Legislation

HB495 modifies competency proceedings in capital felony cases, removing important protections for individuals with intellectual disabilities by: requiring initial IQ tests and penalizing defendants who object to them, changing the criteria and process for automatic review of death sentences, creating expedited review timelines, and creating barriers for appeal and ineffective assistance of counsel challenges.    

SJR7 would have called on the Governor to reconsider the Disability Law Center’s status as the state’s Protection & Advocacy Agency. This designation provides the organization with federal funding to serve people with disabilities in Utah. The timing of this bill was particularly concerning, given that the Disability Law Center had just filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB199. This 2025 law created a new ultra-guardianship for severely disabled individuals.