Next week is the final week of the Utah state legislative session but that does not mean there will stop being opportunities to support policies that would reduce hunger and homelessness. 

Before I start discussion federal policy I would like to give to quick updates about what is happening at the Utah Legislature:

• SB 255, which would have created a task force to produce a plan to use the Olympic Games to bring out of state funding to Utah to reduce homelessness before 2034, received a lot of positive feedback from Committee members but was ultimately voted down when it was presented yesterday. If you see Senator Nate Blouin thank him for drafting the bill. Next week I am hoping to begin circulating a sign-on letter to the Chair of the Host Community Committee of the 2034 Games organizing committee, Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall, to discuss how we can move forward with efforts along the lines proposed in SB 255.
• HB 88 was amended in important ways yesterday but was not approved by the Utah House of Representatives and it is not clear if or when it will get another vote. Even with the amendments from yesterday the bill would still make it a crime to feed someone without first asking them to prove they are in the country legally. Please to reach out to your legislators and either ask them to oppose the bill or remind them that you have already asked them to oppose the bill.
• The first draft of the state budget has not been released yet but it should be by the end of the week. The final version has to be approved before the end of next week and so it is possible there will be urgent action to support something that was not included.

With those updates I will shift to discussing an opportunity to impact federal policy that is truly unique in Utah. For the first time in decades, Utah will be having a congressional election in a district that leans Democratic. That means that we have the opportunity to raise questions with primary candidates before the state Democratic Convention on April 25, 2026. As a nonprofit organization, Crossroads Urban Center cannot endorse candidates or political parties but we can organize events to educate voters about ways candidates differ on policy issues. 

It would probably be very hard to organize an event where all seven candidates in this race will be able to show up but we could organize virtual meetings with every candidate who is willing to talk to us. Would you be interested in asking a candidate a question at one of these forums?

To ensure fairness to all of the candidates we would need to decide on the questions in advance and send those questions to the candidates so that they all have an equal opportunity to prepare, I would like to ask the candidates these three questions:

1. The minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hours since 2009. Do you support legislation to raise the federal minimum wage?
2. The "Big, Beautiful, Bill" championed by President Trump made many negative changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP"). Would you support legislation to repeal these negative changes to vital healthcare and nutrition programs?
3. During the past year HUD has proposed major, controversial, changes to programs that help fund homeless services in the United States. Congress has taken action to block some of HUD's proposals. If elected, would you work to protect funding for homeless services from proposals that would make it harder to reduce homelessness?

What do you think about these questions? Is there another question you would like to see asked of candidates before the Convention?