Legislation

HB262 is another proposed bill to weaken the Judicial branch, this time by raising the threshold in judicial retention elections from a simple majority to 67%.  

HB256 would make elections for school boards into partisan elections. Currently, candidates for local school boards run asd nonpartisan, however this bill would require them to run with a party affiliation, undergo primary elections, and tie midterm vacandies to party affiliation and selection. This bill needlessly politicizes Utah's school boards.  

This bill further changes the composition of the Utah Sentencing Commission in favor of carceral interests. Originally, the bill would have eliminated seats for criminal defense attorneys and added additional seats for prosecutors and Utah Sheriffs Association representatives.  

SB136 attempted to ban federal law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other immigration enforcement officers, from wearing masks while performing their duties. The bill also included a provision prohibiting facilities operated by state or local governments from allowing federal immigration enforcement into non-public areas of sensitive locations, including libraries, healthcare facilities, courthouses, and more.  

HJR13 would add a potential constitutional amendment to the 2026 ballot that would give the Legislature the ability to call a special retention election for an individual judge that it deems "unfit or incompetent," engaged in improper conduct, or fails to make timely decisions in a case. This proposal further enpowers the Legislature while undermining the powers of the judicial branch and would give the Legislature undue influence over individual judges who may be hearing challenges to the very laws passed by the Legislature.  

HB294 would have changed the law regarding which private employers are required to use the federal E-Verify system to verify employees’ immigration status. Current law requires this of all private employers with over 150 employees, but HB294 would have lowered that threshold to 50 employees. The bill also created criminal penalties for using fraudulent identification to obtain employment.  

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.    

HB479 was another attempt to gradually end Utah’s overwhelmingly popular vote-by-mail system. It revived many of the unpopular elements stripped out of HB300, the bill amending voting laws passed in 2025. HB479 would have required a voter to opt in every 8 years to return their ballot by mail, otherwise requiring them to return their mail ballot in person with a valid ID to either a polling location or a drop box staffed by two poll workers. This would have essentially required in-person voting for many Utahns.

HB571 was a sweeping anti-immigrant bill. It would have imposed broad restrictions on non-citizens, limiting their ability to bank, work, and live freely in Utah. The bill would have prohibited banks from opening accounts or issuing loans to anyone using a foreign ID.