SALT LAKE CITY — A different agenda brought Utahns to the south steps of the Capitol on Thursday — one focused on the rising cost of living and affordability in the state.
Parents, trade workers, and lawmakers gathered to voice concerns about housing, wages, utilities, and access to healthcare.
“It has a ripple effect in our community, and it makes it difficult to live here — to raise our families here,” said the Rev. Curtis Price, pastor at First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City.
Brittany Bringhurst urged lawmakers not to cut social services.
“We cannot cut social services at all. We cannot take from one disabled community to give to another. That doesn’t work,” she said.
Bringhurst said her 13-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, relies on Medicaid through the DSPD limited supports waiver — a program she said is under review for possible elimination by the Social Services Appropriations Committee.
“Without that healthcare support, I can’t do my job as a mother and a daughter properly,” said Bringhurst.
Price said his church has seen a growing number of people seeking help.
“I’m seeing a lot more people looking for resources — and not finding them,” he said, adding that the church’s own utility bills have jumped by thousands of dollars in the past year.
Advocates at the rally described families feeling “helpless” as they struggle to choose between essentials.
“When people have to make choices about whether to go to the doctor or pay the electric bill, people in Utah — we shouldn’t have those choices,” said Price.
Some legislators in attendance highlighted potential policy changes. Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, discussed House Bill 29, which aims to expose hidden fees.
“It’s about making sure we have transparency in the marketplace — prohibiting hidden junk fees that are stacking up on Americans across Utah,” said Clancy.
After the event, attendees met with lawmakers to discuss affordability options.
“All of it is interconnected — housing, wages, healthcare. The more we cut, the more we hurt our people,” said Bringhurst.
