HB 465 requires law enforcement agencies in cities that are county seats of first-class counties to enter into formal agreements with Utah's Department of Public Safety by July 2025. These agreements must include reimbursement terms for department resources, define joint operations roles, establish data-sharing rules, and set public safety improvement metrics. The bill also mandates annual reports to the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee on agreement implementation and outcomes. Additionally, it temporarily authorizes the Division of Facilities Construction to use eminent domain for homelessness facilities on unincorporated city-owned land (expiring July 2027). All provisions in this bill expire on July 1, 2027, except the annual reporting requirement.
HB 337 requires property managers in Utah to hold a state license before managing rental properties for others. It directly affects individuals and companies that handle tenant relations, rent collection, or property maintenance for clients. Key provisions include creating licensing requirements, allowing existing real estate brokers to bypass some exams, and exempting property managers with security bonds covering 30% of client funds from needing a trust account. The bill also removes previous rules that let unlicensed people manage properties and clarifies what licensed property managers can legally do. This law modifies Utah’s real estate licensing code and takes effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.
HB 183 amends Utah law to clarify that noncitizens with pending asylum or temporary protected status (TPS) applications are prohibited from possessing, purchasing, transferring, or owning dangerous weapons. This technical amendment adds these individuals to the existing list of "Category I restricted persons" under Utah Code Section 76-10-503, specifically addressing those waiting for immigration decisions. The bill does not change other restrictions or create new requirements; it only explicitly includes pending asylum and TPS applicants under the existing prohibition. No funding is appropriated, and the change coordinates with related legislation (H.B. 133).
HB 442 modifies Utah's construction licensing rules to create new pathways for contractors. It establishes specific requirements for general engineering contractor licenses focused on electrical utilities and sets standards for HVAC contractor licenses. The bill allows applicants with sufficient hands-on experience (instead of formal education) to qualify for certain licenses, and grants the licensing division authority to set experience standards for journeyman linemen from other states. These changes directly affect electrical utility contractors, HVAC professionals, and out-of-state workers seeking Utah licensing.
HB 207 updates Utah's sexual offense laws to strengthen penalties and clarify definitions. It requires mandatory prison time for repeat sex offenders, expands the definition of "child sexual abuse material" to include minors observing or being filmed in sexual situations, and adds a new offense for accessing such material with intent to view. The bill also creates a safe harbor protecting employees (like school staff or child welfare workers) who must view child sexual abuse material for their job. These changes directly affect repeat sex offenders, law enforcement applying the new definitions, and workers handling such material in their employment.
HB 405 increases criminal penalties for human trafficking in Utah by amending specific sections of state law. It elevates trafficking for sexual exploitation to a first-degree felony (with a minimum 10-year sentence), strengthens penalties for trafficking children (10-15 years minimum), and clarifies that trafficking vulnerable adults is a first-degree felony. The bill directly affects traffickers and those who benefit from trafficking by making these offenses separate crimes with harsher punishments. It modifies Utah Code sections 76-5-308.1, 76-5-308.5, 76-5-309, 76-5-310, and 76-5-311 to increase felony classifications and sentencing ranges. The law does not appropriate new funding or create new victim services.
HB 212, titled "Advanced Transmission Technologies," requires large-scale electric utilities in Utah to analyze the cost-effectiveness and benefits of advanced transmission technologies - such as dynamic line capacity adjustments, congestion-reducing power controls, and energy storage - when proposing new transmission projects. Utilities must include this analysis in filings like integrated resource plans, detailing how such technologies could increase capacity, efficiency, reliability, or wildfire risk reduction. If the Utah Public Service Commission deems the technologies cost-effective based on the utility’s analysis, the commission must approve the utility’s recovery of the approved costs. The bill does not appropriate funds but establishes new procedural requirements for utilities and regulators.
HB 391 revises Utah's emergency medical services (EMS) regulations by granting the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (Bureau) enforcement authority and requiring the Trauma System and Emergency Medical Services Committee to annually recommend a fine schedule for licensed EMS providers. It creates the "Emergency Medical Services Critical Needs Account," into which all fines collected from EMS provider violations must be deposited. The Bureau must use 25% of quarterly account balances to fund critical needs grants, with 21% allocated as per capita block grants to nonprofit prehospital EMS providers. This directly affects licensed EMS providers (who pay fines), the Bureau (which enforces rules and manages funds), and nonprofit EMS organizations (which receive grant funding).
HB 301 sets fixed rates for ambulance services in Utah, directly affecting ambulance providers, insurers, and workers' compensation insurers. It establishes specific base rates (e.g., $1,234.92 for EMT transport) and medication maximum costs that providers cannot exceed, and prohibits balance billing - charging patients for the difference between billed rates and insurance coverage. Insurers and workers' compensation must accept these set rates for claims, and payments must go directly to providers. The bill repeals these provisions on July 1, 2027, and requires an audit of ambulance billing practices if prioritized.
HB 163 creates a formal Division of Adult Probation and Parole within Utah's Department of Corrections, replacing previous administrative arrangements. The bill updates statutes to clarify the Department's responsibility for supervising individuals on probation or parole and establishes new requirements for residential programs that serve these individuals. Key provisions include mandating written disclosures for participants in residential programs about program details, voluntary participation, and contact with the Division. The bill directly affects the Department of Corrections, probation/parole supervision operations, and individuals under community supervision in Utah. It is an administrative restructuring measure with no new funding or significant operational changes beyond codifying existing practices.
HB 378 creates new funding streams for Utah's Species Protection Account by requiring counties to remit money from specific sources, including property taxes on new high-voltage transmission lines ($6,400 per mile), taxes from wind/solar facilities, and revenue from radioactive waste disposal. These funds, deposited into the Species Protection Account, support wildlife conservation efforts like habitat protection, species assessments, and Great Salt Lake wetlands projects. The bill modifies existing tax codes to establish these payment requirements and reporting obligations for counties and businesses, but does not appropriate new state funds. It directly affects counties (via remittance duties), transmission line operators, and renewable energy facilities.
HB 312 modifies Utah's criminal justice system to address jail overcrowding and related procedures. It restricts county sheriffs from releasing individuals for overcrowding if they face charges for violent crimes, certain drug offenses, or have prior arrests for similar charges. The bill also prohibits using state funds for syringe exchange programs, bans housing inmates in private facilities except for federal immigration or civil detention, and adds strangulation to domestic violence offenses involving children. These changes directly affect county sheriffs, probation programs, and public health initiatives, with new reporting requirements for overcrowding-related releases.
