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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — As the 2026 general session of the Utah legislature comes to a close, here are the six biggest changes coming that you should know about.

This session, the legislature introduced 606 bills to the house and 330 bills to the senate, with 85 resolutions in both houses. As of the last day of the session, they’ve passed more than 500 of those bills.

After the session ends, the governor has 20 days to sign or veto all the bills that have been passed. Gov. Spencer Cox has indicated that he is not planning on vetoing many, if any, bills.

1. Bell-to-bell phone ban

One cause that Gov. Cox championed throughout this session was a so-called “bell-to-bell” cell phone ban in schools. This bill bans the use of cellphones, smart watches, or other “emerging technology” at a school during school hours.

S.B. 69 makes changes to a bill that was passed in 2025, which originally banned cell phone and other electronic device use during instructional time. This bill expands the ban, making it so that phones cannot be used during school hours.

Educators speak on Utah ‘bell-to-bell’ cell phone ban bill

School hours are defined in the bill as from the beginning of the school day until the end of the school day, including all instructional time, lunch periods, recess, and transition time between classes.

There are some exceptions, namely: if there is a threat to the health or safety of an individual, or if there is a school-wide emergency, for their IEP accommodation plan, for a medical need, or to use the SafeUT Crisis Line.

The bill passed the Senate and then the House, and Cox is expected to sign it into law. When he does, the bill will go into effect on July 1, 2026, so in time for the 2026-2027 school year.

2. Gas tax cut

Another big priority for House majority leaders was to lower the price Utahns pay at the pump by lowering the state gas on tax. Originally, lawmakers said that they would pay for the cut by taxing refineries instead, but when it was introduced, there was no refinery tax in it.

Instead, it pays for that tax cut with nearly $12 million from the state’s general fund.

H.B. 575 lowers the state gas tax from July 1, 2026 to December 1, 2026, and during that time, the tax will be a flat rate of 31.9 cents per gallon. Currently, gas is taxed at a rate of 14.2% of the statewide average price of a gallon of gas, and this bill would lower the price you pay by about 6 cents per gallon.

Proposal to lower gas tax will use state funding rather than taxing refineries, exports

The bill also makes some changes to the permitting process for pipeline infrastructure and requires refineries to report to the Office of Energy Development on production, putting pressure on refineries to bring more supply to the state.

3. Including prop betting as gambling

Another issue that Cox made a priority was sports betting and prediction markets like Kalshi. Cox has previously said that these sorts of platforms have “no place in Utah,” and that they are gambling, “pure and simple.”

H.B. 243 includes proposition betting under Utah’s definition of gambling, and gambling is illegal in the state, written in the Constitution. It defines a proposition bet as “a gambling bet on an individual action, statistic, occurrence, or non-occurrence.”

It passed the House and the Senate, and if Cox signs it, it will go into effect on May 6, 2026. If it is signed, it may be challenged by prediction market platforms like Kalshi, which has already filed a lawsuit against Gov. Cox over anticipated regulations.

Kalshi sues Utah officials over comments made, anticipated regulation of prediction markets

4. Ongoing funding for homelessness services

The state budget recommendations from the Executive Appropriations Committee includes about $12 million in ongoing funding to address homelessness. In addition to the state funding, cities are required to match dollar-for-dollar what the state spends.

That ongoing funding will go to emergency shelter and housing for homeless people, a program for “high utilizers in the criminal justice system,” and mental and behavioral health. Additional ongoing funding will go to phase II investments in the state’s plan to address homelessness. The budget also includes one-time funding for a variety of homelessness services.

Cox cited securing this ongoing funding as one of the highlights of the legislative session for him. While the state did not fund a centralized homeless campus this year, Cox said he is hopeful that it will pass next year, if there is still a need for it.

This budget will pass, because it is unconstitutional for the state not to pass a budget each year.

5. Ban on transgender healthcare for minors

After preventing minors from beginning cross-sex hormones (hormone replacement therapy) or puberty blockers last year, (allowing minors who were already receiving that care to continue to receive it), the legislature has passed a full ban on cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for minors.

