HB 335 Utah House · 2026 General Session

County Employment Amendments

HB 335 exempts law enforcement officers in county sheriff's offices holding ranks of lieutenant or higher from competitive hiring requirements under county merit systems, career service, or civil service rules. This change directly affects sheriff's office personnel at or above the lieutenant rank, allowing their positions to bypass standard competitive hiring processes. The bill clarifies that these officers are no longer subject to the same civil service regulations as other county employees. It also includes technical updates to related Utah Code sections without appropriating new funds.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Last action Mar 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's county employment laws to clarify exemptions for law enforcement officers in merit systems. It adds a new definition for 'frontline peace officer supervisor' and changes the criteria for which peace officers are exempt from merit system rules, focusing on supervisory roles and rank within the command structure. The bill also includes technical corrections to section numbers and formatting throughout the text.

Scope change

The bill's scope is narrowed and clarified by adding specific definitions and criteria for peace officer exemptions, particularly regarding supervisory duties and rank levels relative to the county sheriff.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'frontline peace officer supervisor' to clarify which officers are excluded from certain merit system protections.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the criteria for peace officer exemptions to include specific requirements about supervising other officers and being no more than three levels below the county sheriff.

TECHNICAL

Corrected section numbering errors and formatting inconsistencies throughout the bill text.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the list of exempt positions to align with new definitions and remove redundant or conflicting language regarding rank and designation.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules/ substituted [House Rules Committee]

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Held [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Political Subdivisions Committee]

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors