Analyses / Whip Count Analysis / 119 · HR 2876 Whip Count Analysis

119-HR-2876 DC Insider Whip Count Analysis

119 · HR 2876 University of Utah Research Park Act

park Public Lands and Natural Resources
University of Utah Research Park ActThis bill confirms the use by the University of Utah of approximately 593 acres of specified nonfederal land in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a university research park...

Low-controversy Utah lands fix. House cleared H.R. 2876 on Dec. 15 by voice under suspension; Senate ENR reported the identical Senate bill favorably; DOI signaled support; Utah’s Mike Lee chairs ENR and is the sponsor; GOP controls the Senate under Leader Thune. Expect hotline/unanimous-consent passage in the Senate; odds high. [1]Office of Rep. Blake Moore — Rep. Blake Moore: Research Park Act Passes the Hou…[2]House Republican Cloakroom — Republican Cloakroom: Monday, December 15, 2025 sc…[3]Library of Congress — All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably)[4]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI: Pending Legislation — H.R. 2876 Statemen…[5]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Heinrich, Lee Announce…[6]Senate Republican Leader — Thune Delivers First Remarks as Senate Majority Lead…

Analyzed as
DC Insider
Published
17 Dec 2025
Updated
17 Dec 2025
Tags
whip-count · natural-resources · public-lands
Unvetted
01 · Section

Breakdown: party-line expectations

This is a narrow, Utah-specific public-lands clarification that typically moves on the suspension/UC tracks. Public positions and committee action point to broad bipartisan support. [1]Office of Rep. Blake Moore — Rep. Blake Moore: Research Park Act Passes the Hou…[3]Library of Congress — All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably)

  • House: Passed on Dec. 15, 2025, by voice vote under suspension; no recorded opposition—standard for noncontroversial lands bills. Floor schedule and the sponsor’s statement confirm action. [2]House Republican Cloakroom — Republican Cloakroom: Monday, December 15, 2025 sc…[1]Office of Rep. Blake Moore — Rep. Blake Moore: Research Park Act Passes the Hou…
  • House coalition: All four Utah Republicans sponsored/backs the bill; Natural Resources Committee reported it without dissent (unanimous consent). [7]Library of Congress — H.R.2876 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress…[8]Web search · turn 11 #5
  • Senate posture: Identical Senate bill (S.1453) reported favorably without amendment from Energy & Natural Resources (ENR). Utah’s Mike Lee (Chair) and John Curtis (co-sponsor) are leading. [9]Library of Congress — S.1453 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.g…[3]Library of Congress — All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably)
  • Administration/executive view: Interior supported the bill’s objective in written testimony, signaling no administration obstacle. [4]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI: Pending Legislation — H.R. 2876 Statemen…
  • Institutional context: Republicans control the Senate; John Thune is Majority Leader, with the 53–seat GOP majority creating a friendly floor for ENR-cleared, home‑state, noncontroversial items. [6]Senate Republican Leader — Thune Delivers First Remarks as Senate Majority Lead…[10]South Dakota Public Broadcasting — Sen. Thune officially Senate Majority Leader…
Senate GOP seats
53
House cosponsors (at intro/report)
3
Acreage covered by bill
593.54acres
02 · Section

Key legislators (swing and pivotal)

The path is leadership- and chair-driven; swing votes are minimal given the bill’s scope and posture.

  • Sen. Mike Lee (R‑UT) — ENR Chair and Senate sponsor; can steer hotline/UC clearance and has already moved the companion through committee. [5]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Heinrich, Lee Announce…[9]Library of Congress — S.1453 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.g…
  • Sen. John Curtis (R‑UT) — Senate co‑sponsor; home‑state advocate aligned with Lee to clear holds. [11]Web search · turn 10 #1
  • Sen. John Barrasso (R‑WY) — ENR Public Lands Subcommittee Chair; typical gatekeeper for lands UC packages. [5]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Heinrich, Lee Announce…
  • Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D‑NV) — ENR Public Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member; her acquiescence helps keep a hotline clean. [5]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Heinrich, Lee Announce…
  • Sen. John Thune (R‑SD) — Majority Leader; controls floor time and the hotline process for UC bundles. [6]Senate Republican Leader — Thune Delivers First Remarks as Senate Majority Lead…
  • Rep. Bruce Westerman (R‑AR) — House Natural Resources Chair; already delivered a unanimous committee report, signaling low House friction (useful if a Senate-amended bill returned). [8]Web search · turn 11 #5[12]House Committee on Natural Resources — Chairman Westerman (House Natural Resour…
03 · Section

Leadership influence and procedure

Procedural dynamics favor quick Senate clearance if time remains before adjournment.