However, there are some exceptions. H.B. 174 prevents health care providers from providing “hormonal transgender treatment” to a patient who is a minor and was not diagnosed with gender dysphoria before January 28, 2023. This goes into effect on May 6, 2026.

Bills affecting transgender healthcare pass Utah House

Additionally, beginning on January 28, 2027, a health care provider cannot provide transgender hormone treatments to minors if the patient was younger than 16 on the effective date of the bill and has not received cross-sex hormones prior to the effective date of the bill.

Health care providers can also provide hormonal transgender treatment to a minor for the purpose of stopping that treatment before January 28, 2027 can provide that treatment.

Other transgender related bills, including one that would prevent state money from covering transgender procedures and one that would change the word “gender” to “sex” in Utah state code, did not pass this session.

6. Court reform

Court reform has been another major priority for Republican legislators this session. They quickly passed a bill to expand the Utah Supreme Court from five justices to seven in the second week of the session, and Cox signed it into law almost immediately. S.B. 134 also expanded the court of appeals from seven to nine judges, and it also added judges on the district court level.

Another bill that was passed and has already been signed into law is one that created a three-judge panel for cases where the defendant is a state agency or a state official, H.B. 392 and its companion rule change H.J.R. 5. This would move some of the state’s highest profile cases, like the redistricting case or the abortion ban case, out of the district where they were filed.

New ‘Constitutional Court’ trigger law proposed in response to three-judge panel challenges at Utah Supreme Court

This law has already seen pushback, with plaintiffs in the redistricting and abortion case filing another lawsuit to stop the law from going into effect. Because the law only allows the state to make the motion to move the case to the panel, the plaintiffs are arguing that it makes the state into a “super litigant.” They’re also arguing that the law is unconstitutional, claiming that the Utah Constitution requires the district court to have only a single judge.

In response, changes to the law that would revert the panel to a “constitutional court” if it is found unconstitutional were introduced to substitute version of H.B. 366, and that substitute version was passed by the House and Senate, and it’s waiting to be signed by the governor.

The Constitutional Court differs from a three-judge panel in that it creates an entirely new court consisting of judges who would apply to sit on it and be assigned by a nominating commission, as opposed to the panel, which is a group of district-level judges randomly assigned by the Judicial Council. It’s similar in that the Constitutional Court would still hear civil cases challenged on their constitutionality that are moved from their district court judges.

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The Utah legislative branch took on the state’s court system this legislative session as high-profile legal battles over redistricting and other top legislative priorities transform the state’s political landscape.

Lawmakers also returned to unfinished fights on immigration, Big Tech and elections. Shaping these discussions were Trump administration actions on deportations, artificial intelligence and the budget.

The federal “big, beautiful bill” erased revenue surpluses as Utah leadership asked agencies to recommend 5% reductions to increase government efficiency and pay for tax cuts focused on family affordability.

Despite the tricky budget year, lawmakers increased education spending and secured critical ongoing funds for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s homelessness initiatives. The governor praised the work of elected representatives.

“This is probably my favorite session, certainly my favorite session since I became governor,” Cox told the Deseret News on Friday. “And that’s because of the collaboration, the way we worked together, it doesn’t mean I like every bill.”

“It doesn’t mean I got everything I wanted, but the process played out in a much fairer way, a better way where we got good results and results that I can support.”

In recent years, Cox called on lawmakers to increase public transparency and to limit the number of bills considered in a session as lawmakers repeatedly broke their own record for the number of laws passed every year.

Legislative leadership said this year they leaned on committees to more thoroughly vet bills through the process. As a result fewer than 550 bills passed, compared to 582 in 2025 and 591 in 2024.

Unlike past years, Cox said he had not compiled a private “veto list” during the session because he was able to work directly with legislative leadership. But he said he is sure he will “find some (he’s) concerned about.”

Judicial transparency, or takeover?

The judiciary-focused bills sparked debate at nearly every stage of the legislative process this session. Senate President Stuart Adams said on Friday the judicial bill package produces “a fairness that (will go) on forever.”

But Sen. Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, in the same meeting, said her Democratic constituents did not approve of the process, and so she and her colleagues voted against the bills.

Certain bills, such as expanding the state Supreme Court from five to seven justices and establishing a new three-judge constitutional court, were introduced early in the session and seemed to make it to the governor’s desk at a uniquely quick pace.

That sparked ire among petitioners in lawsuits against the state of Utah, especially after the state invoked the new laws and forced the civil actions to be transferred from a single district judge to a three-judge district panel.

The legislature’s solution — or insurance — was amending the judicial modifications bill that would allow any litigant in a civil suit against the state to file a notice requiring a constitutional challenge to be heard by a three-judge panel instead of a single district judge.

If the recently enacted three-judge panel system for constitutional challenges is struck down by the courts, then a trigger in the bill would automatically create a new constitutional court to hear the case.

State lawmakers argued that more eyes on an issue ensure greater transparency, but critics accused them of changing the rules when they realized they were losing the game.

Big investments in literacy and higher ed

While higher education budget reallocations grabbed last year’s headlines, the 2026 Legislature focused its education attention primarily on Utah’s K-12 schools.

Navigating the uneasy confluence of technology and the classroom defined several education bills earning passing grades by the Legislature.

Last year, lawmakers tackled the vexing cellphones in school challenge by ratifying a law prohibiting the devices during class instruction. They expanded that limit in 2026, forbidding student cellphone use from opening bell until closing bell.

Local schools and districts can still establish their own cellphone policies — but “bell-to-bell” appears to be the state-wide choice.

Meanwhile, a pair of classroom technology bills — the so-called SAFE Act and the Balance Act – are now slated to become laws. The education measures require school software vendors to meet child safety requirements and establish age-appropriate screen time guidelines.

Responding to sobering reading proficiency scores, lawmakers passed a bill calling for early literacy strategies — including a provision requiring a student to repeat third grade if he or she isn’t meeting minimum standards.

Lawmakers also supported scientific research at Utah’s public colleges — passing a bill that creates a grant program for research funding in vital areas such as critical minerals, AI and aerospace.

Major election reforms rejected. Why?

Utah lawmakers passed minimal updates to the state’s vote-by-mail system. They approved SB194, ensuring county clerks continue to verify signatures in addition to the last four digits of a government ID.

The bill would require the lieutenant governor to create an official conflict of interest avoidance plan for overseeing her own election. Lawmakers also passed HB209 requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in state elections.

But the bigger story on elections this year might be what the Legislature did not pass. Senate Republicans broke with their House counterparts by rejecting HB479, which would have established an opt-in process to submit a ballot through the mail or vote in-person with photo ID.

Senate leadership also squashed HB529, which would have transferred election oversight away from the lieutenant governor to a new secretary of state position.

Utah Compact survives GOP divides

The Utah Legislature upheld the state’s 15-year-old compact on immigration amid Republican division over whether to revisit policies that make the state a welcoming place for illegal immigrants.

Lawmakers did pass one bill to address some of the public safety concerns associated with illegal immigration. HB136 would empower police officers to enforce traffic citations against unlicensed drivers.

The bill would allow law enforcement, after pulling someone over for a traffic violation, to impound an adult’s car and to do a fingerprint scan if they have no driving credential and no one can pick up the vehicle.

However, HB141, taxing foreign money transfers by illegal immigrants, HB294, requiring more businesses to verify legal status and HB386, ending subsidies for illegal immigrants never got a Senate vote.

The bill, HB386, would have repealed one of the pillars of the Utah Compact policy package — a state-run migrant worker visa program that never received a federal waiver to be implemented.

The bill passed 39-33 before stalling when no senator would sponsor it. This was because it sought to unravel a hard-won consensus with no effort to build an alternative, according to Senate leadership.

Big Tech

Utah lawmakers have led the nation in passing regulations to protect children from the harms of social media. But opposition from the White House and industry giants this year led to a mixed bag for Utah’s anti-Big Tech crusaders.

In a stunning move, the Trump administration sent a memo to legislative leadership halfway through the session crushing HB286, which would have required new AI models to publish risk assessments and child protection plans.

