HB 459 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Sexual Offense Evidence and Reporting Procedures Amendments

HB 459 gives sexual assault victims more control over how their case is handled. Victims can choose to receive medical treatment without reporting to police, or opt for a "limited report" (sharing only basic details) instead of a full report. The bill creates "restricted kits" for evidence collection that can be stored without testing or tested only partially, while ensuring medical costs remain the same regardless of reporting choice. It also requires a tracking system for restricted kits and updates definitions of "sexual offense" and "medical examination" to align with these new procedures. This directly affects victims, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and forensic services in Utah.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Last action Mar 7, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's sexual offense evidence and reporting procedures to give victims more control over whether to report their assault to law enforcement. It creates a new option for victims to receive medical treatment and evidence collection without making a full report to police, while still allowing limited information sharing. The bill also establishes procedures for contacting victims through advocates when there may be serial offenders, and clarifies how sexual assault kits are processed and stored.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of victim rights by adding new reporting options that were not previously available, particularly for victims who are 18 or older and not vulnerable adults. It also clarifies the definition of sexual offenses to include certain new categories of conduct.

REQUIREMENT

New option for victims 18+ to receive medical treatment and evidence collection without reporting the sexual offense to law enforcement, with limited information sharing instead of full reporting

Establishes procedures for law enforcement to contact victims through victim advocates when there may be a serial offender and evidence from a restricted kit could help the investigation

Creates two types of sexual assault kits: unrestricted kits with full disclosure and processing, and restricted kits with limited testing and information sharing

Requires that victims pay the same amount for medical treatment and evidence collection regardless of whether they choose to report to law enforcement or not

DEFINITION

Updates the definition of 'sexual offense' to include additional categories of conduct under the Sexual Exploitation Act and incest

TIMELINE

Sets January 1, 2027 as the effective date for the new reporting options and kit designation procedures

ELIGIBILITY

Expands reparations eligibility for sexual assault victims who do not report to law enforcement if they seek assistance from advocacy providers

ENFORCEMENT

Adds provisions for limited DNA testing of restricted kits that cannot be compared to DNA databases unless the victim consents to a full report

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

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

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules [House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee]

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee]

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors