Utah lawmakers closed the 2026 legislative session with several efforts surrounding the state government. 

The key bills show the push by the Republican-controlled Legislature to reshape state governance. The main bills included revisiting Prop 4 after a 2024 Utah Supreme Court decision and tightening initiative rules with HB 242, expanding the courts through SB 134 and regulating modern nicotine products under HB 337. 

Prop 4 

As Prop 4 continues to be fought over, the legislature passed HB 242 aimed at repealing the proposition. The Utah legislature cannot strike down Prop 4 itself. Instead, members of the legislation have launched a ballot initiative to repeal the proposition. Currently, it has enough signatures to stay on the ballot and over 8,000 people have removed their signatures.

During the past session, the legislature tightened the signature process. HB 242 was passed at 11 pm on the last day of the legislative session. This bill forbids county clerks to accept signature removal forms that were mailed in an envelope with a pre-paid stamp. Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law the next day.

This substitution comes after the organization behind Prop 4, Better Boundaries, had been mailing signature removal forms to Utahns with a pre-paid stamp. Republican backers of the effort to repeal Prop 4, which has been bleeding signatures, sued, alleging the stamp constituted a 73-cent bribe. The lawsuit was dropped after HB 242 was passed.

Voters passed Prop 4 in 2018 to prevent partisan gerrymandering, and lawmakers are fighting over it again. This time, it follows a recent court decision that redrew Utah’s electoral map and established a democratic leaning district around Salt Lake City.

The legislature fought to the Utah Supreme Court, which in 2024 threw out the Government’s case, asserting the people’s power in legislating. Now, Republicans have launched a ballot initiative of their own, aimed at overturning Prop 4. This initiative has received enough signatures to make it on the ballot, but as thousands have removed their signature, it remains close.

“If it fails, it fails,” Cox said of the initiative in a press conference. “I think that legislating by initiative is terrible. I think it’s bad for our state … It should be really hard, and you should have to get a tremendous amount of support. And so we’ve made those laws. And so I have to stand by those, even if it’s for something I want.”

Changes within the judiciary

Legislators sponsored several bills directed at the state’s judiciary processes and structure. The Court Amendments bill, SB 134, expanded the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, despite opposition from the courts. Gov. Cox signed the bill Jan. 31, less than two weeks after the session started. Rep. Casey Snider, the bill’s House sponsor, said the legislators wanted to improve the courts’ speed. “We feel that, here in the Legislature, some critical rulings have just not moved,” he said.

The bill adds two seats to both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. It also adds one judge to each of the 3rd, 4th and 5th judicial districts, which includes Salt Lake, Utah and Washington counties. Speaker Mike Schultz said the bill will improve the courts’ efficiency in response to the state’s growing population. “Having seven sets of eyes … on these big ticket items is much better than having five sets of eyes,” he said.

Chief Justice Matthew Durrant opposed the bill when he gave this year’s State of the Judiciary Address. “The need for additional judges is much greater in our lower courts than in the Supreme Court,” he said. Chief Justice Durrant instead requested $6 million in additional funding for court staff retention and hiring.

Judicial Officer Amendments, SB 57, proposed to add judges to five districts and one to a juvenile, in an effort to alleviate pressure from lower courts. The bill was not passed by either house. Another bill, HB 366, makes changes to judicial processes, like hiring, salaries, jurisdiction and management. The bill passed near the session’s end after two revisions. 

Some individuals in the judicial branch raised concerns about the separation of powers. Elizabeth Wright, executive director of the Utah State Bar, said political interference in the courts harms the public’s faith in the judicial system and encroaches on its power. “We’re being fired upon,” she said.

Nicotine and tobacco taxes 

Utah lawmakers approved legislation regulating and taxing nicotine and tobacco products. HB 337 updates how the state taxes these products and distributes their revenue, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The bill was sent to Gov. Cox’s office on March 16, 10 days after Utah’s legislative session ended, and now awaits final approval.

The legislation emphasizes modern nicotine products, such as ZYN, which have grown in usage and are increasingly targeted by state regulation. The bill states revenue from these taxes will fund public health programs, including prevention, education and enforcement efforts. It also directs funds towards cessation programs, school-based initiatives and cancer research to reduce youth nicotine use. 

HB 337 passed the House on Feb. 23 by a vote of 47–20–8 after multiple amendments and committee hearings for several weeks. The changes reflected ongoing negotiations among House members to refine the tax structure and clarify definitions before advancing the bill to the Senate.

One of the most significant revisions was by replacing the original price-based tax system with a weight-based model. Instead of taxing products as a percentage of the manufacturer’s sales price, the revised bill applies a standard rate of $1.83 per ounce. Lawmakers said the change would create a more consistent tax framework as modern nicotine products continue to rise in popularity. House members also clarified definitions to clearly categorize modern nicotine products under the updated tax framework.

The Senate received the bill in late February and assigned it to a standing committee shortly before the legislative session ended in early March. Legislators made five more substitute changes to clearly define the weight-based tax system and nicotine products. On March 5, it passed the Senate with a vote of 27–0–2, to where the House voted on March 6 to concur with the Senate by a vote of 51–19–5. If signed by Gov. Cox, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2026. 

Final steps

As the session ends, these bills now move into their next stages. The proposed repeal of Prop 4 is set to go before voters, while court-related changes have already been signed into law. HB 337 awaits final action from Gov. Spencer Cox and, if approved, would take effect July 1, 2026.