HB 303 amends Utah family court procedures to clarify how courts handle costs, fees, and custody decisions. It requires courts to consider "coercive control" (patterns of isolating, controlling, or threatening behavior) when making child custody or parent-time rulings, and adds specific criteria for awarding attorney fees based on financial need and ability to pay. The bill also creates new processes for ordering mental health treatment in custody cases and establishes formal guidelines for child custody evaluations. These changes directly affect parents, children, and courts handling divorce, custody, and family law disputes in Utah.
HB 132 requires municipalities within 5,000 feet of military installations (like Camp Williams, Hill Air Force Base, and the newly added Naval Reserve Industrial Ordinance Plant) to develop land use plans with the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to ensure new developments don’t interfere with military operations. It reduces the Veterans and Military Affairs Commission’s permanent membership from 18 to 17 members and adjusts how its leadership is appointed. The bill also updates rules allowing the Utah National Guard to accept donations for military-related purposes. These changes primarily affect local governments, military installations, and the Commission’s operations, with no new funding required.
HB 130 prohibits employers in Utah from requiring employees or job applicants to pay for medical examinations (including drug tests) as a condition of hiring or employment. It directly affects workers and prospective employees who might otherwise be charged fees for required health screenings. The bill mandates that employers cover all costs of these exams, bans reimbursement schemes where employees pay upfront and get refunded later, and establishes enforcement through the Labor Division, allowing workers to file claims within one year for violations. If an employer violates the law, they must reimburse affected individuals and may face daily penalties of up to 5% of the fees paid, with penalties retained 50% for enforcement costs and 50% returned to the worker.
HB 382 replaces Utah’s outdated assignment law with a uniform system for businesses and individuals to transfer assets to creditors to settle debts. It creates clear rules for how assets are transferred, how creditors submit and dispute claims, and how money is distributed from the transferred assets. The law establishes legal duties for the person managing the assets (the assignee) to act in creditors' best interest and requires transparency throughout the process. This standardizes a debt resolution method previously handled under inconsistent rules, repealing the old code and aligning Utah with a national framework.
SB 109 abolishes Utah's legal right to sue for "alienation of affections," which previously allowed individuals to file lawsuits against third parties accused of causing marital breakdown. The bill explicitly states in Utah Code § 78B-3-1302 that "there is no right of action for alienation of affections," directly affecting anyone who might have pursued such claims under prior law. This change removes a specific cause of action from Utah civil law, taking effect on May 5, 2027, with no financial impact noted. The policy change is a straightforward removal of an outdated legal remedy.
HB 348 amends Utah's water rights laws to clarify and streamline the handling of "dedicated water" applications, which are water rights set aside for specific future uses like instream flow protection. It prohibits separating dedicated water applications from the underlying water right they're tied to, updates fee structures for these applications, and specifies requirements for reporting and approval processes. The bill directly affects water rights applicants and the state engineer's office when processing these specialized applications. These changes aim to reduce administrative confusion while ensuring dedicated water uses are properly documented and managed under existing law.
SB 128 creates Utah's Purple Alert Notification System, administered by the Department of Public Safety, to help locate missing vulnerable adults (ages 18-60 with physical or mental impairments affecting daily life) and vulnerable minors (under 18 with impairments). The system activates when law enforcement confirms a missing person meets these criteria and Amber Alert requirements aren't met, using similar public notification methods as Amber Alerts but without triggering emergency broadcasts or disclosing medical diagnoses. It specifically excludes individuals with dementia from the "vulnerable adult" definition. The system will be implemented starting January 1, 2027, with rules to govern alert requests, activation, duration, and cancellation.
SB 92 restricts prosecutors from charging defendants with additional offenses after a prior conviction related to bodily injury that later caused death. Specifically, it prohibits prosecuting a defendant for any offense other than homicide in a subsequent case where the death resulted from the same prior injury that was already prosecuted. This bill directly affects prosecutors and defendants in homicide cases stemming from previously charged bodily injury incidents. The key provision prevents multiple prosecutions for the same incident, ensuring a defendant cannot face new charges beyond homicide after the initial injury case concluded with a conviction, acquittal, or dismissal.
HB 181 enacts Utah's adoption of the Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act. It allows electronic versions of non-will estate planning documents (like powers of attorney, living wills, and trust documents) to have the same legal standing as paper copies. The bill requires electronic signatures to be attributable to the person signing and sets standards for notarization, witnessing, and document retention. It ensures these electronic documents cannot be rejected in court solely because they are digital. This directly affects individuals creating estate plans and legal professionals handling such documents.
SB 68 creates a process for Utah courts to determine if website accessibility lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are "abusive" - meaning primarily filed for monetary gain rather than fixing accessibility issues. Courts must evaluate factors like multiple similar lawsuits, the defendant's ability to defend, and whether the lawsuit was filed in an unreasonable jurisdiction. If deemed abusive, courts can award the defendant attorney fees, punitive damages (up to three times the fees), and sanctions against the filing party. This directly affects businesses sued for website accessibility and the law firms initiating such lawsuits, with the law taking effect in May 2026.
SB 196 amends Utah's Wrongful Lien Act to clarify and strengthen protections for property owners. It expands the definition of "wrongful lien" to include improper notices about reinvestment or transfer fees, making such notices invalid if recorded incorrectly. The bill also adds new filing requirements for homeowner associations recording liens and clarifies that county recorders do not need to determine if a notice qualifies as a wrongful lien in specific situations. These changes primarily affect homeowners, homeowners associations, and county recorders by reducing improper lien claims on property. The law makes technical updates to existing Utah Code sections without appropriating new funds.
SB 162 adds a sales tax to online digital content, including subscription-based streaming services like Netflix or Spotify. It affects companies providing digital video/audio services and their customers who purchase these subscriptions. The bill clarifies that transactions already subject to a multi-channel video service tax remain exempt from this new tax. These changes update Utah's sales tax rules for digital services without requiring new state spending.
