Utah lawmakers will be returning to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for their 45-day 2026 legislative session — and already the list of issues they plan to tackle is long, with the number of bills filed growing by the day.
Because the Utah Legislature is controlled by a Republican supermajority, the state’s GOP legislative leaders often set the agenda while Democratic lawmakers try their best to fight against legislative efforts they oppose.
Utah’s top Republican legislative leaders — Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper — told Utah News Dispatch in wide-ranging interviews last week what bills and issues are top of mind for them for 2026.
Meanwhile, the state’s Democratic leaders — Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla and House Minority Leader Angela Romero, both Democrats from Salt Lake City — say they’re bracing for a legislative session that’s expected to be tough on many different fronts.
Not only is the state’s more than $30 billion budget expected to be tight due to federal tax cuts — along with pressure from Republican legislative leaders to continue their streak of income tax rate cuts. But also, 2026 is an election year for all 75 seats in the House and 15 in the Senate, likely to add an extra layer of political calculus and gamesmanship.
And already, bills are stacking up that target groups including undocumented immigrants and transgender people that Democrats and community advocates are gearing up to fight.
It remains to be seen what legislative proposals survive both the House and Senate — but insights from Adams and Schultz help shed light on what they’re more likely to prioritize.
Here are some of their top priorities, along with issues that are expected to be among the most contentious this year:
More tax cuts:
A sixth year of an income tax rate cut — on top of more than $500 million already slashed in 2026 and 2027 from the state’s budget due to federal tax changes under the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act — and an effort to rein in property taxes. At the same time, legislative leaders have directed all state agencies to propose ways to cut 5% from their budgets as part of a statewide efficiency exercise.
Judiciary changes:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Schultz and Adams are all supportive of expanding the Utah Supreme Court from five justices to seven. They say it’s to bring Utah in line with other states and help speed up decision-making, but Democrats question the timing of the move and whether it’s in “retaliation” for several court rulings that Republicans have vehemently opposed, especially in the state’s redistricting court battle. Schultz is also supportive of increasing “transparency” on judges. Several other bills have also been filed, including SB57 which would increase the number of judges for the district court, juvenile court, and the Court of Appeals. HB262 would increase the threshold of votes needed for a judge to be retained. Additionally, lawmakers have filed at least three proposed constitutional amendments related to the judiciary. HJR5 would allow the governor to select any qualified candidate to fill a judicial vacancy, even if the candidate isn’t nominated by a nominating commission. And HJR13 would empower the Legislature to initiate a “special” retention election if the Legislature decides “that judge is unfit or incompetent.”
Another attempt to solidify lawmakers’ ability to change ballot initiatives:
Also tied to the state’s redistricting lawsuit — which traces back to a 2018 ballot initiative for an independent redistricting process known as Proposition 4 — Utah’s Republican leaders are expected to propose another constitutional amendment to ensure the Legislature has the ability to change laws enacted by voters. The language of what that proposed amendment would be, however, is unknown.
Homelessness:
Gov. Spencer Cox has proposed lawmakers set aside $25 million in one-time money and $20 million in ongoing funding for “homelessness and criminal justice high utilizers.” At the same time the governor has been supportive of a controversial proposal to build a 1,300-bed homeless campus in northwest Salt Lake City. Adams and Schultz have said they’re open to discussions around homelessness but they didn’t commit to fully funding Cox’s recommendations. Schultz said he wants cities and counties to do more to provide funding while also saying the state wants to remain a partner.
Immigration issues:
Adams and Schultz did not name any specific immigration-related bills they’re supporting as of yet, but some of the most controversial proposals to surface so far ahead of the session look to cut off publicly-funded resources for undocumented immigrants, restrict their ability to legally drive, and criminalize providing housing for people without legal status.
Anti-transgender legislation:
LGBTQ+ advocates are opposing a list of bills already filed, including one that would strike the word “gender” from Utah code, effectively erasing transgender anti-discrimination provisions for housing, employment and crime victims. That’s among the “most harmful and outrageous” bills advocates with Equality Utah have seen — but that bill may run into issues in the Senate. Adams said he’d be hesitant to make any changes to Utah’s 2015 law that enacted LGBTQ+ protections while balancing religious freedom. However, other bills are in play — including one to make permanent Utah’s indefinite moratorium on prescriptions for puberty blockers and hormone therapy to minors. Schultz said he’s supportive of turning that moratorium into a ban.
Elections:
Last year, the House and Senate clashed over a sweeping bill that originally would have drastically restricted voting by mail. The Legislature ultimately passed a watered-down version to slowly phase out automatic voting by mail in 2029, but Schultz said he wants to revisit that legislation — including enacting in-person ID requirements. Adams said he’s open to more changes, but he’s supportive of keeping voting by mail while reinstating vote-by-mail signature verification, which would under the current law phase out by 2029. Both Schultz and Adams also said they want to add additional requirements to ensure people without legal immigration status can’t vote (which is already illegal). Democrats question whether that’s needed, since instances of that happening are rare.
That’s not an exhaustive list. Lawmakers are also expected to continue efforts to focus on issues including energy development, critical minerals, water, housing, artificial intelligence regulations and more.
The governor is also pushing a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in schools, and improvements to the state’s lagging K-3 literacy, including encouraging a policy to hold back third graders unless they pass a reading test to advance to fourth grade.
Here’s a full list of Senate Republicans’ priorities, and here’s the House GOP’s. Senate Democrats’ priorities, Escamilla said, are aimed at going “back to the basics” by focusing on unmet needs for education, health care, child care, housing and other issues while “defending democracy.” And House Democrats’ priorities, among other issues, promote inclusion and representation, education and environmental protections.
Read the full report at UtahNewsDispatch.com.
