Utah News Dispatch

Utah lawmakers are moving to expand restrictions for transgender renters beyond a law approved last year that limited where transgender students can live in public university housing.

After running out of time in last year’s session, Rep. MacPherson is bringing back the bill he expects to "pass through flying."

Utah lawmakers advanced a proposal Monday that would require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens if election officers lack confirmation and get in touch seeking documentation.

The Republican-controlled Utah Legislature launched its 2026 general session Tuesday with top House and Senate GOP leaders celebrating the state’s strengths while calling for lawmakers to focus on ways to help people in their day-to-day lives — specifically by reducing cost of living and taxes.

Lawmakers eye changes to judiciary, a 6th year of tax cuts, another attempt at solidifying their ability to change voter-approved laws, anti-transgender legislation and more.

As Utah lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for their 2026 session next week, LGBTQ+ advocates are on guard for what will be the fifth year in a row with multiple bills targeting transgender people.

The changes come after a law passed this year to put restrictions on Utahns' benefits received from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is the largest food assistance program in the country.

An advocacy group has sued the Trump administration in federal court over the inclusion of the president's face on the forthcoming annual pass.

Nearly 1,800 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees have left the agency in the last year, records obtained by conservation advocates find, as pressure mounted from President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies meant to cut the federal workforce.

Saying that “selling national parks was never on the table,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee is no longer proposing a change to federal legislation that drew heavy criticism from conservation groups, his office said Friday, Dec. 19.