Stephen Handy

Handy was born in Ogden, Utah. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Master of Science in human resource management from the University of Utah.{{Cite web |title=Steve Handy's Biography |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/120444/steve-handy |access-date=2022-03-24 |website=Vote Smart}}

When not at the legislature, Handy works at his public relations and marketing consulting firm, Stephen J. Handy Marketing Communications Inc.{{cite web |title=Conflict of Interest |url=http://le.utah.gov/house2/CofI/handysg.pdf |publisher=Utah House of Representatives |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |accessdate=April 5, 2014}}

Before serving in the state legislature, Stephen Handy served eight years on the Layton City Council. He also ran to become Layton's Mayor, but was unsuccessful.{{cite web |last1=Staff |title=Policymaker Profile: Getting to Know Stephen G. Handy |url=https://utahpolicy.com/archive/24789-policymaker-profile-getting-to-know-stephen-g-handy |website=Utah Policy |access-date=11 March 2022}} On April 15, 2010, Handy was appointed by Governor Gary Herbert to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of then-Representative and House Majority Leader Kevin Garn.{{cite web |url= http://www.utah.gov/governor/news_media/article.html?article=3117 |title= Governor Herbert Appoints Handy to Utah House of Representatives |author= Herbert, Gary |authorlink= Gary Herbert |publisher= Governor of Utah |date= April 15, 2010 |accessdate= January 30, 2014}} During the 2016 legislative session, Handy served on the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee, the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee, and the House Public Utilities and Technology Committee.{{Cite web|url = http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Main.asp?LegCode=HANDYSG&Year=2016&List=3#Results|title = Committees|website = le.utah.gov|access-date = 2016-03-31}} During the 2022 legislative session, Handy served on the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee, and the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee.{{cite web |title=Rep. Handy, Stephen G. |url=https://house.utah.gov/rep/HANDYSG/ |website=Utah House of Representatives |access-date=11 March 2022}}

Rep. Handy is an advocate of policies intended to limit pollution. He currently serves as the co-chair of the Utah Legislature's Clean Air Caucus.{{cite web |title=Let's talk about clean air |url=https://www.stevehandyutah.com/clean-air/ |website=Steve Handy |access-date=11 March 2022}} In 2022, Rep. Handy sponsored HB 109, which would allow medical professionals to list air pollution as a contributing cause of someone's death. {{cite web |last1=Winslow |first1=Ben |title=New bill lists Utah air pollution as contributor to someone's death |url=https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/new-bill-lists-utahs-air-pollution-as-a-contributor-to-someones-death |website=Fox 13, Salt Lake City |access-date=11 March 2022}}

Handy said that "the abundance of inexpensive fossil fuels has powered America to its industrial greatness, the strongest economy the world has ever known." However, he is also concerned with what he sees as the increase in pollution from fossil fuels.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} He does not consider himself as an "environmentalist", and he opposes government mandates, but he says he supports solutions to help curb pollution through market-driven methods. Rep. Handy supports the expansion of renewable energy sources. In 2019 he sponsored HB411, which he considers as one of the most consequential bills in his career, that "provides cities with mechanisms to establish and achieve a community goal to source net-100% of electric energy from renewable resources by 2030.{{cite web |title=Policymaker Profile: Getting to Know Stephen G. Handy |url=https://utahpolicy.com/archive/24789-policymaker-profile-getting-to-know-stephen-g-handy |website=Utah Policy |access-date=11 March 2022}}

Handy praised Senator Mitt Romney for being "a standard-bearer on climate in the GOP."{{cite web |last1=Handy |first1=Stephen G. |title=Stephen G. Handy: Mitt Romney is a standard-bearer on climate in the GOP |url=https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2020/01/15/stephen-g-handy-romney-is/ |website=Salt Lake Tribune |publisher=Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=10 March 2022}}

Handy describes himself as pro-school choice. He supports having charter schools and homeschooling as well as public schools. He believes that local school boards should make the decisions on how education money from the state is spent instead of the state legislature. He also said that school curricula decisions "should be guided by school administrators with strong parental input."{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}   

In 2021, Handy proposed HB 198, which would have added an additional license plate commemorating Dark Skies. The bill failed to pass the House due to concerns from the body on the bill's impact on the budget, and other issues.{{cite web |last1=Petersen |first1=Hannah |title=Lights go out for plan to issue a Dark Skies license plate in Utah |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/2/4/22267028/lights-go-out-for-plan-to-issue-a-dark-skies-license-plate-in-utah |website=Deseret News |access-date=11 March 2022}} In 2022, an amended version of the bill, which included adding the Dark Skies plate as a specialty license plate as opposed to a general license plate, passed the Legislature.{{cite web |title=H.B. 88 License Plate Revisions |url=https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0088.html |website=Utah State Legislature |publisher=Utah State Legislature |access-date=11 March 2022}}

In 2019, Handy sponsored HB 209, the Extreme Risk Protection Order, which would allow a person's guns and ammunition to be temporarily confiscated by court order if relatives of the person and police officers have cause to believe the person is a threat to himself and others. It has been characterized as a "red flag law."{{cite web |last1=Kessler |first1=Mori |title=Proposed ‘red flag’ law in Utah seeks to prevent gun violence, including suicide |url=https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2019/02/01/lgl19-mgk-proposed-red-flag-law-in-utah-seeks-to-prevent-gun-violence-including-suicide/#.Yi0OYXrMKM- |website=St. George News |access-date=11 March 2022}}

• 2014 Handy challenged Democratic Party nominee Douglas Sill and Constitution Party nominee Jeffrey Ostler in the 2014 general election. Handy won with 4,366 votes (66.55%).
• 2012 One of Handy's 2010 challengers returned for the June 26, 2012 Republican primary; Handy won with 1,988 votes (65.3%){{cite web|url = https://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/2014%20Election/2014%20General%20Canvass%20Report.xlsx|title = 2014 General Canvass Reports|publisher = Lieutenant Governor of Utah|location = Salt Lake City, Utah|accessdate = March 31, 2016}} and won the three-way November 6, 2012 general election with 8,252 votes (66.8%) against Democratic nominee Douglas Sill and Libertarian candidate Kevin Bryan.{{cite web |url= http://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/2012%20Canvass/2012%20General%20Canvass%20Report.xls |title= 2012 General Canvass Report |publisher= Lieutenant Governor of Utah |location= Salt Lake City, Utah |accessdate= February 4, 2014}}
• 2010 Handy had three challengers and was nominated at the Republican convention. Handy was unopposed for the November 2, 2010 general election, winning with 6,629 votes.{{cite web |url= http://elections.utah.gov/Media/Default/Documents/Election_Results/General/2010Gen.xls |title= 2010 General Election Results |publisher= Lieutenant Governor of Utah |location= Salt Lake City, Utah |accessdate= February 4, 2014}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://le.utah.gov/house2/detail.jsp?i=HANDYSG Official page] at the Utah State Legislature
• [http://stevehandyutah.com/ Campaign site]
• {{CongLinks | congbio = | votesmart = 120444 | fec = | congress = }}
• [http://ballotpedia.org/Stephen_Handy Stephen Handy] at Ballotpedia
• [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/uniquecandidate.phtml?uc=141265 Stephen G. Handy] at the National Institute on Money in State Politics

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Category:1951 births

Category:Living people

Category:Republican Party members of the Utah House of Representatives

Category:People from Layton, Utah

Category:Politicians from Ogden, Utah

Category:University of Utah alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Utah Legislature