This bill increases the maximum balance allowed in Utah's Securities Investor Education, Training, and Enforcement Fund from $500,000 to $1,000,000. The Securities Division directly affects this fund, as it now holds excess money longer before transferring it to the General Fund. The fund supports investor education materials, training for licensees, and enforcement activities like investigations. This change allows the division to retain more funds for these purposes without immediate transfer, effective May 2026.
SB 145 restricts former state officials from lobbying for one year after leaving office. It directly affects individuals who served in state government, barring them from working as lobbyists for any entity during this cooling-off period. Exceptions include lobbying for themselves or for a business they're associated with (unless that business primarily does lobbying). The restriction also requires lobbying to occur outside the specific government branch the former official previously served in.
SB 149 modifies licensing rules for private investigators and bail bond recovery licensees in Utah. It shifts oversight from the Department of Public Safety to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, renames the licensing board, and requires licensees to provide identification when on property. The bill adds new application requirements (including a test), changes "cancellation" to "suspension" of licenses, and mandates licensees to report registration changes. It also removes the board’s authority to investigate unauthorized activities and adds procedures for disciplinary actions, including automatic license suspension for supervisees if their supervisor’s license is suspended.
HB 188 amends Utah's juvenile justice laws to clarify procedures for handling student offenses on school grounds. It directly affects students (minors), schools, law enforcement, and juvenile courts by requiring schools to refer minors to law enforcement for drug offenses and updating eligibility for alternative resolutions (nonjudicial adjustments) in specific cases. Key provisions include defining terms like "school property" and "school-sponsored activity," changing notification requirements for school-based incidents, and repealing outdated reporting statutes. These changes standardize how schools and authorities respond to student misconduct while focusing on concrete policy updates to existing laws.
SB 142 regulates private probation and court-ordered service providers. It requires these providers to share certain defendant information with county sheriffs (while complying with HIPAA privacy rules), prohibits them from soliciting clients on court property, and mandates that providers conduct risk screenings and refer defendants needing specific assessments or treatment services. The bill directly affects private probation companies, county sheriffs overseeing compliance, and defendants under court supervision. Key mechanisms include standardized risk assessments, mandated referrals for specialized services, and strict privacy protections for defendant data.
SB 144 increases the maximum direct financial assistance available to displaced farms, nonprofits, and businesses under Utah's Relocation Assistance Act from $50,000 to $75,000. It requires the Utah Department of Transportation to annually adjust this $75,000 cap for inflation starting July 1, 2027, calculating and publishing the updated amount each year. The bill mandates the Department of Transportation to share this inflation-adjusted figure with the Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman. These changes apply to individuals or entities displaced by state agency property acquisitions, ensuring assistance levels keep pace with rising costs.
SB 141 amends Utah's child welfare laws to improve transparency and coordination for families and foster care systems. It requires the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to notify all parties when filing court reports or child and family plans, clarifies timelines for foster parent rights, and sets deadlines for resolving placement objections. The bill also allows DCFS to share information with the Division of Professional Licensing regarding child abuse/neglect licensing violations and updates definitions related to "relatives" and post-adoption agreements. These changes directly affect DCFS, foster parents, families involved in custody proceedings, and licensing authorities. The bill makes no new funding commitments and focuses on procedural clarity in child welfare processes.
SB 139 amends Utah's Notaries Public Reform Act to update requirements for notaries, primarily affecting those receiving commissions after May 6, 2026. Key changes include requiring new notaries to maintain a physical or electronic journal of notarial acts, modifying journal content rules, and clarifying that journals are not public records under Utah's government records law. The bill also creates new criminal penalties for unauthorized use or forgery of notary records and specifies actions notaries must take if crimes occur or journals are lost. Attorneys, law firms, and title agencies are exempt from certain journal requirements. These changes aim to modernize notarization procedures while enhancing record security and accountability.
HB 258 requires health insurance plans in Utah to cover reversal treatments for gender transition if the plan covers transition-related care. Specifically, plans covering hormonal transgender treatments must also cover reversal hormonal treatments, and plans covering surgical sex transition procedures must cover reversal surgeries. This applies to all health benefit plans renewed or entered into on or after January 1, 2027. The bill directly affects insurers and policyholders by mandating this coverage, without appropriating funds or adding new administrative requirements.
SB 80 clarifies that physicians do not commit unprofessional conduct by participating in the execution of a death sentence authorized under Utah law. The bill amends disciplinary rules to explicitly exclude such participation from professional misconduct definitions for physicians. It directly affects medical professionals who may be involved in capital punishment procedures. The bill makes a specific policy change to protect physicians from disciplinary action related to this role, without creating new programs or allocating funds.
SB 108 prevents Utah cities and counties from creating rules for online marketplaces like Etsy or Airbnb. It specifically blocks local governments from regulating how these platforms operate or demanding user data without a court order. The law allows exceptions for short-term rental rules and for regulating people who use the platforms, not the platforms themselves.
SB 100 requires Utah state agencies receiving federal guidance letters (federal government communications) to publish them electronically and submit detailed reports to the Federalism Commission. These reports must include impact assessments and recommendations about how the federal guidance affects state operations. The bill extends these reporting requirements to certain education entities and mandates the Federalism Commission to issue annual reports to the Legislative Management Committee. This bill aims to increase transparency around federal communications affecting state governance without altering federal law.
