has announced her resignation from the Utah Legislature.

On Thursday afternoon, Birkeland, who has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2020, said she will step down on Jan. 10, 2025, according to her resignation letter posted to social media.

“My family and professional commitments have increasingly required my attention away from home, a trend I anticipate will persist for the next year or two,” Birkeland wrote. “This choice was not made lightly; it has weighed heavily on my mind for some time, partly because I feel that my work here is far from complete. Nevertheless, the present circumstances demand that I focus on other significant responsibilities.”

My priorities are:
My Faith
My Family
My constituents

Right now my family, particularly my parents, need more of my time.#utleg pic.twitter.com/0LJXCxhEgI

— KeraBirk (@KeraBirk) December 26, 2024

In an email to her House colleagues Thursday, Birkeland elaborated. She noted that her “mother’s illness has required significant time and attention, and I feel it’s necessary to focus on my family during this challenging period.”

Birkeland quickly became a high-profile member of the House GOP caucus. She sponsored several controversial pieces of legislation dealing with LGBTQ issues.

HB11, a law that Birkeland sponsored in 2022 barred transgender children from competing in girls’ sports. It earned a rare veto from Gov. Spencer Cox before the Legislature overrode it. A lawsuit put that prohibition on hold where it remains pending the outcome. But a separate section of the law allows a state commission to decide whether an athlete can participate in a team aligning with their gender identity.

Please read the complete story and more from Daniel Woodruff at KSLTV.com.