Utah lawmaker abandons bill letting car dealerships stay open all weekend

“He was an advocate for a six-day cycle,” said Craig Bickmore, executive director of New Car Dealers of Utah. “He led the effort.”

Bickmore said requiring dealerships to stay closed one weekend day is healthy.

“This is just something that is good for the employees, good for their families,” he said.

Bickmore insisted that dealers would feel pressure to stay open if the law changed. Senate Majority Whip Chris Wilson, R-Logan, agreed.

“It’ll force new car dealers to be open on Sunday,” Wilson said during a media availability Friday with reporters.

Wilson is a car dealer and owns Wilson Motor Company in Logan.

“We can’t really hire more employees,” Wilson said. “Really, how it works is, you’re going to have to have them work more hours.”

Wilson was blunt about his thoughts on Pitcher’s proposal to change the law.

“I think it’s a horrible bill,” he said.

Government ‘carve-outs’

But Pitcher, an attorney who has served in the Legislature since 2019, finds the law a little weird.

“Why are we making carve-outs for car dealerships, but not other industries?” Pitcher said.

She said she plans to watch another bill moving through the House of Representatives dealing with businesses that are required to stay open on Sundays. But for now, Pitcher does not plan to pursue the legislation on car dealerships any further.

“I think we’re going to let it go this session,” Pitcher said.

Still, for her, the issue remains.