Utah lawmakers are the vanguard of policies that shape the state’s housing market. And more than one-third of the Legislature is also, in some capacity, profiting from Utah’s real estate.
The Salt Lake Tribune set out to create databases of state senators’ and representatives’ financial interests and professional affiliations that tie them to real estate and development, and bills they have successfully proposed that impact those industries.
To build these databases, a Tribune reporter combed through dozens of conflict of interest disclosures for all 29 members of the Senate and 75 members of the House. The information on those financial disclosures is voluntarily self-disclosed by lawmakers.
The reporter also compiled bills based on subject tags used by the Legislatures that relate to real estate and development going back to 2018 — the year the Legislature created the Commission on Housing Affordability. The passed legislation included in these databases is not exhaustive, but represents dozens of subject tags attached to bills.
[Read also: More than a third of Utah lawmakers profit from real estate. Is that good for Utah’s housing crisis?]
The databases do not imply conflicts of interest or wrongdoing. Lawmakers involved in development and construction often propose legislation that improves safety or eliminates statutory red tape that limits affordable housing from being built.
If you are not sure who represents you, search for your legislators here.
