SB 288 requires Utah's Department of Health and Human Services to establish quality standards for Medicaid providers (including managed care entities and fee-for-service providers) and annually report their performance to the legislature. It mandates a new "closed loop referral system" to coordinate social needs care (like housing or food assistance) for Medicaid-eligible individuals, ensuring secure communication and tracking of referrals between providers. The bill appropriates $42.7 million for fiscal year 2027 to fund these requirements, including $16.9 million from the General Fund. This directly affects Medicaid providers through performance evaluations and new reporting duties, while improving care coordination for Medicaid enrollees with social needs.
SB 324 establishes Utah's Outcome-based Investment Grant Pilot Framework, creating a system where state grant funding is tied to measurable project outcomes. It requires grant applicants to submit detailed pre-analysis plans outlining specific metrics and evaluation methods before receiving funds, mandates independent evaluations of funded projects, and sets up oversight by the Legislative Auditor General. The bill appropriates $9 million for fiscal year 2027 (split between the Income Tax Fund and other sources) and includes a sunset date of July 1, 2031, for the pilot program. This framework directly affects state agencies administering grants and organizations seeking funding for projects with defined, trackable results.
SB 281 creates a Senior Nutrition Private Donation Matching Fund to encourage private contributions for senior meal programs. Local area agencies serving seniors can qualify for matching funds when they secure new private donations (not from program recipients or in-kind donations) that exceed prior public entity donations by a specific amount. The fund matches these qualifying donations to support home-delivered meals, with distributions based on "area need" factors like senior population served and rural service costs. This directly affects local agencies managing senior nutrition services by providing a mechanism to leverage private funding without new state appropriations.
HB 324 removes a $400,000 annual cap on funds the Utah Marriage Commission receives from county marriage license fees. It affects county clerks who collect marriage license fees, as they must now send all funds above $400,000 from these fees directly to the state General Fund instead of capping them for the Commission. The bill does not change existing $10 contributions for Children's Legal Defense or domestic violence shelters, which remain unchanged. This is a technical adjustment to fee distribution rules without creating new fees or altering other provisions.
This bill makes permanent a budgeting mechanism that adjusts Medicaid reimbursement rates for applied behavior analysis (ABA) services based on Utah's General Fund revenue growth. It ensures ABA providers receive rate increases tied to the state's budget growth factor (e.g., 100% if growth is below 100%, or 102% if growth is 102% or higher). The policy directly affects Medicaid providers delivering ABA services to beneficiaries and ensures these rates stay aligned with reimbursement for similar services under Medicaid managed care plans. The bill does not appropriate new funding but modifies how existing funds are allocated to maintain these rate adjustments.
HB 272 strengthens oversight of how counties spend tourism-related taxes (like transient room taxes and tourism facility taxes). It requires counties to submit detailed annual reports on tourism tax spending to the state auditor and legislative fiscal analysts, who must jointly review if funds comply with state rules. If reports are inadequate, the state auditor can block counties from accessing tourism revenue until compliance is proven. This directly affects counties collecting these taxes, ensuring they account for spending on tourism promotion, emergency services, and infrastructure tied to tourism.
HB 46 allows Utah's Driver License Division to share specific driver license information - such as a person's name, license number, and current residential address - with county assessors. This data can only be used to verify whether property owners qualify for residential property tax exemptions. The bill strictly prohibits county assessors from using this information for any other purpose. It makes technical updates to existing laws governing data sharing between the Driver License Division and county assessors.
HB 466 modifies Utah's Rural Jobs Act to authorize new nonrefundable income and insurance tax credits for investments in eligible small businesses located in rural counties. It directly affects insurers and their affiliates that make qualifying investments through rural investment companies, allowing them to claim tax credits against state taxes or retaliatory assessments. The bill enacts new provisions (effective January 1, 2027) that specify credit amounts and carry-forward rules, while repealing one outdated section and making technical updates to related statutes.
HB 521 creates a new Public Education Economic Stabilization Trust Fund managed by the state treasurer, which must receive $350 million annually starting in 2027 from the existing Public Education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account. The bill requires this trust fund to be funded before other one-time appropriations for public education, ensuring priority for education funding during budget cycles. It also exempts the trust fund from standard state financial management laws and corrects how minimum funding levels apply. This directly affects Utah's public education system by mandating a dedicated funding stream for schools and specific programs like the Catalyst Center Grant Program.
HB 375 modifies Utah's Outdoor Adventure Infrastructure Restricted Account to allow up to 2% of funds to cover administrative costs, which were previously restricted. The bill does not appropriate new money but clarifies that existing funds - collected from specific deposits - can now support account management. It maintains the existing distribution rules, requiring at least 15% to state parks, 22% to competitive recreation grants, 53% to larger infrastructure projects, and 10% to the Utah Fairpark district. This change directly affects state agencies managing recreation infrastructure funds, such as the Division of State Parks and Division of Outdoor Recreation. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.
