Rep. Nicholeen Peck

Maddy summaryHB 188 amends Utah's juvenile justice laws to clarify procedures for handling student offenses on school grounds. It directly affects students (minors), schools, law enforcement, and juvenile courts by requiring schools to refer minors to law enforcement for drug offenses and updating eligibility for alternative resolutions (nonjudicial adjustments) in specific cases. Key provisions include defining terms like "school property" and "school-sponsored activity," changing notification requirements for school-based incidents, and repealing outdated reporting statutes. These changes standardize how schools and authorities respond to student misconduct while focusing on concrete policy updates to existing laws.

Maddy summaryHB 258 requires health insurance plans in Utah to cover reversal treatments for gender transition if the plan covers transition-related care. Specifically, plans covering hormonal transgender treatments must also cover reversal hormonal treatments, and plans covering surgical sex transition procedures must cover reversal surgeries. This applies to all health benefit plans renewed or entered into on or after January 1, 2027. The bill directly affects insurers and policyholders by mandating this coverage, without appropriating funds or adding new administrative requirements.

Maddy summaryThis non-binding resolution encourages Utah to promote married-parent households and the "Success Sequence" (completing education, securing full-time work, and marrying before having children) as pathways to family stability. It highlights Utah's higher rate of two-parent households compared to national averages and urges maintaining terms like "mother" and "father" in state law to emphasize family focus. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funds, instead serving as a symbolic statement to guide future policy discussions on family support.

Maddy summaryHB 464 allows parents to serve as certified driver education instructors for their own children, eliminating the requirement for formal classroom instruction. Local schools must provide parents with materials to complete both classroom education and behind-the-wheel driving hours. This directly affects Utah parents of minor drivers seeking to fulfill state driver education requirements. The bill amends Utah Code sections governing learner permits and driver education to permit parent-led instruction under specific conditions.

Maddy summaryHB 233 clarifies the distinction between two categories of non-traditional education students in Utah: "home-based students" and "home school students." It creates specific definitions, stating that a "home-based student" uses public funds (like scholarship programs or state online courses) while a "home school student" receives parent-led instruction without public funding. The bill amends multiple education codes to ensure consistent terminology across laws, affecting how Utah categorizes students in scholarship programs versus parent-directed home schooling. No new funding or eligibility changes are introduced - only precise language updates to avoid confusion in existing policies.

Maddy summaryHB 257 requires pharmacies, not the state, to provide patients receiving opiate prescriptions with a pamphlet covering addiction risks, safe storage/disposal methods, pain management alternatives, naloxone benefits, and substance use disorder resources. The pamphlets must be written in simple language, available in multiple languages, and periodically reviewed for effectiveness. The bill takes effect on May 6, 2026, with no new state funding required. It directly affects pharmacies dispensing opiates and patients receiving such prescriptions.

Maddy summaryUtah's HB 232 (Medicaid Abortion Payment Amendments) restricts Medicaid funding for abortion providers by prohibiting those with over $500 million in annual revenue from qualifying as eligible Medicaid providers, effective May 6, 2026. The bill directly affects abortion clinics or providers meeting the revenue threshold, excluding hospitals from this restriction. Key provisions amend Utah Code Sections 26B-3-114 and 76-7-301 to define "elective abortion" and clarify that Medicaid funds cannot cover abortions unless the mother's life is endangered, excluding cases like rape, incest, or fatal fetal defects. This is a funding restriction, not an abortion ban, as it only impacts Medicaid reimbursement for specific providers.

Maddy summaryHB 127 repeals a requirement for Utah's Department of Health and Human Services to develop a community education program about female genital mutilation. The bill removes Section 76-5-703 from Utah law, ending the obligation to create this specific educational initiative. It takes effect on May 6, 2026, with no new funding or program changes. This is a procedural repeal with no direct impact on individuals or new policy implementation.

Maddy summaryHB 149 creates new civil rights for individuals harmed by the non-consensual depiction of themselves in obscenity or child sexual abuse material, including being portrayed on child sex dolls. It allows victims to sue offenders directly without needing a prior criminal conviction and specifies court remedies like injunctions or damages. The bill also clarifies that online platforms (like social media or cloud services) cannot be held liable for such content if they didn’t create it. These changes apply specifically to Utah residents affected by these types of material, with no new government funding required.

Maddy summaryHB 193 prohibits Utah government entities from using public funds to pay for certain surgical procedures related to transitioning from one's biological sex (defined as primary or secondary sex characteristic procedures). It requires government insurance plans that previously covered such transition procedures before May 6, 2026, to offer equivalent coverage for procedures to reverse those changes ("detransitioning"), to the extent possible. The bill takes effect on May 6, 2026, and does not appropriate new funds or affect private insurance. It directly impacts state and local government agencies, school districts, and other public entities using public money for health coverage.