  • Senate: With GOP control, Thune can hotline H.R. 2876 (House‑passed vehicle) for unanimous consent, avoiding a recorded vote; ENR leadership (Lee) is aligned. If any hold surfaces, it can ride a small lands package. [6]Senate Republican Leader — Thune Delivers First Remarks as Senate Majority Lead…[5]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Heinrich, Lee Announce…
  • Committee leverage: ENR already reported the identical Senate companion without amendment—clean text simplifies UC. [3]Library of Congress — All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably)
  • House: Already cleared under suspension; if the Senate instead passes S.1453, the House can accept it on the suspension calendar with minimal floor time. [2]House Republican Cloakroom — Republican Cloakroom: Monday, December 15, 2025 sc…[9]Library of Congress — S.1453 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.g…
  • Executive branch: DOI’s supportive testimony lowers veto/agency‑objection risk and reassures senators who defer to DOI on R&PP Act clarifications. [4]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI: Pending Legislation — H.R. 2876 Statemen…
04 · Section

Assessment: odds and timing

Bottom line from a whip perspective: this is a classic noncontroversial land‑use clarification with home‑state buy‑in and positive agency signals.

  • Likelihood of Senate passage: High. Expect UC via hotline, given ENR report, Utah delegation support, and lack of organized opposition. [3]Library of Congress — All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably)[9]Library of Congress — S.1453 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.g…
  • Timing: Near‑term if leadership slots it into a year‑end UC bundle; otherwise first available window in January. Floor has already been running noncontroversial resource bills. [2]House Republican Cloakroom — Republican Cloakroom: Monday, December 15, 2025 sc…
  • Risk factors: end‑of‑year floor congestion; isolated UC holds (often leveraged for unrelated issues). No substantive policy objections flagged by DOI. [4]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI: Pending Legislation — H.R. 2876 Statemen…
05 · Section

Sourcing

Key documents and official pages underpinning this whip count.

  • H.R. 2876 bill page, text and report references (Congress.gov). [7]Library of Congress — H.R.2876 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress…
  • House floor schedule/listing for Dec. 15 (Congress.gov) and Republican Cloakroom day‑of guidance. [13]Library of Congress — On the House Floor on December 15, 2025 (Congress.gov)[2]House Republican Cloakroom — Republican Cloakroom: Monday, December 15, 2025 sc…
  • Sponsor confirmation of House passage (Rep. Moore press release). [1]Office of Rep. Blake Moore — Rep. Blake Moore: Research Park Act Passes the Hou…
  • Senate companion status — S.1453 reported favorably (Congress.gov) and ENR committee releases. [9]Library of Congress — S.1453 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.g…[3]Library of Congress — All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably)[14]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Committee Advances Lee’…
  • DOI written testimony supporting the bill’s objective. [4]U.S. Department of the Interior — DOI: Pending Legislation — H.R. 2876 Statemen…
  • Institutional context: Senate GOP majority/leadership (Thune statements; SDPB report) and ENR chairmanship. [6]Senate Republican Leader — Thune Delivers First Remarks as Senate Majority Lead…[10]South Dakota Public Broadcasting — Sen. Thune officially Senate Majority Leader…[5]U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Heinrich, Lee Announce…
Sources cited
  1. [1] Rep. Blake Moore: Research Park Act Passes the House (press release) Office of Rep. Blake Moore
  2. [2] Republican Cloakroom: Monday, December 15, 2025 schedule House Republican Cloakroom
  3. [3] All Info — S.1453 (Committee ordered reported favorably) Library of Congress
  4. [4] DOI: Pending Legislation — H.R. 2876 Statement for the Record U.S. Department of the Interior
  5. [5] Heinrich, Lee Announce Subcommittee Assignments for 119th Congress (ENR) U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  6. [6] Thune Delivers First Remarks as Senate Majority Leader Senate Republican Leader
  7. [7] H.R.2876 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.gov) Library of Congress
  8. [8] Web search · turn 11 #5
  9. [9] S.1453 — University of Utah Research Park Act (Congress.gov) Library of Congress
  10. [10] Sen. Thune officially Senate Majority Leader as 119th Congress sworn in South Dakota Public Broadcasting
  11. [11] Web search · turn 10 #1
  12. [12] Chairman Westerman (House Natural Resources Committee) House Committee on Natural Resources
  13. [13] On the House Floor on December 15, 2025 (Congress.gov) Library of Congress
  14. [14] Committee Advances Lee’s University of Utah Research Park Act (ENR GOP) U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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