HB 8 Utah House · 2026 General Session

State Agency Fees and Internal Service Fund Authorization and Appropriations

HB 8 is a budget bill that allocates funding for Utah state agencies during fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It adjusts existing appropriations for agencies like the Department of Corrections, Attorney General’s office, and criminal justice commissions by authorizing specific agency fees and internal service fund rates. The bill appropriates over $14 million for 2027 operations, including $4.1 million from the General Fund and $1.3 million from the Income Tax Fund, while also making adjustments for prior-year funding impacts. It directly affects state government operations by determining how agencies budget for services, staff, and programs without creating new policies or regulations.

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Mar 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute #1 → Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized by adding new funding allocations for the 2027 fiscal year, including new budget items for technical colleges, the Utah National Guard, and the Office of Data Privacy. The final version also included specific line items for the Utah Victim Services Commission and the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, which were not present in the earlier draft. These changes expand the scope of the bill to cover additional state agencies and ensure the final appropriation reflects the complete legislative intent for the upcoming fiscal year.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include new budget items for the Utah National Guard, the Office of Data Privacy, and several technical colleges (Bridgerland, Davis, Dixie, Ogden-Weber), as well as new legislative offices and a specific victim services commission.

FISCAL

Added new budget appropriations for the Utah National Guard, Office of Data Privacy, and five new technical colleges (Bridgerland, Davis, Dixie, Ogden-Weber, and others) to the 2027 fiscal year.

Added specific budget line items for the Utah Victim Services Commission and the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

Adjusted specific funding amounts for various agencies, such as increasing the Utah Department of Corrections budget and modifying allocations for the Department of Health and Human Services.

TECHNICAL

Included specific XML-style metadata tags in the final text indicating program development details.

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 10 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended to adjust total appropriation figures for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, reflecting updated budget estimates. Substantive changes include the addition of new funding categories for Indian Affairs, One Percent for Arts, and Specialized Products, as well as the creation of a new 'Office of Data Privacy' within the Department of Government Operations. Several line items were reorganized or renamed to better reflect program functions, such as splitting the Department of Commerce's regulation section and adding specific line items for energy program capital improvements and cloud seeding.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new specific funding allocations for Indian Affairs, arts initiatives, and data privacy, while also reorganizing the structure of several departmental appropriations to clarify program responsibilities.

FISCAL

Added new funding line items for 'Indian Affairs' and 'One Percent for Arts' under the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement.

Added new funding line items for 'Specialized Products' (likely industrial hemp) under the Department of Agriculture and Food.

Created a new 'Office of Data Privacy' within the Department of Government Operations with dedicated funding.

Adjusted total appropriation summaries for FY 2026 and FY 2027 to reflect updated budget totals.

Added specific funding line items for 'Energy Program' and 'Cloud Seeding' under the Department of Natural Resources.

Added a new 'Capital Improvement' line item under the Department of Government Operations - DFCM.

Split the Department of Commerce's 'Commerce General Regulation' into two separate items: 'Commerce General Regulation' and 'Public Utilities Professional and Technical Services'.

Renamed 'State Board of Education - State Board and Administrative Operations' to 'State Board of Education - Policy, Communication, Oversight' and added a new line item for 'Student Support Services'.

REQUIREMENT

Renamed 'Rules Administration' to 'Administrative Rules' and 'DAR Administration' to 'DAR Administration' in the Department of Government Operations.

SCOPE

Reorganized the Higher Education section to group technical colleges differently and add new colleges like Bridgerland, Davis, Dixie, and Ogden-Weber.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 4, 2026 · House Mar 3, 2026

How they voted

24–0

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 29

Mar 4, 2026

D Democratic6

5 Yea 1

83% Yea

N Forward1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican22

18 Yea 4

81% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 26, 2026

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

Mar 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

upper

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor