Utah gov vetoes four bills, including legislation allowing gold to be used for state transactions

Utah's Republican Gov. Spencer Cox on Friday vetoed four bills, including one that bans precious metals such as gold from being used in state transactions.

The governor said the precious metals' amendment, which would have made Utah the first state to allow vendors to receive payment from the state in gold or silver, had problems that would make implementation of the bill "operationally impracticable," though he did not give specific examples.

Cox also vetoed a bill that sought to solve municipal elections that solved electoral ties through a game of chance, which would give “each participant ... equal odds of winning.” 

"In light of the language of the Utah Constitution that the 'Legislature shall not authorize any game of chance,' I am vetoing the bill out of an abundance of caution to avoid creating potential legal issues for the state in this area," Cox told state lawmakers. "I applaud the efforts of the sponsors to improve the code in this area, and support finding a new approach to accomplish their goal."

He also vetoed a property tax bill, and the proposal to create a Utah-Ireland trade commission. Although the legislations are vetoed, the state's GOP-led legislature can vote to override the order. 

It comes after Cox allowed a bill that bans LGBTQ flags from flying at schools and government buildings to go into law without his signature. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.