2026 Legislative Session Week 7

In the final hours of the 2026 Legislative Session, Utah lawmakers are still working through a record number of bills. Host Jason Perry leads a discussion examining the major themes this year, whether there were any big surprises, and how all the new legislation will impact the lives of Utahns.

THE DEEPER DIVE:

• On the final day of the legislative session, a record number of bills have been filed, but does that mean lawmakers will approve a record number of new laws? Our panel discusses whether we achieve better policy with fewer bills. And will there ever be an appetite to limit the number?
• ⚠️ This year, more than 400 bills had substitute language inserted at some point in the legislative process. We examine how this affects legislation and whether this leads to a lack of transparency in the law-making process.
• ⛽ Occassionally bills are killed in a committee hearing and eventually come back later in the session and end up passing. That's what happened this year with a proposed cut to Utah's tax on gasonline. How did it change? And what is the net benefit to Utahns?
• Several proposed bills this year would have impacted immigration, including one from Rep. Trevor Lee (R-Layton) that didn't pass a legislative committee. The language from his bill was eventually included in another piece of legislation. We discuss how this political maneuver played out in the Utah House of Representatives and resulted in no support from the Utah Senate.
• A bill that would have changed Utah's populuar vote-by-mail system did not advance in the legislature. The proposal from Rep. Jefferson Burton (R-Provo) would have required voters to show their ID when they dropped off ballots. Will a version of this bill come back in the future?
• ️ Should Utah's lieutenant governor continue overseeing the state's elections? A bill from Rep. Lisa Shepherd (R-Provo) would have shifted oversight from the L.G. to a newly-created Secretary of State. The bill did not pass, but did bring up questions about election oversight in the Beehive State.
• ️ The filing period for congressional candidates in Utah opens up next week. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT4) announced he is retiring and will not run for re-election. How will this shape the race for the other incumbents in Congress? And how will the state's new congressional boundaries influence the ballot?

️ FEATURING:
• Chris Bleak – Partner, RRJ Consulting
• Kate Bradshaw – Mayor, Bountiful City
• Glen Mills – Political Commentator

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