Despite being a freshman lawmaker and one of the youngest on “the Hill,” Utah House District 46 Rep. Cal Roberts (R) chaired two committees and sponsored several bills that passed this session, the second year of his first term. 

“I was the Chair of the Committee on Housing Affordability and Vice-Chair of Transportation, and I serve on the Business, Labor and Commerce committee. I worked hard to get those three because those impact Draper and give me a voice on important issues,” Roberts said. 

In a record-setting session that saw 1,014 bills introduced within 45 days, Roberts’ record was five for five. “I passed all five of my bills,” he said.

 Among Roberts’ successful bills was HB 492 for Housing Infrastructure. According to Roberts, it was the last bill to pass before the midnight deadline that ended this year’s legislative session March 6. “Housing has become so unaffordable. I have always supported the right of cities to determine the character of their neighborhoods. In my bill, we pivoted away from the traditional fight of state versus city and said how can the state partner with cities? Many planned housing units have been zoned and entitled by cities but aren’t being built because of a lack of regional infrastructure like roads and water treatment facilities. This says here is $400 million (for low-interest loans local governments can apply for) to support statewide infrastructure,” Roberts said. He noted this likely won’t affect Draper because the city is largely built out, but it will help increase housing in cities where land exists and new houses have been permitted but not built by developers because the infrastructure doesn’t exist.

Roberts described his successful HB 575 to cut the gas tax by 15% and increase supply. “This is a small way to try to put more money back into the pockets of Utahns.” Regarding where those funds were being diverted from, Roberts said, “Funds for maintenance of state road systems, but we’ve had a flush transportation fund that goes up and down with inflation, and we have the highest gas tax in the Intermountain West.” That bill caused a “dust up” between Utah and Idaho when that state’s leaders feared it would raise the cost of gas for Idaho residents.

Among Roberts’ other successful bills was HB 68 to create a housing division within the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, a bill to expand the child tax credit, and a bill he co-sponsored to cut income tax.

Prior to the Legislature, Roberts served one four-year term on the Draper City Council. He was reelected but left one year into his second term when he was elected to the House. “I felt the city of Draper needed a larger voice at the table. Many issues affecting the city are decided at the Capitol including managing growth, infrastructure, housing policy, tax policy and the future of The Point development. That’s being decided here in conjunction with Draper. I felt we needed a strong voice that understood those key issues,” Roberts said. 

The biggest issue Draper Mayor Troy Walker has had with the Utah Legislature in recent years is the state taking away local control. Last year, Walker served as President of the Utah League of Cities and Towns which acts as a lobbying group influencing state laws. During a city council meeting the last week of the Legislature, Walker gave his summary of this year’s session. “I don’t know that it’s been as bad as we expected, but that’s not to say the League hasn’t been in serious battle with legislation that would have destroyed our budgets, elections and land use. It wasn’t a session where land use was the main topic of attack. I think that comes next year when it’s not an election year,” Walker said. 

Still, Walker praised Roberts’ work on The Hill. “Cal did an excellent job with the Housing Infrastructure bill. It created a program where you can apply for a low interest loan to get infrastructure like water and roads in your city for for-sale housing,” Walker said. 

Walker also addressed Roberts’ Gas Tax bill. “It will lower the price about four cents per gallon for about six months. We almost went to war with Idaho over it. It (gas savings) will probably be moot since operation Epic Fury will raise gas prices,” Walker said, referring to the Trump Administration’s action in Iran.

 Unlike city council which Roberts found to be nonpartisan, the Legislature is different. “Up here, it’s a different animal. You have to navigate the political fault lines. The first year is such a rush trying to understand how the system and the process works…and building relationships. Whether a moderate Republican or more conservative, or a Democrat, all those voices are up here at the Capitol. In order to be effective you have to build relationships with everybody. The second year has been a lot more exciting. I’ve done a lot more,” Roberts said. 

Roberts said Utahns might be surprised to learn something that surprised him. “We vote nearly unanimously on most bills because most of what we do up here is basic government.”

Still, it’s not all pretty. “We pass too many bills…that’s the dirty secret. I’m supportive of having less…because it’s hard for residents to engage, for businesses and school districts to track what’s happening,” he said. It’s also a lot for lawmakers. Roberts admitted he doesn’t read all the bills before he votes. Instead, he relies on committee work that happened before a bill is even brought to the floor. “That’s where you ask the hard questions, in committee. You cannot be a subject matter expert on every single bill, so you rely on colleagues you trust who know the issue and have an understanding,” he said.

Some have floated the idea of making Utah’s legislature a full-time job and year-round commitment but Roberts thinks a condensed session is best. “It has its drawbacks. It self-selects a certain type of person that can do it and I wish we had a way to get a broader sample of everyday Utahns. But…I think there’s something powerful in having Utahns serve for a short time and go back and live amongst the policies,” Roberts said. 

Despite the long hours of the 45-day session and balancing that with his job and young family, Roberts wants to do it again. “I am running for reelection. It has been an honor to serve the people of Draper, and I want to continue working to set policy that drives down the cost of living—housing, energy, healthcare among other things,” he said.