Utah legislator Kera Birkland resigns month after re-election win

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah— In a recent social media post, Utah state Rep. Kera Birkeland announced Friday she will resign from the state Legislature effective Jan. 10, 2025, just months after winning re-election.

The Morgan Republican, who has represented District 4 since 2020, cited growing family and professional obligations in her resignation letter to House Speaker Mike Schultz. District 4 encompasses Summit County and four other Utah counties.

“My family and professional commitments have increasingly required my attention away from home, a trend I anticipate will persist for the next year or two,” Birkeland wrote.

During her tenure, Birkeland authored controversial laws restricting transgender students’ participation in school sports and restroom use, along with abortion restrictions. In 2022, she opposed and sought to repeal provisions in a housing bill requiring Summit County to add high-density development near Kimball Junction.

In July, Birkeland took a job as policy director for the Montana Grain Growers Association without disclosing it on required conflict of interest forms. The Salt Lake Tribune cited that her next disclosure would have been due Jan. 10, the same day her resignation takes effect and four days after Montana’s legislative session begins.

Her resignation will trigger a special election with Republican delegates from District 4—which encompasses Daggett, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, and Summit County—selecting replacement for appointment by the governor.