Lyle W. Hillyard


Lyle W. Hillyard is a Utah politician and an attorney. A Republican, he is a member of the Utah State Senate, representing the state's 25th senate district in Cache and Rich Counties including the city of Logan.

Early life, education, and career

Hillyard is a graduate of North Cache High School and Utah State University. He also got his J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law. Hillyard is a lawyer by profession. He works at Hillyard, Anderson & Olsen law offices, which has been providing legal representation to clients across northern Utah since the 1960s.
Hillyard is married to his wife Alice and they have 5 Children: Carrie, Holly, Lisa, Matt, and Todd. Hillyard is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Background

Senator Hillyard was first elected to the House in 1980. He was elected to the Senate in 1984 and has served there since. As a Utah State Senator, Hillyard is well-positioned to influence Utah legislation relating to education and to state revenues. He has won the 2012 American Cancer Society Legislator of the Year, the most effective Republican freshman by the Utah House in 1981 and was named one of eight outstanding legislators by ALEC in 1987. Hillyard is currently the Executive Appropriations Committee Chair and has been since 2009.
In 2016, Senator Hillyard served on the following committees:
Senator Hillyard is up for reelection in 2020 and is running against Chris Wilson in the Republican Primary. He was last elected in 2016 when he ran unopposed.

Legislation

2016 sponsored bills

Notable legislation

In 2014, Senator Hillyard Sponsored S.B. 205 Controlled Substance Penalty Amendment, which made it so that in certain circumstances, those with illegal substances would not be charged with anything more than a second degree felony. This encourages people who are using illegal substances to call 911 if someone with them overdoses or gets hurt without the fear of getting in trouble.