PRIORITIES
WORKING FOR YOU IN THE LEGISLATURE
Since joining the Utah House of Representatives in January 2021, Dr. Lesser has been hard at work for the people of District 10. As a physician, she knows how important it is to make health a priority, and to have leaders who legislate with that in mind.
However, she understands that health is about more than just physical wellness. It is determined by all aspects of our lives: the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink, our ability to provide top-notch childcare and education for our kids, our access to affordable housing, our ability to earn a fair, living wage, and so much more.
For our state to thrive now and in the future, we need healthy families, healthy communities, and a healthy environment, and those are the things that Rosemary is fighting for in the Legislature.
HEALTHY FAMILIES
HEALTHCARE
As a physician, Rosemary knows how important healthcare is to our families and our community. That's why she strongly believes that healthcare should be affordable and accessible for all Utahns.
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In the 2021 General Session, Rosemary passed a bill to make sure that prescriptions can be transferred between pharmacies, reducing unnecessary confusion for people trying to fulfill prescriptions for controlled substances. Rosemary is proud that this bill was signed into law by Governor Cox.
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After spending her career caring for pregnant women, Rosemary knows the importance of ongoing care to a woman’s wellbeing. In the 2022 session, she sponsored legislation to expand Medicaid coverage after delivery from 60 days to one year. It is well recognized that women can face ongoing medical and mental health challenges after childbirth, and a year of coverage can be life saving for some.
TAXES
Rosemary believes that a fair and well-balanced tax system is key to maintaining Utah's economic success. She also believes that taxes that disproportionately burden working Utahns are wrong. That's why, over 2 years ago, she joined countless volunteers across the state who gathered signatures to oppose a tax bill that would have, among other things, increased the state food tax. And it's why Rosemary is still leading the fight in the Legislature to eliminate the state food tax entirely.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Rosemary is an advocate for increased funding for public education. She has served on the Public Education Appropriations Committee, which provides oversight and makes recommendations on funding for our public schools. Rosemary is a strong advocate for future scientists. She successfully acquired funding for the Ogden Nature Center's iSEE program, which is focused on getting students interested and engaged in STEM learning.
CHILDCARE
Finding affordable quality childcare is challenging for many Utah families. ​ According to a March 2020 report from the Utah Department of Workforce Services, only 35% of the state’s childcare needs are being met. Childcare is an important component of our thriving economy. Rosemary supports policies that will enhance the support for parents and childcare providers. Rosemary knows that we have both the state dollars and the influx of federal support which allows us to take bold steps to invest in Utah's children.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Rosemary approaches the issue of reproductive healthcare with a deep understanding of its medical and emotional complexities. As an Obstetrician-Gynecologist, she has been present for families and individuals on some of the best and hardest days of their lives. There is nothing like the joy of announcing a successful, progressing pregnancy or delivering a healthy baby. However, the news and choices one must offer are not always positive. In those situations, she has been with families facing deeply personal decisions, often tasked with delivering unfortunate news, and witnessing firsthand the nuances and significant impact that family planning decisions have on their lives.
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Although these decisions are undeniably complex, what is unequivocally clear to Rosemary is that no politician—especially a state legislator—should dictate them. They should remain within the privacy and sanctity of the doctor-patient and family relationship. It is a fundamental right that each person experiences freedom and dignity in deciding when and how to start a family, free from government overreach and restrictive bans on individual liberties. Our elected officials need to trust families to decide what is best for them.
