Criminal Justice (Courts)

HB 244 protects employees and job applicants who voluntarily cooperate with law enforcement. It prohibits employers from asking employees not to cooperate, penalizing them for cooperating, or refusing to hire them based on this choice. Employees who face retaliation can sue for damages or court orders under the new law. The bill takes effect on May 6, 2026, and applies to all employers in Utah.

HB 91 creates a legal presumption that individuals are indigent ( eligible for free legal representation) if they are incarcerated for 10 or more consecutive days. This applies directly to people facing criminal charges who are currently held in jail, prison, or a similar facility. The bill requires courts to automatically treat these individuals as indigent without needing to assess their income, assets, or family circumstances under existing rules. It streamlines access to court-appointed defense counsel for this specific group of incarcerated defendants, while maintaining other existing criteria for indigency determinations. The law takes effect on May 6, 2026.

HB 94 allows Utah defendants who owe court costs or fees (but not restitution payments) to reduce those amounts by completing court-ordered treatment or compensatory service. The bill increases the credit rate for compensatory service from $10 to $12 per hour and requires defendants to prove financial hardship and provide documentation of completed service or treatment. It applies only to non-restitution fees, such as court costs or fines, and does not affect restitution payments. This change aims to provide flexibility for defendants facing financial hardship while maintaining accountability for non-restitution obligations.

HB 102, the Victim Privacy Amendments, protects crime victims' identities in Utah's public criminal justice records. It allows victims to request using initials instead of their full name in documents like court filings under certain circumstances. The bill also creates a searchable database of victim names (accessible only via court order) and classifies this database as a protected record under Utah's Government Records Access Act. These changes directly affect individuals involved in criminal cases who seek to limit public disclosure of their personal information.