SB248 would create a new program for employer-sponsored, state-assisted childcare facilities.
The Senate passed SB248 on February 25, 2026, by a vote of 17 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the nays because childcare is not the legitimate object of government. It is a function that belongs to the family, not the state. Utah has no business subsidizing childcare for anyone, especially private employers. Taxation in the name of "childcare" is neither just nor charitable. Further, this bill uses unjust forms of taxation (e.g., personal and corporate income taxes) to also reduce the cost of childcare tuition for non-employee "community members," many of whom have little or no tax liability, at the expense of others—resulting in more debt, dependency, and poverty. The Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment were written to "promote the general Welfare" of all Americans, not "cradle-to-grave" or "nanny-state" policies that coerce reckless and discriminatory government spending.
