Utah’s longest-serving female legislator has announced she will not seek reelection next year.
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, said in her Monday posts to social media platforms that the decision followed “deep reflection.”
Moss represents House District 34, which covers parts of Holladay, Millcreek and Murray. The 2026 legislative session, set to begin next month, will be Moss’ 26th and final session. She called her time as a lawmaker “an incredibly rewarding chapter.”
“I am not stepping away from caring about Utah or its people, but I know this is the right time to pass the torch,” Moss said in her statement Monday. “I am deeply grateful for my constituents who supported me, and for my family for their unwavering support. Most of all, I am indebted to my students who will inspire me for the rest of my life.”
Moss worked as a teacher at Olympus High School for 33 years, teaching English and student government.
In her retirement announcement, she noted her work in the Legislature on public education and supporting student well-being, as well as efforts toward jail reforms and traffic safety.
“During those years,” Moss said, “I learned how to help students succeed, and how our laws and policies can facilitate teachers’ ability to reach all students.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Carol Spackman Moss meets with Afghan refugees during a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2022.
House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, called Moss “a force for good in the Utah Legislature.”
“As the longest-serving woman legislator in Utah’s history,” Romero said in a Monday statement, “she has inspired countless others to step into leadership roles.”
During the latest legislative session, Moss was among those who pushed back against a bill, which later became law, that banned pride flags in schools and government buildings.
In 2022, Moss advocated for a bill that would have mandated sexual assault education as a part of Utah’s health education curriculum. The measure failed on the final day of the legislative session. She ran a similar bill in the 2025 session, but the legislation never got a vote.
The next year, Moss pushed a measure aimed at addressing an increase in suicides in Utah jails through better training and mental health resources at the facilities. The bill was signed into law by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox.
Earlier this year, Moss also revived another bill she had pushed previously. It would have directed a portion of liquor sales to a housing loan fund, but the bill never saw a vote in the GOP-dominated House.
“This is a sad/happy day for me as I make this announcement,” Moss said Monday. “I am looking forward to my final session and year in the Utah House, and I will be working hard to pass meaningful legislation and responding to questions and concerns from constituents and other Utahns.”