Legislation

This bill would eliminate the driving privilege card program, a program that allows Utah residents who are not eligible for a REAL ID document or are unable to establish lawful presence to acquire the lawful ability to drive. This program helps everyone as it allows all drivers to be screened for driving ability and to obtain auto insurance, protecting everyone on Utah roads. The bill would also require local law enforcement to notify ICE when a car accident takes place involving a driver who does not have lawful immigration status, further intertwining local law enforcement duties with federal immigration enforcement.

This bill would increase the number of justices on the Utah Supreme Court from five to seven and the number of judges on the Court of Appeals from seven to nine. While a seemingly neutral change, the context and timing of it raises concerns that the catalyst for changing the make up of the Court is political, instead of purely administrative, given the Court's recent rulings against the Legislature in hot-topic cases regarding redistricting and gerrymandering, abortion, and public unions.

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 would further change the make up of the Utah Sentencing Commission in favor of carceral interests. The bill would eliminate seats for criminal defense attorneys and adds additional seats for prosecutors and Utah Sheriff's Association representatives.

SB136 attempts to make our communities safer by prohibiting law enforcement, including federal immigration enforcement, from wearing masks to conceal their identity. The bill also seeks to limit immigration enforcement in nonpublic areas of government-owned facilities and prohibits state and local law enforcement from assisting with immigration enforcement operations in sensitive locations such as public libraries, healthcare facilities courthouses, shelters, legal services offices, and places of worship.

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.

This bill amends HB77, the new law passed in the 2025 legislative session that prohibits the display of flags (including Pride flags) in government buildings and public schools, to remove the restriction applicable to government property broadly. Though HB81 makes favorable amendments to HB77, flag display would still be restricted in K-12 public schools under the proposed 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.