Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy
Eric Hutchings was named the Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy at the Utah Department of Corrections in August 2023.
Previously, he was elected to the Utah State House of Representatives in 2001 to represent District 38. A position he held until the end of 2020. District 38 includes most of the community of Kearns as well as parts of West Jordan and West Valley. During his time in the Legislature Eric served as Speaker Pro-Tem, Chair of the Executive Office and Criminal Justice Appropriations Sub-committee, and Chair of the International Relations and Trade Committee.
He also served on the Judiciary Committee, Revenue and Taxation Committee, Law Enforcement Committee, Government Operations Committee, the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah Sentencing Commission, the Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Fund Committee, and the Prison Relocation Commission.
Hutchings has also held several appointed positions with other organizations including the Salt Lake County Criminal Justice Advisory Council, the Council of State Governments Justice Center Board, Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures Law and Criminal Justice Committee, where he served on working groups to study and develop best practices for issues like fighting Minority Disparity in Criminal Justice, Disaster Response, Juvenile Justice Reform, and Criminal Justice Reform.
Hutchings has a Bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies from Brigham Young University and a Masters degree in International Affairs and Global Enterprises from the University of Utah.