We Made It To The Final Week
We made it. 7 weeks. 45 days. Countless hours listening to the House chimes. By Friday, March 6, 2026 at midnight: 1,015 bills were numbered for the 2026 General Session, 541 bills were passed, 474 bills failed, and HEAL was closely tracking 89 of these bills.
Lawmakers debated everything from Great Salt Lake protections and transit funding to nuclear development and environmental rulemaking authority. Some proposals moved Utah toward a healthier future, while others raised serious concerns about weakening environmental safeguards and shifting financial risk to taxpayers.
The session may be over, but HEAL’s work continues.
Over the past seven weeks, we mobilized more than 180 volunteer lobbyists to the Capitol and launched action alerts that generated over 2,000 messages to lawmakers from concerned constituents.
Members like you made that possible! Please consider making a donation today—or becoming a monthly sustainer—to help power the advocacy that keeps Utah’s air, land, water, and communities protected as we prepare for the 2027 legislative session and beyond.
UPDATE TO GOOD BILLS
This resolution encourages federal assistance in restoring the Great Salt Lake and proclaims that the lake is a vital source of prosperity for our economy, industries, ecology, and communities.
HEAL supported this resolution as an effort to increase federal financial and political support in saving the Great Salt Lake.
It passed and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.
This bill redirects brine shrimp tax revenue to support the Great Salt Lake.
HEAL supported this bill for water conservation and infrastructure projects that stabilize lake levels and reduce dust-generating exposed lakebed, lowering harmful dust that worsens human health.
This bill passed and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.
This bill required training and certification for individuals and companies performing or selling radon mitigation work in Utah, with exemptions for workers under direct supervision.
HEAL wanted to see this bill amended to ensure every person testing, installing, or maintaining radon equipment is trained and certified, and to put in place standards set by nationally recognized organizations to ensure that companies do not exploit customers.
This bill was held and sent back to Rules due to concerns brought up in public comments on these issues- a great opportunity for HEAL to continue working out consumer protections related to radon testing and mitigation!
This bill increased funding for the Transit Transportation Investment Fund (TTIF), the main state fund for transit infrastructure projects. The increased funding would end once the total amount in the fund doubled from its current level.
HEAL supported this bill as it created new funding for transit projects, which is especially important leading up to the 2034 Olympics.
Unfortunately, the bill never received a committee hearing and therefore failed to pass.
This bill would have required the Utah Department of Transportation to transition its commuter rail systems (e.g. FrontRunner) to hybrid-electric by 2031.
HEAL supported this bill because it would electrify FrontRunner, reducing emissions and improving our air quality.
Similar to H.B. 586, this bill was never heard in committee and did not pass.
UPDATE TO BAD BILLS
The bill removes Utah’s authority to adopt stronger or more protective environmental and health standards than federal law, even when local conditions or public health concerns warrant stricter protections.
HEAL opposed this bill because it limits Utah’s ability to protect communities from environmental public health threats at a time when federal regulations are being cut left and right. Check out HEAL’s press release for more.
This bill passed and is on its way to the Governor’s desk. HEAL mailed a Veto letter signed by 12 organizations and 100 individuals to the Governor last week.
Take Action: Urge your Governor to VETO SB234 and protect Utah by filling out our action alert today!
This bill is the legislature’s annual transportation omnibus bill, meaning it makes a number of changes to Utah’s transportation code. Most notably, it gives the Utah Department of Transportation final authority over certain Salt Lake City (SLC) street design projects, in some cases preventing the city from adopting traffic calming measures. This could greatly impact the city’s ability to improve active transit infrastructure, including projects adding bike lanes and bus lanes.
The bill failed in the House Transportation Committee the first time it was heard, with a vote of 4-4-4, which is unusual for an omnibus bill.
Ultimately, the House Transportation Committee brought the bill back the following meeting and it passed with a vote of 9-1-2.
The bill passed the full House and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.
This bill creates a state council and facilitates faster permitting of critical mineral mining operations by the Department of Environmental Quality and the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining. This bill was substituted with changes to the severance taxes and decreasing funding for ozone research in the Uinta Basin.
HEAL opposed this bill due to concern that faster permitting usually means that public engagement or public and environmental health protections are cut, and because of the decreased funding for critical air quality research.
This bill passed and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.
This bill focuses on developing the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Office through the Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control, grants it rulemaking authority, directs pursuit of expanded NRC Agreement State status, and authorizes cooperative agreements with federal agencies.
The substitute moved this bill from “watching” to “opposed” for HEAL because it contained an exemption to allow high-level nuclear waste from a DOE-authorized, state-owned test reactor in Utah to be stored on site without triggering Utah’s stricter high-level waste siting restrictions, as long as it is licensed by the state.
HEAL is very concerned about decreasing federal limits on radiation protection and its impact on our environment and communities.
This bill passed and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.
This bill creates direct financial support for nuclear development in the state through a state funded program, the Energy Development Infrastructure Fund, using taxpayer dollars to provide loans for nuclear power development.
HEAL opposed this bill because it would shift financial risk to taxpayers by using public funds and state-backed loans to subsidize costly nuclear infrastructure projects and “public outreach” like Utah’s current nuclear PR campaign, while failing to address impacts: including harm from long-term radioactive waste management and uranium extraction to frontline communities.
This bill passed and is on its way to the Governor’s desk.
Looking Forward
|
Support our Legislative Work
Help us continue our legislative policy goals by considering making a contribution.