HB 446: Conflict of Interest Disclosure Amendments - Utah

Amended 2/17/2026 09:02:169 → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Utah's conflict of interest disclosure laws to require candidates for municipal, county, and special district offices to disclose unresolved tax liens and criminal convictions on their disclosure forms. It also clarifies definitions for regulated officeholders and expands the list of required disclosures to include specific financial and criminal information. The changes aim to increase transparency for elected officials by making more potential conflicts of interest publicly visible before elections.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of conflict of interest disclosures to include additional types of information (tax liens and criminal convictions) for candidates seeking municipal, county, and special district offices, while maintaining existing requirements for state-level officials.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for candidates to disclose unresolved federal or state tax liens on conflict of interest disclosure forms

Added requirement for candidates to disclose felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions with specified exceptions (class C misdemeanors, traffic offenses, expunged convictions)

Updated disclosure form requirements to include specific sections for tax liens and criminal convictions

DEFINITION

Modified definition of 'applicant' to exclude individuals required to file conflict of interest disclosures from criminal history inquiry restrictions

TECHNICAL

Made technical corrections to section numbering and formatting throughout the bill

Amended Excerpts 2/17/2026 09:02:169 → Amended 2/17/2026 09:02:169 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's conflict of interest disclosure requirements for candidates seeking municipal, county, and school board offices. It adds new disclosure items including unresolved tax liens and criminal convictions, while also updating the definition of 'applicant' to exclude people required to file these disclosures. The changes aim to increase transparency about potential conflicts of interest for public officials.

Scope change

The bill expands disclosure requirements to include federal and state tax liens and criminal convictions, and modifies who must file these disclosures by excluding certain applicants from criminal history inquiry restrictions.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for candidates to disclose any unresolved federal or state tax liens on their conflict of interest disclosure statement.

Added requirement for candidates to disclose felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions, subject to certain exceptions.

Updated the disclosure statement format to include sections for tax liens and criminal history information.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'applicant' for criminal history inquiry restrictions to exclude persons required to file conflict of interest disclosures.

TECHNICAL

Made technical and conforming changes to align with other related statutes and update references to previous laws.

Introduced → Amended Excerpts 2/17/2026 09:02:169 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's conflict of interest disclosure laws to require candidates for municipal, county, and special district offices to file detailed financial and criminal history disclosures before seeking election. The amendments add unresolved federal and state tax liens and felony/misdemeanor convictions to the required disclosures, while also clarifying definitions and enforcement procedures.

Scope change

The bill expands conflict of interest disclosure requirements to include municipal offices (previously covered under different sections), county offices, and special district offices, creating a more uniform disclosure system across all local government levels.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for candidates to disclose unresolved federal and state tax liens on their conflict of interest disclosure forms.

Added requirement for candidates to disclose felony and misdemeanor criminal convictions, with specific exceptions for minor offenses.

Added requirement for candidates to disclose household adults who may constitute a conflict of interest due to their employment or occupation.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'applicant' to exclude individuals required to file conflict of interest disclosures, preventing duplicate criminal history inquiries.

TECHNICAL

Modified tax lien disclosure to specifically require disclosure of liens unresolved for more than two years.

ENFORCEMENT

Added enforcement provisions allowing private parties to bring civil actions for violations of disclosure requirements.

TIMELINE

Added effective date of May 6, 2026 for the new disclosure requirements.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Amendments

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