Juneteenth Observance Amendments
HB 309 aligns Utah's observance of Juneteenth National Freedom Day with the federal government's date (June 19), ending Utah's previous practice of adjusting the holiday to a Monday. This change directly affects Utah residents by ensuring Juneteenth is recognized on June 19 each year, regardless of the day of the week. The bill also updates parent-time schedules under Utah law to include Juneteenth as a designated holiday for custody arrangements. No new funding is required, and the bill modifies existing Utah Code sections to reflect this federal alignment.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 22, 2026
Signed Mar 18, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Substitute #1
→
Enrolled
·
4 edits
·
Mar 18, 2026
MODERATE
This bill adds June 19, Juneteenth National Freedom Day, as a legal holiday in Utah, aligning the state with the federal observance. It also updates child custody schedules to include Juneteenth in the holiday rotation for both minimum and optional parent-time plans. The changes ensure families can observe the holiday consistently and adjust visitation times accordingly.
Scope change
The bill expands the list of state legal holidays and modifies the applicability of child custody schedules to include the new holiday.
REQUIREMENT
Added June 19, Juneteenth National Freedom Day, as a legal holiday in Utah to match the federal observance.
Added Juneteenth National Freedom Day to the holiday schedule tables for child custody parent-time in all age categories.
TIMELINE
Updated the effective date of the bill from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2027.
TECHNICAL
Removed a timestamp indicating the previous version's last update time.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2026 · House Feb 10, 2026
How they voted
23–3
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 29
Feb 27, 2026
D
Democratic6
100% Yea
N
Forward1
100% Yea
R
Republican22
72% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
46
Key actions
11
Committee
8
Mar 18, 2026
Signed into law
Governor Signed
executive
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ comm rpt/ placed on Consent Calendar [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Consent Calendar Recommendation [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Committee
Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee]
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Introduced
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
upper
Feb 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
House/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ comm rpt/ substituted [House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee]
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee]
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Not Considered [House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee]
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
House/ to standing committee [House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee]
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Introduced
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 309
Scope: UT
Hi! I can help you understand HB 309. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline