Libertas Legislator Profiles


Legislator Profile: Senator Ralph Okerlund

Name: Ralph Okerlund
Type: Senator
Party: Republican
No longer in office

Libertas Legislator Index Rankings

The following rating measures how consistently this legislator votes in support of individual liberty, private property, and free enterprise. To learn more, see the main index page.

2014201520162017201820192020 Overall Rating
42%59%55%33%56%57%75% 54%

To see the specific votes used to rank this legislator, click the link in the table above for any of the yearly percentages listed.

Sponsored Ranked Bills

This legislator was the sponsor of the following bills, which were ranked by Libertas Institute in their respective year's Legislator Index.

  • SB264: Outdoor Recreation Grant Program (2017)
    This bill imposed a new, additional .32% tax on those staying in hotels or short-term rentals in Utah to fund grants for outdoor recreation that build recreational infrastructure, "promote outdoor exercise," and advertise "the beauty of Utah's outdoors." Money is also used to create education programs for high schoolers to learn about the hotel management industry.

    This bill passed the Senate 20-4 and passed the House 44-29. Libertas supports a "nay" vote, because the Utah Legislature has repeatedly increased taxes in recent years; taking even more money from Utahns and tourists, especially for activities government should not be involved in, is not justified and should be opposed.

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