Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
House approves bill clarifying political-activity rules for public entities, adds misdemeanor penalty
Summary
The Utah House on Jan. 28 passed Senate Bill 85 to clarify which public entities and officials may not use taxpayer funds to influence ballot questions, explicitly including local health departments and attaching a class B misdemeanor penalty; the measure passed 43–15 amid debate over criminalizing administrative errors.
The Utah House passed Senate Bill 85 on Jan. 28, a measure that clarifies that public entities — including local health departments — may not use taxpayer funds to influence ballot propositions and that public officials who authorize such expenditures are subject to criminal penalties. The bill passed the House 43–15.
Sponsor Representative Barris, explaining the bill’s intent, said the legislation "clarifies the definition of public entity and public official" and adds that "a public official who violates this part is guilty of a class b misdemeanor." Barris said the change was intended to close an…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
