Juneteenth Observance Amendments

You’ve got a chunk of policy language here about an employee being allowed to take an extra day off (called “Personal Preference Day” or a similar name), under certain Utah administrative rules. Let me break the idea into clearer pieces so you can work with it in your own words:

• The basic idea is that each employee is allowed to choose one extra day off in the year, beyond their usual holidays or paid leave.
• This extra day off has a special name (in your text it’s “Personal Preference Day” or something like that) and it’s treated as an officially recognized day off, not just an informal favor.
• The scheduling of this day has to follow rules in a specific section of the Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act (your text points to Section 63G‑3‑1101 or a related section, which lays out how state rules are created and applied).
• Because the rules are written into Utah administrative law, the employee’s choice of that day off isn’t random; it must fit within what the rule says, such as advance notice, supervisor approval, or limits on which days can be chosen (Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, n.d.).

You’re pulling from two different things here, so let’s separate them first:

- The long legal-looking passage you pasted (with “each employee may select one additional day, called Personal Preference Day…”) is from Utah Code 63G‑1‑301, the statute on state holidays and personal preference days for employees, not from a bill sponsored by Rep. Ballard. ([law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/codes/utah/2023/title-63g/chapter-1/part-3/section-301/?utm_source=openai))))
- Your current representative is Rep. Melissa Garff Ballard, who serves in the Utah House District 20; she’s not a state senator. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Garff_Ballard?utm_source=openai))))

Here’s what we can say about her general positions and recent bills (not HB309 specifically):

• On her county GOP profile, she aligns herself fully with the Utah Republican Party platform (limited government, conservative social and fiscal views). ([davisgop.org]("https://davisgop.org/team_members/melissa-ballard/?utm_source=openai))

“:https://davisgop.org/team_members/melissa-ballard/?utm_source=openai))


• She’s been a leader on higher education and corrections issues, chairing the Higher Education Appropriations Committee and supporting funding for college and prison education programs. ([slcc.edu](”https://www.slcc.edu/commencement/honorees/legislative-champion.aspx?utm_source=openai))
“:https://www.slcc.edu/commencement/honorees/legislative-champion.aspx?utm_source=openai))

• She has sponsored “conservative energy policy” measures and a recent resolution (HCR5) pressing Congress to speed up energy‑related federal permitting while keeping environmental rules. ([melissagarffballard.com](”https://melissagarffballard.com/2025-legislative-session-week-3?utm_source=openai))
“:https://melissagarffballard.com/2025-legislative-session-week-3?utm_source=openai))

• She’s active on criminal‑justice bills—like HB224 on inmate reentry and debt, and HB49 restoring jury service for some people with past felonies—balancing accountability with re‑entry. ([davisjournal.com](”https://www.davisjournal.com/2025/02/10/522640/criminal-justice-bills-ask-for-stiffer-penalties-involving-child-sexual-abuse?utm_source=openai))
“:https://www.davisjournal.com/2025/02/10/522640/criminal-justice-bills-ask-for-stiffer-penalties-involving-child-sexual-abuse?utm_source=openai))

• She’s currently pushing marriage‑focused tax changes (for example, HB210 and related proposals to reduce “marriage penalties” and add marriage tax credits and child tax credit expansions). ([fox13now.com](”https://www.fox13now.com/good-day-utah/utah-bills-aim-to-strengthen-families-by-eliminating-marriage-penalties?utm_source=openai))
":https://www.fox13now.com/good-day-utah/utah-bills-aim-to-strengthen-families-by-eliminating-marriage-penalties?utm_source=openai))