Washington, D.C. – The Club for Growth Foundation has released its 2025 Utah State Economic Scorecard, detailing how legislators in the Beehive State handle economic policies in Salt Lake City. Center Square’s Andrew Rice covered the release as an exclusive report.
The Scorecard analyzes policies and votes to assign an Economic Growth Score from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest support for pro-growth policies. In 2025, the Foundation reviewed over 1,950 floor votes, scoring 18 votes in the Utah House and 18 in the Utah Senate.
“Legislators in Utah took meaningful steps to promote pro-growth economic policies in 2025, including reducing overall income taxes by $215 million, restricting taxpayer-funded subsidies for unprofitable green energy projects, and allowing government employees to withdraw from union memberships voluntarily,” said Club for Growth Foundation President David McIntosh. “Despite these victories, lawmakers failed to lower spending levels that threaten the financial well-being of Utahns—increasing the state’s overall budget by 4.8%, costing taxpayers an estimated $2.4 million in revenue through expanded tourism taxes, and creating burdensome regulations around childcare. To create an economic environment that will allow Utah to compete with states across the country, lawmakers must get spending under control and slash regulations to boost competition.”
Click here to read the full Utah State Economic Scorecard from the Club for Growth Foundation.
Key Highlights from the 2025 Utah Scorecard:
Utah Senate:
- Average Republican Score: 44%
- Average Democrat Score: 4%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): Sen. John Johnson (SD-03): 69%
- Highest Rated Democrat(s): Sen. Nate Blouin (SD-13): 11%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Sen. Ann Millner (SD-05) and Sen. Daniel Thatcher (SD-11): 17%
- Lowest Rated Democrat(s): Sen. Luz Escamilla (SD-10) and Sen. Karen Kwan (SD-12): 0%
Utah House:
- Average Republican Score: 59%
- Average Democratic Score: 8%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): Rep. Trevor Lee (HD-16): 87%
- Highest Rated Democrats(s): Rep. Ashlee Matthews (HD-37): 18%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Rep. Tyler Clancy (HD-60): 26%
- Lowest Rated Democrats(s): Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion (HD-41), Rep. Verona Mauga (HD-31), Rep. Grant Miller (HD-24), Rep. Hoang Nguyen (HD-23), and Rep. Angela Romero (HD-25): 4%
Notable Pro-Growth Legislation:
HB 106 – MODEST INCOME TAX REDUCTION
- Reduces the individual and corporate income tax rates from 4.55 percent to 4.5 percent
- Estimated to reduce overall taxes for hardworking Utahns by roughly $215 million through FY2027
HB 241 – RESTRICTING SOLAR ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
- Prohibits eligibility for taxpayer-backed incentives for solar energy infrastructure if such projects are located on farmland, irrigated cropland, or grazing areas
- Restricts government subsidies to solar facilities partially located on such land by the percentage equal to the facility’s total area that overlaps with such land
HB 267 – RESTRICTING TAXPAYER-FUNDED UNIONS
- Prohibits government entities from using unions as collective bargaining agents
- Bars taxpayer resources from going toward or benefiting unions
- Restricts paid leave from being used for union activities
- Empowers government employees to voluntarily withdraw from union membership upon written notice without punishment
- Imposes new reporting requirements on unions regarding their political activities
Notable Anti-Growth Legislation:
HB 4 – MISSED OPPORTUNITY APPROPRIATIONS PACKAGE
- The budget as a whole authorizes $30.8 billion–a 4.8 percent increase in total spending from the previous fiscal year
- Includes $156 million for a 2.5 percent across-the-board pay increase for government employees
- Over $36 million to construct Convergence Hall as part of a broader tech-focused corporate welfare plan
- $20 million in subsidized “first-time home buyer” subsidies
- $472 million in “one-time” K-12 project expenses
HB 456 – LOCAL TOURISM TAX INCREASE SCHEME
- Authorizes 28 of the state’s 29 counties to increase the transient room tax from 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent in a bid to generate revenue for tourism purposes
- Creates the Outdoor Recreation Mitigation Grant Fund to provide counties with revenue to offset visitor-related costs
- Estimates suggest this will increase state and county tax collections by $58.6 million through FY2027 and impose at least $61 million in new tax burdens on individuals over the same time period
SB 189 – GOVERNMENT CHILD CARE EXPANSION
- Requires the Division of Facilities Construction and Management to partner with specific employers to transform government buildings into child care centers
- Mandates that 50 percent of children must belong to employees of the sponsoring businesses, with the remaining 50 percent belonging to government employees or eligible nearby residents
- Estimates suggest that the minimum cost of this initiative would exceed $2.1 million
Note: This Scorecard is based on selected votes and does not reflect a legislator’s entire voting record. The Club for Growth Foundation does not endorse or oppose any legislator for public office.