Elizabeth Weight | |
State: | Utah |
State House: | Utah |
District: | 31st |
Term Start: | January 1, 2017 |
Term End: | December 31, 2022 |
Predecessor: | Sophia M. DiCaro |
Successor: | Quinn Kotter (Redistricting) |
Party: | Democratic |
Residence: | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Elizabeth Weight is a Democratic politician, who was a member of the Utah State House, representing the state's 31st house district, from 2017 through 2022.[1] [2]
Weight has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Utah State University, and a Master's degree in Linguistics and Bilingual Education from the University of Utah. A trombone player, Weight was at one time an instructor and owner of the Alan Weight Music Studios.[3] Since 2015, Weight has been a teacher in the Granite School District. For a time, Weight was president of the American Federation of Teachers in the district.[4]
Weight was first elected in 2016, defeating incumbent Republican Sophia DiCaro.[5] Unlike the majority of the Utah legislature, who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Weight is a Unitarian.[6]
During the 2018 legislative session, Weight served on the Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee, the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice committee, and the Political Subdivisions Committee.[7]
Weight was reelected in November 2018 with 60.52 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Fred Johnson and United Utah Party candidate Brian L. Fabbi.[8] [9] In 2018, Weight was planning legislation to require safe storage of firearms.[10] In November 2022, Republican Quinn Kotter defeated Weight by 127 votes in the newly-drawn District 26.[11]
In 2017, Rep. Weight sponsored legislation that would prevent parents from expelling children from their home because of the child's sexual orientation. The bill was held in committee.[12]
In 2021, Rep. Weight authored a resolution that would encourage schools to change mascots that she considers racist toward Native Americans. The bill failed to pass in committee.[13] She signaled her intention to write a new bill "allow more education on the topic of retiring or removing Native imagery or symbols as mascots."[14]