And just like that, Utah’s 2026 legislative session, one of the shortest in the country, has come to a close. After weeks of committee hearings, floor debates, and late-night negotiations, lawmakers have adjourned, and the work at the Capitol for this year is officially finished.
Below is a recap of what happened this year and the key policies that moved forward.
- House Bill 126, sponsored by Rep. Ariel Defay and Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, will make it easier to start a microschool, cleared both chambers without a dissenting vote. This is a top priority for Libertas Institute. Here’s our full statement on this important win.
- Senate Bill 90, sponsored by Sen. Heidi Balderree and Rep. Val Peterson, was another priority for Libertas Institute that is headed to the Governor after clearing both chambers without a dissenting vote. It will allow veterans to use the skills and training they gained in the military toward professional licenses in Utah.
- HB 261, also a top priority of Libertas Institute, has cleared both chambers. It is sponsored by Rep. Jason Kyle and Sen. Todd Weiler. It will strengthen existing laws regarding warrant requirements for government to access your personal information from another entity.
- SB 217, sponsored by Sen. Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Kristen Chevrier, modernizes and expands Utah’s legal framework for locally produced food and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk. A Libertas Institute priority, it passed without a single no vote. Similarly, HB 179 from Rep. Chevrier and Sen. Cullimore expands access to raw milk.
- Tax policy was a discussion at the Capitol, as it usually is. Lawmakers lowered the state’s income tax from 4.5% to 4.45% through SB 60, sponsored by Sen. Daniel McCay and Rep. Steve Eliason. A bill that would have automatically returned surplus funds to taxpayers, SB 116 by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, however, did not advance this year. One of the more tumultuous debates this year centered around the gas tax. HB 575, sponsored by Rep. Calvin Roberts and Sen. Brady Brammer, will among other things, create a short-term gas tax reduction of 6 cents per gallon starting in July and running through the end of the year. And HB 236, sponsored by Rep. Karen Peterson and Sen. Daniel McCay, will require local taxing entities to make preliminary public statements about proposed property tax increases and present alternative budgets showing operations with and without the proposed tax increase.
- SB 284, sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore and Rep. Jill Koford, expands ADU rights across most of Utah by making detached backyard cottages a permitted option for homeowners. It’s headed to the Governor.
- SB 275, sponsored by Senator Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Paul Cutler, establishes a “digital identity bill of rights,” which guarantees individuals the right to manage and control their digital identity as a way to protect their privacy. It’s cleared both chambers.
- HB 467, sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci and Sen. Kirk Cullimore, preserves the definition of what is a private school for the Utah Fits All Scholarship. Libertas worked with the sponsor and other stakeholders after the initial bill would have changed that definition to limit parental choice and innovation in education.
- SB 222, sponsored by Sen. Chris Wilson and Rep. Tyler Clancy, will expand Utah’s Right to Try law to give seriously ill patients broader access to investigational medicines and devices. It is on its way to the Governor.
- SB 286, legislation that would reduce regulations on commercial interior designers, has cleared both chambers. It is sponsored by Sen. Luz Escamilla and Rep. Ken Ivory.
- SB 262, sponsored by Sen. Daniel McCay would have placed new limits on how law enforcement officers can use unmarked vehicles during traffic enforcement. After advancing out of committee, it failed in the Senate this week.
Not every reform we supported made it across the finish line, but real progress was made this year. Several important policies are now becoming law, and the conversations started this session will shape the work ahead. Thank you for standing with Libertas Institute and making this work possible.
