Utah lawmakers have approved a resolution encouraging the protection of religious expression in public life, including in schools and government settings.
House Concurrent Resolution 4, sponsored by Michael Petersen, a Republican state representative, and Keven Stratton, a Republican state senator, “supports and encourages practices that exemplify religious freedom in public spaces.” It passed on Feb. 19 and was sent to the governor’s office on Tuesday.
The resolution outlines ways officials say the state can promote religious liberty, including affirming that public-school students and teachers may openly express their faith and encouraging government institutions to accommodate religious observances. It also backs the protection of religious symbols and calls for interfaith dialogue.
The measure cites the Declaration of Independence and statements by founders, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, to underscore what it describes as the historic role of religion in civic life.
It also references George Washington’s 1790 letter to a Jewish congregation in Newport, R.I., in which he wrote that the new nation would give “to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” and that everyone should sit safely “under his own vine and fig tree.”
The resolution further notes that the U.S. Supreme Court recently revisited earlier rulings on the relationship between religion and government, citing the court’s 2022 decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which said the First Amendment protects not only private belief but also the ability to live out one’s faith publicly.
Concurrent resolutions do not have the force of law. Instead, they express the legislature’s position on public policy and, after passage by both chambers, are filed as an official legislative statement without requiring further action.
