Typically, when Utah lawmakers approve new business regulations, it's state agencies that turn those laws into rules. But a new bill, HB474, could block those rules if they're deemed too costly for businesses to follow.
The proposal from Rep. Ryan Wilcox prohibits state agencies from implementing new regulations if they have a fiscal impact of more than $1 million on a single business or individual over a five-year span. If a rule surpasses that threshold, the agency would have to return to the drawing board.
That’s not all. The bill also empowers individuals to challenge professional licensing regulations. Under Wilcox's proposal, anyone can petition the Utah Office of Professional Licensure Review to repeal or modify a licensing regulation. Once a petition is submitted, the office would have 90 days to either repeal the rule, justify its necessity with a written explanation, or modify it to reduce the burden. It also creates a path for petitioners to challenge the regulation in court if they disagree with the result.
New bills that caught my attention
The GOP-controlled Legislature saw Amendment A and D voided from the ballot because they missed the deadline for publishing them in local papers for two months before the election.
HJR10 from Rep. Anthony Loubet is a proposed constitutional amendment that would still require the publication of future amendments for 60 days before an election, but removes the requirement that it appear in a newspaper.
If voters approve the proposed Amendment in 2026, Loubet has a companion bill, HB481, specifying that the text of future amendments need only on the Utah Legislature website and the Utah Public Notice website.
- Sen. Kirk Cullimore wants to establish a "state-endorsed digital identity" so that individuals can verify they meet age requirements without disclosing their birthdate.
- HB479 requires Utah's public colleges and universities to adopt policies to prevent abusive coaching practices that "create an unsafe or harmful environment" for student-athletes.
- SB259 from Sen. Keven Stratton establishes Good Friday as an official state holiday. Currently, a dozen states recognize the Friday before Easter as an official holiday.
- Rep. Matt MacPherson's HB476 lets individual taxpayers and corporations donate a portion of their income tax refund to a special fund that would be used to pay off school lunch debt.
- Speaking out at local school board meetings could no longer be used as the basis for barring members of the community from school grounds under HB477.
Afternoon Headlines
Utah lawmaker wants police to disclose when they use artifical intelligence. [Utah News Dispatch]
Utah bill proposes 67% vote requirement for judicial retention. [KSL]
"Return to soil:" Human composting bill stalled but not fully dead. [Tribune]
Utah man pleads guilty to sexually abusing patients "using his position as a therapist." [Pro Publica]
Utah's youth are back on the hill to learn and lobby to save Great Salt Lake. [Utah News Dispatch]
What's on Wednesday's agenda?
- Sen. Nate Blouin's proposal to increase income taxes on Utahns who make more than $1 million per year will be heard in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. Blouin says his proposal could raise more than $200 million annually for Utah schools.
- The bill to make "Utahn" the official term for residents of the Beehive State is in the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Committee.
