House advances a slate of bills including autopsy photo privacy, AI disclosure for law enforcement, and a state sovereignty fund

The Utah House of Representatives met Feb. 26, 2025, and moved a variety of measures through committee and final floor action, including privacy, public‑safety, environmental and fiscal items. Several bills were passed with unanimous or near‑unanimous margins and will be transmitted to the Senate or returned to the Senate where indicated.

The most consequential floor votes were routine confirmations of senate bills on the House third‑reading calendar and passage of several first or substitute house bills. Sponsors briefly described each bill on the floor before the body voted. The session also included ceremonial citations honoring Vietnam War veterans, members of the Brigham Young University football team, and BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe.

Votes at a glance (bill — short description — final House outcome and tally):

- Senate Bill 82 (autopsy photo amendments) — defines and restricts sharing identifiable autopsy photos and creates a Class B misdemeanor for improper publication; passed House first substitute, 64–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Nicholeen Peck)

- Senate Bill 83 (law enforcement policy requirements) — requires agencies to create/maintain policies for investigating protective‑order and injunction violations and ensures victims receive contact/referral information; passed, 61–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Mark Clancy)

- Senate Bill 180 (law enforcement use of artificial intelligence) — requires officers to disclose AI use in investigations and to review AI‑generated material for accuracy; passed first substitute, 66–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Jefferson Moss)

- Senate Bill 159 (environmental quality modifications) — requires synthetic liners for class‑7 landfills that handle oil‑and‑gas wastes; passed first substitute, 69–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Carl Albrecht)

- Senate Bill 113 (traffic code amendments; livestock on open range) — clarifies civil liability and insurance handling when collisions involve open‑range livestock; passed second substitute, 66–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Steve Chu)

- Senate Bill 64 (fourth substitute; technical cannabis program changes) — multiple technical and regulatory adjustments to medical cannabis program administration and licensing; passed fourth substitute, 69–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Sam Brooks)

- House Bill 351 (fourth substitute; Election Day amendments) — designates Election Day as a state day of recognition/holiday without creating a paid day off and clarifies employer obligations for voter time; passed fourth substitute, 69–3. (Sponsor: Rep. Ryan Wilcox)

- House Bill 298 (EMS benefits extension for smaller municipalities) — extends state EMS benefit eligibility to smaller cities/towns to aid recruitment and retention; passed, 72–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Welton)

- HJR 10 (proposal to amend Utah Constitution — publication amendments) — changes the constitutional publication requirement for constitutional amendments so the manner of publication may be set by statute and standardizes a 60‑calendar‑day notice period; passed, 70–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Anthony Loubet)

- HB 481 (companion statute to HJR 10; ballot/constitutional publication statutory standard) — requires posting on public notice site and the legislative website, among other steps; passed, 70–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Loubet)

- HB 309 (second substitute; wildlife amendments) — clarifies allowable tools for taking certain wildlife at night, clarifies wildlife board membership criteria, requires hunting/fishing license for access to some DWR properties, and adjusts livestock depredation multipliers; passed second substitute, 63–6. (Sponsor: Rep. Snyder)

- HB 176 (county classification amendments) — adjusts county classification rules and seeks to preserve status quo for counties while updating the classification methodology; passed second substitute, 68–2. (Sponsor: Rep. Brooks)

- HB 428 (first substitute; property tax changes) — greater coordination among tax commission, GOED (governor’s office) and legislative fiscal analysts on setting state minimum tax rates and WPU rate; passed first substitute, 73–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Colford)

- HB 464 (first substitute; State Sovereignty Fund) — creates a permanent fund to be invested by the state treasurer intended to provide contingency funding if federally sourced funds decline; passed first substitute, 69–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Joseph Eliason)

- HB 476 (first substitute; tax return donation amendments — school meals fund option) — authorizes a voluntary tax‑return donation box to create a school meals grant fund; passed first substitute, 66–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Matt McPherson)

- HB 435 (first substitute; building code amendments — high tunnels) — aligns county code with existing city code provisions for high tunnels (small greenhouses), with limited permitting/inspection for powered structures; passed first substitute, 67–0. (Sponsor: Rep. Kohler)

Motions and other procedural actions of note included the House adopting committee reports and referring many newly introduced bills to the Rules Committee or placing them on concurrence or consent calendars.

A full list of the floor actions that produced recorded votes (with sponsors and tallies) appears above. For bills that were circled, encircled, or otherwise placed before the body but not finally acted on during this floor session, the clerk and committee records will reflect those next steps.

Ending: The House adjourned and scheduled the next session for Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at 10 a.m.