Criminal Justice

signed · Utah · House Mar 26, 2026

HB 103: Underage Marriage Amendments

HB 103 creates new criminal offenses in Utah for marrying minors (under 18), transporting minors for illegal marriages, and traveling to marry minors, all classified as third-degree felonies. It also moves existing offenses - such as parents unlawfully consenting to a minor's marriage, officiating underage marriages without authorization, and fraudulently posing as a parent or guardian - into the criminal code. The bill extends the statute of limitations for these crimes to 15 years after the minor turns 18, allowing prosecution even if the marriage occurred years earlier. Additionally, it invalidates marriages involving minors performed in other states or countries unless they meet Utah’s specific requirements, directly affecting minors, individuals involved in such marriages, and marriage officiants.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new felonies for underage marriage-related acts, increasing criminal penalties and scope of offenses under criminal justice.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Utah · House Mar 26, 2026

HB 113: Emergency Reporting Abuse Amendments

HB 113 amends Utah's criminal code to strengthen penalties for falsely reporting emergencies to 911 or emergency services. It increases punishments for making false reports - ranging from misdemeanors for basic false calls to felonies if the report causes serious harm, death, or involves weapons of mass destruction. The bill also adds new penalties for repeated false reports about sex-designated changing rooms and requires offenders to reimburse costs for emergency responses they triggered. If passed, it would take effect on May 6, 2026, and coordinates with a related bill (S.B. 99) to align penalty structures.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties for false 911 reports, expanding criminalization and enhancing punitive measures - opposes reform by strengthening punitive enforcement over rehabilitation.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Utah · House Mar 24, 2026

HB 454: Public Assistance Fraud Amendments

HB 454 creates a new criminal offense for individuals who knowingly help others submit inaccurate public assistance applications (e.g., by including false information or omitting required details). This directly affects people who assist applicants for programs like SNAP or Medicaid, making it a crime if they do so to help someone receive benefits they don’t qualify for. Penalties range from misdemeanors to felonies based on the value of the fraud (e.g., a second-degree felony for $5,000+ in benefits). The bill also adds this new offense to the list of crimes that can form part of a "pattern of unlawful activity" under Utah law. The changes amend existing Utah Code sections without appropriating new funds.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offense for aiding public assistance fraud, expanding criminalization (not reform) per bill's criminal penalty structure.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Utah · House Mar 24, 2026

HB 331: Criminal Offenses Modifications

HB 331 modifies Utah criminal law to clarify and expand certain offenses. It renames "threat of terrorism" to "terrorism" and clarifies the offense covers completed acts, not just threats. The bill creates new offenses including "unlawfully advancing foreign organizations" (e.g., aiding terrorist groups), "intentional concealment of identity" (e.g., wearing masks during crimes), and "unlawful deprivation of civil rights" (allowing victims to sue perpetrators). It also expands "aggravated disorderly conduct" to include blocking streets with two or more people. These changes directly affect individuals committing these specific criminal acts and apply to Utah state law.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offenses (e.g., aiding terrorist groups, mask concealment) and expands terrorism laws to cover completed acts, increasing criminalization and penalties.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Utah · House Mar 23, 2026

HB 265: Non-nicotine Inhalation Product Amendments

HB 265 requires businesses to register non-nicotine inhalation products and substances (primarily cannabinoid-based products like CBD vaporizers) and imposes civil penalties for selling unregistered items. It creates a new criminal offense for illegally distributing cannabinoid inhalation products while clarifying that cannabinoid products do not include electronic cigarettes. The bill defines key terms like "cannabinoid product" and "artificially derived cannabinoid" to distinguish legal products from restricted substances. This applies directly to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of these products in Utah, aiming to regulate the market under updated definitions.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offense for illegal distribution of cannabinoid products, expanding criminalization.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Utah · House Mar 17, 2026

HB 188: Juvenile Justice Amendments

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.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates law enforcement referral for juvenile drug offenses, expanding criminalization. Updates alternative resolutions but referral requirement increases justice system involvement.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationMandates school referrals to law enforcement for drug offenses, restricting school-based disciplinary alternatives and increasing juvenile justice involvement in K-12 settings.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 183: Sex Designation Amendments

HB 183 amends Utah state laws to replace the term "gender" with "sex" in all relevant statutes and removes protections based on gender identity. It repeals existing provisions covering gender identity in housing, employment, and crime, prohibits changes to sex designations on birth certificates, and restricts student access to privacy spaces based on biological sex. The bill also requires state agencies to use "sex" instead of "gender" in rulemaking, bars certain employees in child-related roles from having face-to-face contact with children if their work presents a different sex than their biological sex, and directs courts to consider parental opposition to a child's gender identity (conflicting with biological sex) as a factor in custody decisions. These changes directly affect transgender and gender-diverse individuals, schools, healthcare providers, and courts handling custody cases. The bill contains no funding impacts and is currently in early legislative stages.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill removes gender identity protections in crime statutes, weakening legal safeguards for transgender individuals in criminal justice contexts.95% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts student access to privacy spaces based on biological sex in schools, removing gender identity protections affecting K-12 educational access and curriculum policies.85% confidence ✗ HousingOpposes HousingRepeals gender identity protections in housing, weakening tenant safeguards per bill summary.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

Track

passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 114: Adult-oriented Performance and Material Amendments

HB 114 reorganizes Utah's laws on adult performances and materials by creating new standalone criminal offenses. It moves conduct like presenting pornographic performances in public places, aiding minors in such performances, and harmful performances near minors into separate charges, rather than grouping them under existing "distributing material" offenses. Penalties now vary by the actor's age (third-degree felony for adults, misdemeanors for minors), with specific fines and jail terms. The bill clarifies existing prohibitions - such as on school property or harmful material - without introducing new restrictions.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new offenses for adult performances/material, increasing penalties (3rd-degree felony for adults), aligning with 'oppose' indicators of expanded criminalization.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

Track

passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 49: Law Enforcement Salary Amendments

HB 49 requires the salary ranges and pay progression for law enforcement officers in Utah's Division of Natural Resources (DNR) to match those of peace officers in the Department of Public Safety, with similar experience and qualifications. This directly affects DNR law enforcement officers, ensuring their compensation aligns with comparable state law enforcement roles. The bill includes an exception allowing DNR leadership (majors and division directors) to have lower salary ranges than other division directors within the department. It makes technical updates to Utah Code Section 63A-17-110 and takes effect on May 6, 2026, with no new funding required.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAligns law enforcement salaries with comparable roles, supporting officer retention and effectiveness within the criminal justice system.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAligns DNR law enforcement salaries with comparable peace officers, ensuring fair compensation for state workers in this role per bill's explicit wage-matching requirement.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

Track

passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 116: Criminal Fines Amendments

HB 116 increases mandatory fines for certain prostitution-related offenses in Utah. It raises the minimum fine for patronizing an adult sex worker or exploiting prostitution from $5,000 to $10,000 for repeat offenders, and clarifies that higher fines ($20,000 minimum) for offenses involving children only apply to offenders aged 18 or older. The bill also requires courts to mandate completion of an educational program about prostitution's harms for all convicted offenders. These changes directly affect individuals convicted of specific sex crime offenses under Utah law, with no new state funding required.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases mandatory fines for prostitution offenses, expanding criminalization and harsher penalties without reform elements.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

Track