Utah Senate approves public-safety animal protections, DUI and estate-code updates; several bills circled for further review

Salt Lake City — The Utah State Senate on a January 2025 floor day approved several bills on third reading and placed others on hold for further review. Major approvals included measures that expand legal protections for public-safety animals, allow veterans treatment court to be counted in DUI sentencing pathways, and continue an estate-planning recodification project. Lawmakers also circled multiple bills to allow stakeholders time to review substitute language.

The actions matter because the approvals set state policy on criminal protections for animals used in public safety, adjust sentencing and license-related consequences for some DUI convictions, and update the state's statutory code as part of an ongoing multi-part recodification effort.

Votes at a glance

- First substitute Senate Bill 77 (Public safety animal amendments): Passed on a roll call of 25 yeas, 0 nays, 4 absent.…