2026 Utah Legislative Session Bill Watch

Bill Process 101

2026 Utah Legislative Session Bill Watch

HB64

Bill Text

School and Institutional Trust Lands Amendments

Rep. Carl R. Albrecht

Sponsor

Co-Sponsor(s)

None Listed

Potential Preservation Impacts

Creates a formal process allowing counties to nominate culturally or scientifically significant sites located on School and Institutional Trust Lands for potential preservation, subject to approval by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA).

Chamber Introduced In	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Moved to Chamber	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Governor Action	Effective Date
House	House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee	Favorable

Standing Committees

HB186

Bill Text

Judicial Conduct Comission Admendments

Rep. Teuscher, Jordon D.

Sponsor

Co-Sponsor(s)

None Listed

Potential Preservation Impacts

H.B. 186 updates Utah’s Judicial Conduct Commission process to preserve protections for sensitive historic resource location information by keeping “records that reveal the location of historic, prehistoric, paleontological, or biological resources” classified as protected when disclosure could jeopardize those resources

Chamber Introduced In	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Moved to Chamber	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Governor Action	Effective Date
House	House Judiciary Committee	Favorable with Substition

Standing Committees

HB157

Bill Text

Department of Natural Resources Amendments

Rep. Rex P. Shipp

Sponsor

Co-Sponsor(s)

None Listed

Potential Preservation Impacts

The bill supports historic preservation and cultural resource protection by strengthening the Cultural Site Stewardship Program, expanding protections for archaeological and paleontological sites, and reinforcing state responsibilities to inventory, protect, and prevent vandalism of culturally significant historic resources.

Chamber Introduced In	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Moved to Chamber	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Governor Action	Effective Date
House

Standing Committees

HB68

Bill Text

Housing Admendments

Rep. Calvin Roberts

Sponsor

Co-Sponsor(s)

Sen. Lincoln Fillmore

Potential Preservation Impacts

The bill indirectly supports historic preservation by encouraging rehabilitation of existing housing stock, reinvestment in established communities, and station area planning approaches that can favor reuse and adaptive redevelopment of historic buildings rather than greenfield development.

Chamber Introduced In	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Moved to Chamber	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Governor Action	Effective Date
House	House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee

Standing Committees

SB53

Bill Text

Public Land Management Advisory Board Amendments

Sen. Karen Kwan

Sponsor

Co-Sponsor(s)

None Listed

Potential Preservation Impacts

Modifies the composition of the Public Land Management Advisory Board by adding the State Historic Preservation Officer (or designee) and the director of the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (or designee) as members, and makes technical changes.

Chamber Introduced In	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Moved to Chamber	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Governor Action	Effective Date
Senate	Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee	Favorable	Senate placed on 2nd Reading Calendar

Standing Committees

SB39

Bill Text

Investment Zones Amendments

Sen. Wayne A. Harper

Sponsor

Co-Sponsor(s)

Rep. Stephen L. Whyte

Potential Preservation Impacts

The bill explicitly allows rehabilitation, redevelopment, and conservation planning elements to include historic preservation, enabling preservation activities to be supported through reinvestment and redevelopment frameworks.

Chamber Introduced In	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Moved to Chamber	Assigned Standing Committee	Committee Rec	Second Reading	Third Reading and Vote	Governor Action	Effective Date
Senate	Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee	Favorable

Standing Committees

How a Bill Becomes Law in Utah (Quick Guide)

Every bill moves through the same basic steps during the Utah Legislature’s session. Here’s what each stage means when you see it listed in our bill tracker:

1. Idea and Drafting

A legislator sponsors an idea and has it drafted into a bill, including a review of potential costs.
Ideas come from constituents, interest groups, the Governor, or legislators themselves.
A legislator submits a request to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (OLRGC). Nonpartisan attorneys draft the bill in technical form, assign it a number (H.B. for House, S.B. for Senate), and attach a fiscal note detailing its cost.

2. Introduction and First Reading

The bill is introduced on the floor of its originating chamber (the House or the Senate). The title, sponsor, and number are read aloud; this is the First Reading.
The bill is referred to the chamber Rules Committee, which serves as a "gatekeeper" to determine which standing committee will hear it.

3. Standing Committee Review

The assigned Standing Committee holds an open meeting where they review the bill and receive public testimony.
The committee can amend, hold, table, or give a "favorable recommendation" to the bill. If it does not receive a favorable recommendation, it effectively dies.
Many bills stop here.

4. Floor Action (Second and Third Readings)

The bill is returned to the full chamber for the Second Reading. In the Senate, this includes floor debate. In the House, it is typically a procedural adoption of the committee's report.
Third Reading & Final Passage is the primary stage for final debate and amendments.
- House Vote: Requires at least 38 votes (out of 75) to pass.
- Senate Vote: Requires at least 15 votes (out of 29) to pass.

5. Consideration by the Other Chamber

The bill moves to the opposite chamber (e.g., from House to Senate), where it undergoes the same process: Rules Committee, Standing Committee, and floor votes.
If the second chamber makes any amendments, the bill must return to the originating chamber for a "concurrence" vote on those changes.

6. Governor's Action

Once passed in identical form by both houses, the OLRGC prepares the final "enrolled" bill, which is signed by the Senate President and House Speaker.
The Governor has three options:
- Sign the bill, and it becomes law.
- If not signed or vetoed within the allotted timeframe, it still becomes law.
- Veto the bill, and the Legislature can override a veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers.

7. Effective Date

Most laws passed take effect 60 days after adjournment (typically around early May), unless a specific alternative date is written into the bill.