The penultimate week of the 2026 General Session was marked by budget deliberations, R&D decoupling concerns, the Statement of Economic Prosperity (the agreement between Utah Petroleum Association, association members, and the Legislature regarding the fuel tax proposal), and ongoing tort reform debate, among other issues. Utah R&D Expensing Decoupling Update Yesterday the Second Substitute of HB 587 – Income Tax...
Welcome to Week 5 of the Utah Legislature’s 2026 General Session. With several of the bills of concern tabled for the remainder of the session, this week has felt a bit quieter than the preceding weeks. Too quiet… And too good to be true. On Thursday morning HB 587 – Income Tax Amendments (Rep. S. Eliason) was numbered and publicly...
The legal world has always played fast and loose with the concept of time. Judges of course regularly rewrite history when rendering opinions about what a law means and then applying the consequences retroactively, sometimes unwinding acts that already occurred. (Many businesses are hopeful this very thing happens when SCOTUS delivers its opinion on IEEPA and tariffs.) Another example is...
800+ bills and counting… Week 3 of Utah’s 2026 General Session was full of noteworthy updates for businesses. We’ve highlighted a few of these updates below. Possible Utah R&D Tax Deduction — Decoupling One issue we are paying particular attention to is the emerging proposal for Utah to decouple from the federal approach to expensing research and development (R&D) costs....
The second week of Utah’s 2026 General Session remained full of hustle and bustle as bill files now total over 700, appropriations subcommittees worked to pass base budget bills (the funding bills, which fund existing and ongoing appropriations for state programs and make up around 90% of the state budget), and industry groups continue to negotiate with legislators on priority...
The axiom that legislators legislate and regulators regulate is typically applied to centers of government, like Washington D.C. or Brussels, where there can be a default instinct to create guardrails and restrictions whenever a new societal challenge is identified. But in a perceived accountability vacuum around artificial intelligence, states are seriously considering policies to get ahead of potential risks. California,...
Welcome to the 2026 General Session of the Utah Legislature. The 45-day sprint convened on Tuesday and is off to a busy start with over 600 bills filed (and more on the way). Opening remarks from Senate President Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz, and the State of the State Address from Governor Cox set the tone for the session and...
Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy has been elected chair of the Congressional Western Caucus, giving her one of the most consequential regional leadership roles in the U.S. House. Maloy was elected to the position following the passing of longtime chairman Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California. As the caucus’s executive vice chair, she was considered by many to be next in line...
Was it only twelve months ago? Last year, dental health featured prominently in Utah’s 2025 legislative session, with the passage of a state-wide ban on the addition of fluoride in Utah’s drinking water. This decision garnered national attention and sparked some entertaining debates. The 2026 session probably won’t bring as much attention to Utah’s dental sector. However, there are already...
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