Legislative Work

Welcome to the ACLU's coverage of the 2020 Utah Legislative Session

This is where you can read the latest blog entries, track important bills, and get insight on what is happening on Utah's Capitol Hill during the 45-day Legislative Session.

Read the 2020 Legislative Wrap-up -- a quick guide to to the high-priority bills the ACLU of Utah worked on during the recent legislative session (PDF).

Smart Justice Updates - Short Videos About Three Smart Justice Bills in 2020 (3/12/20)

Episode #9 of ACLU on the Hill with Marina Lowe (3/11/20)

Episode #7 of ACLU on the Hill with Marina Lowe (2/27/20)

Episode #6 of ACLU on the Hill with Jason Groth (2/26/20)

Episode #5 of ACLU on the Hill with Marina Lowe (2/20/20)

Episode #4 of ACLU on the Hill with Marina Lowe (2/13/20)

Episode #3 of ACLU on the Hill with Jason Groth (2/11/20) 

Episode #2 of ACLU on the Hill with Marina Lowe (2/7/20) 

Episode #1 of ACLU on the Hill with Marina Lowe (1/30/20) 

Latest Updates (2020) 

LATEST 4/15/20 - Read the 2020 Legislative Wrap-up -- a quick guide to to the high-priority bills the ACLU of Utah worked on during the recent legislative session (PDF). 

3/12/20 - We finish off the 2020 season of "ACLU on the Hill" with these videos providing quick and informative updates on three bills prioritized by the Campaign for Smart Justice in Utah. We speak with the ACLU of Utah's Smart Justice Attorney Jason Groth about what these bills will do--if they get the votes to pass. 

Watch here: (Video 1: H.B. 288 - Prosecutor Transparency ) ||  (Video 2: H.B. 324 - Conviction Integrity Units ) ||  (Video 3: H.B. 146 - Drivers License Suspension)

3/11/20 - In this last week of the 2020 Legislative Session, Marina Lowe describes two positive criminal justice bills we've been working on (bail reform and jail transparency), as well as the strong defensive strategies we've pursued on reproductive rights including Tuesday night's incredible walkout by all the women in the Utah Senate. Marina also discusses the lack of progress made on privacy and technology issues in this session. H.B. 206 - Bail and Pretrial Release Amendments Rep. Stephanie Pitcher S.B. 185 - Government Records Amendments Sen. Jake Anderegg H.B. 364 - Abortion Revisions Rep. Steve Christiansen S.B. 67 - Disposition of Fetal Remains Sen. Curt Bramble S.B. 174 - Abortion Prohibition Amendments Sen. Dan McCay. Watch it on YouTube

2/27/20 - We close out the fifth week of the Legislative Session withepisode #7 of "ACLU on the Hill" with Marina Lowe. This week Marina describes what happened with #SB174--the full abortion ban--and how it relates to new survey data. We also discuss #HB364 (mandatory ultrasounds) and #HB65 (removes rape reporting for abortion), and check in about #SB173 (meeting protests) and #HB206 (bail reform). Watch it on YouTube

2/26/20 - From inside a hearing room in the Utah Capitol, the ACLU's Jason Groth explains why the Campaign for Smart Justice In Utah supports #HB146 (Drivers License Suspension Amendments), and how he testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee to advance it. Watch it on YouTube

2/25/20 - On February 25th we released results from a statewide survey on abortion and sex education which shows that 80% of Utahns, after being informed of the current abortion restrctions in place, don't want the Utah legislature to add more restrictions. This survey was led by Planned Parenthood of Utah and Alliance for a Better Utah. Check out the Executive Summary, and the three charts we created to illustrate these results. (PDF)

2/20/20 - Check out the fifth episode of "ACLU on the Hill" with Marina Lowe. In this fourth week of the Legislative Session we discuss #HB364, which mandates ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion, and review two exciting criminal justice bills that you probably haven't heard about yet. #HB298 and #HB262. We also recap what happened with two bills we discussed last week: #SB102 (Bigamy Amendments) and #HB69 (Sick Leave Amendments). Watch it on YouTube

2/18/20 - We've updated the ACLU of Utah Bill Tracker (Excel) (PDF) - as of Tuesday, Februry 18, 2020. Note: this bill tracker does not contain the complete scope of our work at the Utah Legislature, as we work behind the scenes to either promote or eliminate a lot of bills and concepts.

2/13/20 - Check out the fourth episode of "ACLU on the Hill" with Marina Lowe. This week we review what happened with #HB243 (Warning Label Amendments), #SB102 (Bigamy Amendments), and #HB69 (Sick Leave Amendments). Watch it on YouTube

2/11/20 - Find out why collecting data on the decisions Utah prosecutors make will help us identify and address racial disparities in the criminal justice in our "ACLU on the Hill" conversation with Jason Groth, the ACLU's Smart Justice Coordinator. Watch it on YouTube

 2/7/20 - In this second episode of "ACLU on the Hill" with Marina Lowe we discuss #HB243, which would add warning labels to adult content in the state, and #HB231, which would limit law enforcement access to DNA and genetic information in commercial databases. Watch it on YouTube

1/31/20 - Download the latest ACLU of Utah Bill Tracker (Excel) (PDF) after the first week of the 2020 Legislative Session.

1/30/20 - The first episode of "ACLU on the Hill" with Marina Lowe is out. Watch it on YouTube

1/14/20 - With two weeks to go until the 2020 Legisative Session begins, we unveiled our Top Ten Legislative Priorities. 

12/19/2019: Check out this new Guide to Legislative Advocacy in Utah we created. It's a six-page "how to" guide to starting up, or stepping up, your communty lobbying game at the Utah Capitol (PDF) -- You can also watch a 3-minute video overview of this new guide (YouTube).

10/23/2019: Read our 2020 Legislative Preview Q&A with Marina Lowe from the Fall 2019 issue of "The Liberty Reporter"

5/1/2019: Read the 2019 Legislative Report from the ACLU of Utah. Our lobbying team, led by Marina Lowe, tracked 100+ bills during the 2019 Utah Legislative Session, while focusing on nine ACLU of Utah priorities (Web) (PDF)

4/30/2019: Review the 2019 Utah Legislative Session at our archive page... which includes all seven episodes of ACLU of the Hill, as well as press releases, updates, and inforamtion about the bills we tracked in 2019 (link)

Build Your Skills 

• Learn how to navigate the Utah Legislature's new website by watching our Online Lobbying 101 workshop
• Access ACLU Lobbying Resources on how to become an effective community lobbyist--like "How to Contact Elected Officials" and "Understanding the Legislative Process"
• Catch up on last year's legislative session by reading our 2019 Legislative Report
  

Last Updated: January 15, 2020