ALEC Policy Champions: Utah Rep. Jordan Teuscher and Sen. Kirk Cullimore Increase Government Accountability to Taxpayers

We are proud to recognize ALEC members Utah Representative Jordan Teuscher and Senator Kirk Cullimore as our latest Policy Champions for their successful effort to increase government accountability to state taxpayers through the passage of House Bill 267. The new law bans public labor unions from collectively bargaining with employees, joining North Carolina and South Carolina as the only states with complete bans on this practice in the public sector.

Representative Teuscher sponsored HB 267 in the Utah House, and Senator Kirk Cullimore carried the bill on the Senate floor. The Senate narrowly passed the bill on February 6, 2025, after several days of debate and pauses. Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law on February 14, 2025.

As Senator Cullimore explained, the bill will reduce costs for taxpayers and provide more opportunities for public employees to have a voice. Although most public sector unions in Utah don’t currently participate in collective bargaining, Senator Cullimore emphasized that HB 267 aims to prevent future issues that could arise if such practices were introduced in the public sector.

“When you have government employees negotiating with other government employees, and you don’t have market forces underlying those negotiations, you’re negotiating against yourself to the detriment of the taxpayer,” Senator Cullimore stated.

HB 267 follows the principles of the ALEC model Union Financial Responsibility Act. This model emphasizes the importance of providing public sector workers with access to clear and comprehensive information about their labor unions, particularly regarding finances, to help them make informed decisions about their careers, union membership, and rights.

The bill also follows the ALEC model Fair and Accountable Public Sector Authority Act, one of the ALEC Essential Policy Solutions for 2025, which bans government sector collective bargaining outright to “ensure government accountability to all residents and that third party employee associations do not have preferential powers beyond what other individuals and groups in the state have.”

State policymakers can now look to Utah as they seek to hold government accountable to taxpayers, while ensuring workers are properly informed of their collective bargaining rights and responsibilities. Congratulations to our latest ALEC Policy Champions, Representative Teuscher and Senator Cullimore.