I am writing to urge you to vote against HB386 as amended with the substitute provisions from HB88. This legislative maneuver circumvents the proper committee process and undermines the deliberative function of our state legislature.
Rep. Trevor Lee's original bill, HB88, stalled in the House earlier this week after bipartisan concerns were raised. Rather than addressing those concerns through the standard legislative process, key provisions were inserted into Rep. Lisa Shepherd's HB386 on the floor. This substitute creates citizenship requirements for state retirement funds, housing assistance, broker and investment advisor licenses, and in-state tuition.
The fiscal impact alone should give you pause. As Rep. Raymond Ward noted during floor debate, this bill will not save the state money. Young Utahns without citizenship will forgo college if this becomes law, and the state will lose that tuition revenue with no clear replacement funding. This creates a net loss for Utah's higher education system and economy.
The human cost is even more significant. Rep. Hoang Nguyen shared that if this bill had been law when she was younger, she would not have been able to attend college and her mother would not have been able to buy a house or build their first restaurant. We are closing pathways for students who are meeting every standard and requirement to achieve citizenship, as House Minority Whip Jennifer Dailey-Provost emphasized.
HB386 was originally a narrow bill to repeal two unenacted immigration programs from 2011 to avoid potential federal lawsuits. That straightforward purpose has been hijacked to advance controversial provisions that could not pass on their own merits. This is poor legislative practice regardless of one's position on immigration policy.
I urge you to oppose HB386 in its current form and insist that any major policy changes go through proper committee review where stakeholders can provide input and fiscal impacts can be thoroughly analyzed.
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