Legislation

HB183 is a broad attack on trans and nonbinary Utahns. The bill would prohibit anyone who does not present as their biological sex from working as a teacher or staff in public schools or for certain healthcare providers licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services if their role requires contact with a child for more than five minutes. HB183 would also essentially ban gender marker changes on birth certificates. Additionally, the bill gets rid of some protections and guidelines preventing discrimination based on gender identity, including allowing some employers and landlords to discriminate against an individual due to their gender identity. Additionally, the bill requires state agencies to use the term "sex" instead of "gender" in all agency rulemaking, and makes corresponding changes to state code. Lastly, in child custody proceedings, the bill would require a court to consider one parent's disapproval of the child's gender identity (if it conflicts with the child's biological sex) as a factor in favor of awarding custody to that parent.

HB193 would prohibit the use of public funds to pay for gender affirming care, including hormone treatment and surgical procedures, for both minors and adults. If passed, individuals could not use Medicare, Medicaid, the state health plan, or other public funds to cover such treatment.

SB56 would require public school to provide civics education to all 10th graders, including information about voting rights, jury duty obligations, the right to legal representation in court proceedings, the criminal legal system and other civic institutions.

Like the proposed SAVE Act in the U.S. Congress, HB209 would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship to be able to vote in state elections. Under the bill, proof of citizenship would include state ID that verifies your citizenship (this would likely not include your driver's license), your birth certificate, passport, naturalization documents, or tribal identification card or certificate of degree of Indian blood. If enacted, this requirement will likely be burdensome to women or other voters who have undergone a name change.

HB232 would prohibit providers of abortion (outside of hospitals) from qualifying as an eligible Meicaid provider. Practically speaking, this bill is aimed at preventing Planned Parenthood Association of Utah from qualifying for Medicaid payments.

This bill would prohibit the Utah State Board of Education, local school districts, and other public employers from disciplining an employee for misgendering or using non-preferred gender-specific language or names for a student, coworker, or other individuals. The bill also requires public employers to offer a religious exemption to any requirement to use preferred pronouns, names, or other gender-specific language.

HB88 would remove several long-standing exceptions that allow impacted communities to bypass citizenship verification to access certain major healthcare and social services programs supported by state funding or grants. These services include food assistance (for children and adults), vaccinations, support for victims of domestic violence, housing assistance, and testing and treatment for communicable diseases, among others.

HB196 undermines local control and serves only to stoke inflammatory politics in Utah. Despite current Utah law giving municipalities the power to name their own streets, this bill would rename Harvey Milk Boulevard in Salt Lake City to Charlie Kirk Boulevard. This bill goes even further however, allowing the Legislature to rename any city-owned streets.