Governor Gary Herbert signed all eight bills proposed by Utah's special session into law last week, and many of them affect construction in some way.

While many contractors own drones, not all are used strictly for business purposes. When drones interfered with the safe management of the Saddle Fire in southern Utah earlier this summer, it became apparent something needed to be done. The drones meddled with large air tankers trying to drop retardant on the blaze. The new Utah law allows for the "neutralizing" of such drones - either shooting them down or jamming their signals - and for forcing  pilots to pay for damages caused by drone interference. The governor cited public safety as his top priority.

Another bill passed was to allocate $10 million for a new arena at the Utah State Fairpark. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, "The Fairpark bill allows the Division of Facilities Construction and Management to start construction on the new arena, which officials aim to complete by next July. They want it to host the Days of '47 Rodeo next year, because the Vivint Smart Home Arena will be undergoing renovations."

Finally, a new law allows for tax breaks for companies who build sprawling data centers in Utah. It is believed that Facebook is considering either Utah or New Mexico to build such a facility and would mean $200 to $500 million in construction, plus jobs.