Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 259 (2025GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Stratton, Keven J.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/25/2025

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• designates certain days and time periods of special religious significance as state holy days;
• provides that a state holy day is not a legal holiday, unless expressly provided otherwise;
• designates Easter Sunday as a legal holiday, but one that is not recognized on the preceding Friday or the following Monday; and
• provides that a state employee may use the state employee's personal preference day to recognize a state holy day or for any other purpose.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

10
63G-1-301
State Holiday Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Keven J. Stratton
House Sponsor: 
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill designates Good Friday as a legal holiday.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
designates Good Friday, on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, as a legal holiday; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
63G-1-301
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 331
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1, Section 
63G-1-301
 is amended to read:
63G-1-301. Legal holidays -- Personal preference day -- Governor authorized to 
declare additional days.
(1)
(a)
The following named days are legal holidays in this state:
(i)
every Sunday, except as provided in Subsection 
(1)(e)
(1)(d)
;
(ii)
January 1, called New Year's Day;
(iii)
the third Monday of January, called Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day;
(iv)
the third Monday of February, called Washington and Lincoln Day;
(v)
the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, called Good Friday;
(v)
(vi)
the last Monday of May, called Memorial Day;
(vi)
(vii)
on the day described in Subsection 
(1)(f)
(1)(e)
, Juneteenth National 
Freedom Day;
(vii)
(viii)
July 4, called Independence Day;
(viii)
(ix)
July 24, called Pioneer Day;
(ix)
(x)
the first Monday of September, called Labor Day;
(x)
(xi)
the second Monday of October, called Columbus Day;
(xi)
(xii)
November 11, called Veterans Day;
(xii)
(xiii)
the fourth Thursday of November, called Thanksgiving Day;
(xiii)
(xiv)
December 25, called Christmas; and
(xiv)
(xv)
all days which may be set apart by the President of the United States, or 
the governor of this state by proclamation as days of fast or thanksgiving.
(b)
If any of the holidays under Subsections 
(1)(a)(ii)
 through 
(v)
 or Subsections 
(1)(a)(vii)
 through 
(xiv)
, falls on Sunday, then the following Monday shall be the 
holiday.
(c)
If any of the holidays under Subsections 
(1)(a)(ii)
 through 
(v)
 or Subsections 
(1)(a)(vii)
 through 
(xiv)
 falls on Saturday, then the preceding Friday shall be the 
holiday.
(d)
(b)
Except as provided in Subsection 
(1)(e)
, for a holiday described in Subsection 
(1)(a) that is not a specified day of the week:
(i)
if the holiday falls on a Saturday, then the preceding Friday shall be the holiday; 
and
(ii)
if the holiday falls on a Sunday, then the following Monday shall be the holiday.
(c)
Each employee may select one additional day, called Personal Preference Day, to be 
scheduled pursuant to rules adopted by the Division of Human Resource 
Management.
(e)
(d)
For purposes of Utah Constitution Article VI, Section 16, Subsection 
(1)
, 
regarding the exclusion of state holidays from the 45-day legislative general session, 
Sunday is not considered a state holiday.
(f)
(e)
(i)
The Juneteenth National Freedom Day holiday is on June 19, if that day is 
on a Monday.
(ii)
If June 19 is on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, the Juneteenth 
National Freedom Day holiday is on the immediately preceding Monday.
(iii)
If June 19 is on a Saturday or Sunday, the Juneteenth National Freedom Day 
holiday is on the immediately following Monday.
(2)
(a)
Whenever in the governor's opinion extraordinary conditions exist justifying the 
action, the governor may:
(i)
declare, by proclamation, legal holidays in addition to those holidays under 
Subsection 
(1)
; and
(ii)
limit the holidays to certain classes of business and activities to be designated by 
the governor.
(b)
A holiday may not extend for a longer period than 60 consecutive days.
(c)
Any holiday may be renewed for one or more periods not exceeding 30 days each as 
the governor may consider necessary, and any holiday may, by like proclamation, be 
terminated before the expiration of the period for which it was declared.
Section 2. 
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect:
(1)
except as provided in Subsection (2), 
May 7, 2025
; or
(2)
if approved by two-thirds of all members elected to each house:
(a)
upon approval by the governor;
(b)
without the governor's signature, the day following the constitutional time limit of 
Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 8; or
(c)
in the case of a veto, the date of veto override.
2-11-25 10:16 AM