‘Families are squeezed:’ Utah lawmakers urged to focus on high cost of living

SALT LAKE CITY — A group of Utahns called on state lawmakers to focus on the high cost of living.

At a rally Thursday on the steps of the Capitol, faith and community leaders said too many families are getting left behind as prices keep rising. They urged legislators to spend the 45-day legislative session — which started last week and runs through March 6 — working on helping Utahns afford to live.

Brandon Dew, steering committee member of the group United Today, Stronger Tomorrow, which organized Thursday’s event, put things in perspective about the cost of living in Utah today compared to the past.

“When I purchased my home back in 1995, I was making $17 an hour,” he said. “To buy that same home today in Riverton, Utah, my children and their spouses have to make an equivalent of $68 an hour.”

Brittany Bringhurst, a Kaysville resident, said more families like hers have multiple generations living at home, and healthcare costs are rising.

“When housing is unaffordable and healthcare support is stripped away, families are squeezed from both sides,” she said. “Caregiving becomes harder, workforce participation drops communities weaken.”

Bringhurst urged legislators to view those issues “through the lens of real families — my family.”

“Protect all social services,” she said. “Preserve and strengthen programs that keep people cared for at home and in their communities. And take bold, serious action on housing affordability so that Utah remains a place where working families — not just the lucky few — can build a future.”

What lawmakers say they’re doing to help

Several Republican legislators attended Thursday’s event and spoke about things they’re working on. Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, said he’s focused on banning hidden “junk” fees on purchases and restricting “harmful” noncompete contracts that prevent movement in the workforce.

Rep. Clint Okerlund, R-Sandy, said he has asked for money to fund a study that could lead to the state helping people pay to make their homes more energy efficient.

And Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, pointed to his efforts to obtain federal funding, along with some state dollars, to provide six months of rental assistance for people who need it. He also said he’s trying to ensure inmates who are released from jail have access to resources to help them “become a productive member of society.”

The longtime lawmaker also made a pitch for protecting funding for social services.

“There are many Utahns that will never need Medicaid, and won’t ever struggle with housing. But we have many neighbors that do. And if we help those neighbors, it helps all of us and helps keep our bills down, too,” Dunnigan said. “If we take insurance away from those who need it the most, they will still access medical care. They’ll go to the hospital and they’ll go to the emergency room. The law says they can’t be turned away. They won’t be able to pay their bill, and those costs are going to be spread to those of us that are fortunate enough to have insurance.”

Utah lawmakers are currently working through requests for money and will spend much of the next few weeks hammering out a state budget. It’s a tighter budget this year, GOP leaders have told KSL, as Utah is facing a loss of $300 million in tax revenue from the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Legislative leaders are also eyeing an income tax cut for the sixth straight year. A plan to do that is starting to advance. It would save a typical Utah family around $45 a year, according to estimates. But opponents have urged lawmakers to forego another tax cut and instead spend that money on social services or other community needs.

Rep. Jefferson Burton, R-Salem, touted the Legislature’s tax cuts over the last few years, as well as lower gas prices, as “some good news” in the state.

Meanwhile, Utah’s housing market remains one of the least affordable in the country. Leaders in the House and Senate said they are working on a plan to make money available for cities to build infrastructure for new housing developments so those projects can move forward, leading to a greater supply of homes. Gov. Spencer Cox has called to build 35,000 starter homes by the end of his second term in 2029, although he acknowledged the state is “behind schedule.”

Burton said he wants to see more single-family homes built on smaller lots, given how expensive land is.

“This is what our young people want, and so we’re exploring these kinds of things, working with our local communities,” he said. “We believe local communities should make local decisions. But we have good ideas, and we’re going to share and work together to get this solved once and for all in the state of Utah.”

Separately at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon, another group of GOP legislators held a news conference highlighting policies they said take a “holistic approach” to helping and supporting Utah families. Those policy proposals include increasing paid maternity leave for state employees, expanding the child tax credit and helping small businesses get more money back for offering child care or building child care facilities.

A note of optimism

Despite the challenges facing the state, Rev. Dr. Curtis Price of the First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City struck a note of optimism. Even as families are “struggling right now” with soaring housing and healthcare costs, the religious leader called on lawmakers to work together in a bipartisan way to help.

“We are seeking solutions that allow not just a few but all Utahns to thrive,” Price said. “These challenges seem daunting, but they are not impossible to overcome if we work together.”

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