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
VETERANS
"Integrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence in All We Do." ​These are the core values of the U.S. Air Force, and they are the values that guide Rosemary as your Representative in the Utah Legislature. She spent the first fifteen years of her career providing medical care to service members at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and at the USAF Hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany. Rosemary is the only Democratic member of the Veterans Caucus in the Utah legislature. During the 2021 legislative session, she co-sponsored a bill that eliminated the state income tax on military retiree’s pensions. She was also the House Sponsor to a resolution honoring the life of William Christofferson, a World War II veteran and lifelong advocate for Utah's veteran community. In 2021, VoteVets honored Rosemary by naming her an Emerging Leader.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
In April 2021, Forbes Magazine included our enchanting town among “America’s Top Ten Hottest Markets.” It’s easy to understand why Ogden is receiving national attention--for the same reasons Rosemary and her husband decided to raise their family here over 30 years ago. As your State Representative, Rosemary is working hard to deliver common-sense policies that place our community on a path toward sustainable development. Home ownership is the primary means of economic mobility for middle class families in the United States and protecting your property value is always Rosemary’s top priority. But with almost 40% of the District 10 residents residing at a rental property, Rosemary also recognizes the need for expanding the market of affordable housing within the Ogden area. During Utah’s 2021 legislative session, Rosemary was steadfast in her advocacy for District 10’s renters, co-sponsoring legislation that expanded rental expense disclosure requirements.
PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH
As a member of the Opioid Committee with the Ogden Civil Action network (Ogden CAN), Rosemary has joined with leaders throughout our state to fight against Utah’s challenges with opioid addiction. She is collaborating with both public health and public safety agencies to implement real time notification of overdoses and implementing further harm reduction strategies.
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
CLEAN AIR
Clean air is essential to the health of our communities and our environment, and it is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a state. Rosemary is an advocate for policies that promote and advance the cause of clean air. Rosemary is proud to be a member of the Clean Air Caucus, which is a bipartisan group of legislators seeking to promote innovative, forward-thinking strategies for improving Utah's air quality by investing in public transportation and incentivizing clean energy.
CLEAN WATER
Utah’s drought is unrelenting. To protect our state's natural resources and ensure that generations to come will have access to clean water, we must support policies today that plan for the future. Rosemary believes that ensuring fair access to clean water for all communities in Utah is extremely important. She also believes that we must protect the beautiful lakes, rivers, and streams that make our state such a special place.
CLEAN ENERGY
Rosemary supports legislation that will promote the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Ogden is among the communities leading the way with the Community Renewable Energy Program, which aims to allow communities to work with Rocky Mountain Power to achieve net-100% renewable energy by 2030. She actively supports the groundbreaking work being done by the Energy and Sustainability Office at Weber State University which has demonstrated that the use of renewable energy sources can be more economical than traditional fossil fuels.
THE GREAT SALT LAKE
Since 1986, Utah's Great Salt Lake has dropped a staggering 20.35 feet. The effects will cause grave damage to Utah's environment, public health, and economy if we don't do something to preserve it now. The lake produces 40% of the world’s brine shrimp harvest, which is the primary source of food for aquaculture. It also provides vital minerals such as magnesium, potash, and lithium which are essential to our country’s economy. Rosemary strongly supports urgent state legislation that will preserve this significant natural resource that is essential to the health, wellbeing, and economy of Utah.
HEALTHY DEMOCRACY
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
For over a century, the Utah Constitution has guaranteed the people's political power. This right includes the ability of the people to reform government through citizens’ ballot initiatives. This year, the Utah Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the rights of citizens to petition their government through the initiative process. The legislature may still make changes to an initiative, but not without a compelling governmental interest.
In a rushed process without adequate public input, the leadership of the legislature passed a law that placed Amendment D on the November ballot. This amendment, if approved, would allow the legislature to repeal an initiative (including those approved in the past) without ANY justification. Rosemary voted against that bill in the August Special Session and will be voting NO in November. It's our responsibility to protect and uphold the Constitutional rights of Utah’s citizens. Join Rosemary in voting NO against Amendment D in November.
ELECTION SECURITY
Utah’s vote-by-mail program has been a model for the rest of the country, and Rosemary strongly support its continuation. The Olene Walker Institute of Politics and Public Policy conducts ongoing updates on election law and procedures for all election officials in the state. Rosemary is proud to have sponsored funding for that initiative in 2022.
UPDATE: The Utah Supreme Court has affirmed my opinion that Amendment D was an unconstitutional attempt to take away our right to reform our government. Although the amendment will still appear on the ballot, the votes will not be counted. I pledge to continue the fight to be an advocate for the people of House District 10.