HB 540: Judicial Transparency and Information Access Amendments - Utah

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill removes several substantive provisions related to court fees, the Utah Courts Complex Account, and specific private record categories (such as military ballots and certain voter registration details) that were present in the previous version. It also simplifies the list of affected code sections and removes a technical renumbering note. The changes reduce the bill's scope by eliminating funding mechanisms for a specific court building project and narrowing the definition of private records.

Scope change

The bill's scope is reduced by removing the creation of a restricted account for the Salt Lake City Courts Complex and deleting specific private record categories related to military voting and voter registration data.

FISCAL

Deleted all text establishing the 'State Courts Complex Account' and provisions for transferring revenue to fund the construction and maintenance of a courts complex in Salt Lake City.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement that the Judicial Council report recommendations on making audio recordings of court proceedings freely available to the public.

Deleted the prohibition on charging fees for accessing, searching, or downloading records from the new public court record website.

Removed the ban on hiring a judge for two years if the judge previously represented a government entity in a lawsuit.

Deleted the requirement for the Judicial Council to create rules for judicial financial disclosures and report to the Judiciary Interim Committee.

Removed specific private record categories including military-overseas ballots, certain voter registration data (like email addresses and phone numbers), and records from the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel.

TECHNICAL

Removed the renumbering of Section 78A-1-202 from 78A-2-208 and the enactment of Section 78A-1-202.

Changed the list of affected Utah Code sections to remove references to Sections 78A-1-202, 78A-1-204, 78A-2-114, 78A-9a-101, 78A-9a-102, and 78A-9a-103.

Amended 3/4/2026 19:03:105 → Substitute #1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to add a new provision prohibiting law firms from hiring judges for two years after they leave office, while also updating the bill title and long description to reflect this new requirement. The core provisions regarding court transparency, record access, and financial disclosures remain substantively unchanged.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include restrictions on the employment of former judges by law firms, whereas the original version did not contain this specific provision.

REQUIREMENT

Added a prohibition preventing law firms from hiring a judge for two years after the judge leaves office in certain circumstances.

DEFINITION

Updated the 'Highlighted Provisions' in the long title to include the new restriction on hiring former judges.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Judicial Transparency and Information Access Amendments' to 'Judicial Transparency, Information Access, and Transition Amendments' to reflect the new content.

Amended Excerpts 3/4/2026 19:03:105 → Amended 3/4/2026 19:03:105 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was restructured from a fragmented set of line-by-line edits into a formal substitute bill with a complete title, summary, and organized sections. The substantive content regarding private records was preserved but renumbered and slightly edited for clarity, such as changing 'prior to' to 'before' in one instance.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a formal 'Long Title' and 'General Description' explaining the bill's purpose, which was missing in the previous version. The list of affected Utah Code sections was also updated to reflect the new structure.

TECHNICAL

The document format changed from a raw list of line edits to a standard legislative bill format with headers, sponsor information, and a long title.

The list of Utah Code sections affected was updated to include new sections and renumbered sections, reflecting the bill's new structure.

Minor text edits were made within the 'Private Records' section, such as changing 'prior to' to 'before' and adjusting bracketed text for consistency.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 3/4/2026 19:03:105 · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to require the Judicial Council to contract with a third-party vendor under the state Procurement Code to build and maintain the public court records website, rather than managing it directly. This change shifts the operational responsibility and funding model for the new online court database to an external contractor.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's implementation changed by adding a mandatory procurement requirement for the court records website, altering how the service will be delivered and funded.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that the Judicial Council must contract with a third party to establish and maintain the court record website, replacing the previous language that implied direct management.

Added a specific legal reference to Title 63G, Chapter 6a, Utah Procurement Code, mandating that the website contract follow state procurement laws.

Introduced → Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, updating the Long Title to reflect a focus on audio recordings and website databases rather than an 'audiostream' and 'database'. It added a new section to the Government Records Access and Management Act (63G-2-302) to explicitly classify certain sensitive records (like ethics complaints and voter data) as private. The substantive text of the judicial transparency, court fees, and judicial conduct sections remains consistent with the previous draft.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded by adding a new provision to the state's government records privacy law, while the scope of the judicial transparency and fee sections remained unchanged.

TECHNICAL

The Long Title was updated to change the description of the online system from a 'database' to a 'website' and from an 'audiostream' to an 'audio recording', likely to align with the final statutory language.

The list of Utah Code sections affected was updated to include 63G-2-302 and 78A-2-301.7, and to remove a renumbered section (78A-2-114) that was not present in the previous draft.

Minor formatting and punctuation adjustments were made throughout the text, including the removal of placeholder text like '1...1' and the correction of section numbering references.

REQUIREMENT

A new section was added to the Government Records Access and Management Act (63G-2-302) to explicitly list various sensitive records - such as ethics commission files, specific voter registration details, and employment records - as private and exempt from public disclosure.

Judicial Transparency and Information Access Amendments

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