Salt Lake City, UT — Libertas Institute today announced its legislative agenda for the upcoming session, aimed at advancing liberty through thoughtful reform. Below are the five key policy areas Libertas will champion during the session.
1) Replace Degrees with Competency in Licensing
Underemployment is a huge issue in Utah, with 52% of recent college graduates holding a job below the income level expected for their degree. This problem is compounded by the fact that Utah is currently losing 19,000 jobs annually due to burdensome licensing barriers.
Libertas Institute will push to remove degree mandates and replace them with skills-based evaluations, promote universal recognition of licenses and certifications from other states, countries, and the military, and empower industries to create and recognize certifications tailored to their needs. Libertas will work to eliminate the unnecessary barriers that are preventing Utahns from securing a job equivalent to their skills or education level. The bill file will be opened by Senator John Johnson.
2) Legalize Family-Friendly Neighborhoods
The average cost of a home in Utah is now over $500,000, which leaves many families unable to qualify for a mortgage. In addition, these same families are often barred from running a small business or offering other basic neighborhood services. There is one key cause of this: the erosion of property rights through zoning rules that block owners from building needed homes and businesses.
Libertas Institute advocates for zoning reforms that allow more starter homes, microschools, and home-based businesses—restoring basic property rights and addressing the high cost of housing. We are working closely with Senator Lincoln Fillmore on family-friendly neighborhoods.
3) Military Crosswalk
Veterans have risked their lives for our freedom, and the least we can do is make it easier for them to find good jobs after leaving the military. The last thing they should be faced with is unnecessary hurdles as many are already qualified for the necessary licenses based on equivalent military experience. We have nearly 130,000 veterans who live in Utah, and it’s unfair to make them start from scratch.
Libertas will advocate for legislation to utilize equivalency charts that match military specialties with Utah licenses, streamline and expedite the application process, and waive redundant education requirements. The bill file will be opened by Senator Heidi Balderree.
4) Protect Utahns from the Surveillance State
We must protect our Constitutional rights against the growing surveillance state, as Benjamin Franklin warned, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Libertas Institute will work to require legislative approval before government agencies can deploy new surveillance technologies, ensuring public consent and constitutional oversight. Our work is imperative to address the unchecked use of tools like automated license plate readers and facial recognition. The bill file will be opened by Representative Ryan Wilcox.
5) Increase Access to Affordable Legal Services
Tens of thousands of Utahns facing legal issues such as eviction, debt collection, and domestic disputes are left without affordable and meaningful legal assistance because of too many regulations.
Libertas will work to expand access to affordable legal services in the upcoming session. Our proposal would enable non-legal professionals to provide a limited yet important set of legal services and clarify the rules regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence by attorneys to help those who need legal services the most. The bill file will be opened by Representative David Shallenberger.