An alternate proposal, HB438, would have imposed penalties for AI chatbots that engage in harmful conversations with minors. Despite support from legislative leadership, the bill failed on Thursday after lobbyists descended on lawmakers to oppose the measure.

The Legislature did take the bold step, however, of becoming only the second state in the nation to levy a tax on the nation’s biggest online advertising companies, Meta and Google, through SB287.

“They are killing our children,” House Majority Leader Casey Snider, R-Paradise, said on Friday. “When we know a product exists that destroys the lives of our children it is our obligation to do the right thing to diminish the reach of that horrible and horrendous behavior. Social media is not our friend.”

Lawmakers cut spending to cut taxes

Lawmakers navigated a difficult budget environment to prioritize tax relief for Utahns and Utah businesses. As federal changes from the “Big, Beautiful Bill” erased Utah’s $300 million budget surplus, lawmakers asked state agencies to recommend 5% spending reductions.

The Legislature ultimately reallocated $275 million from state programs, about 2.4% of agency budgets, while setting aside $123 million to continue Utah’s six-year-streak of income tax cuts.

Legislative leadership framed the process as ensuring government efficiency and supporting family affordability. In addition to reducing the individual and corporate income tax from 4.5% to 4.45%, lawmakers passed HB290 to expand the child tax credit to up to 20,000 additional families with children under 6, and HB190 to increase the tax break for Utah businesses who provide employer-owned child care facilities to cover up to 80% of related costs.

The Legislature also passed HB575 to lower the gas tax from $0.38 per gallon to $0.32. Lawmakers abandoned the original proposal which would have paid for the cut by raising taxes on fuel sent out of state. Lawmakers also backed away from several bills to cap local property taxes.

Instead, the Legislature passed HB236 to facilitate public participation in local property taxes and SB238 to prevent individuals from claiming multiple property tax exemptions.

Cox wins big with homelessness funding

The Legislature backed Gov. Cox’s priority of shifting homelessness policy to target criminal recidivism among the chronically homeless and to strengthen the state’s network of long-term recovery resources.

Lawmakers approved nearly $44 million, including $18 million in new ongoing money, to orient programs toward repeat offenders, with isolated shelter space for “high utilizers,” while the state awaits federal support for a central homelessness campus.

Lawmakers also passed HB308, which simplifies reporting requirements, creates a loan program for businesses harmed by nearby shelters, lets shelters expand to 135% of capacity if needed and requires non-shelter cities to contribute more to help mitigate costs associated with homeless shelters.

Proposals to increase housing options and to place guardrails around the central campus, if built in northwest Salt Lake City, did not proceed to a floor vote.

The affordability session

Before the start of the legislative session, the Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics published a poll that showed housing affordability was the No. 1 issue Utah voters wanted the Utah Legislature to address this year.

During the session lawmakers presented the Utah Housing Strategic Plan that aims to “ensure that every resident in Utah has access to safe, affordable and stable housing options.”

One bill that went along with the plan is HB492, sponsored by Rep. Calvin Roberts, R-Draper, which passed on Friday. The bill would help build infrastructure that would allow thousands of houses around the state to be built.

The money for these projects would come from funds that already exist within the state. The first-time homebuyers program from Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, received an appropriation of $10 million this year. The program gives $20,000 to individuals to use for a down payment, closing costs or to buy down the rate.

Roberts also led a bill to create the Division of Housing and Community Development, which would sit within the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity to help centralize and organize how housing policy is handled in the state. HB68 would also establish the position of state housing coordinator to lead the division.

Efforts made to help families and children overall in Utah

Senate minority leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, sponsored multiple bills aimed to help children and child care this session that failed to pass.

One bill would have provided grants for home-based child care centers and another would have set up a child care facility for state employees. She also sponsored a bill to increase how many children get free lunch and one to provide dental care for uninsured kids — but both failed.

Rep. Ariel DeFay, R-Kaysville led a bill, HB329, to increase maternity leave for state employees to 12 weeks, and will set protections for pumping breast milk in public. Families with children will also benefit from the child tax credit and the child care business tax credit.

Great Salt Lake/Natural resources

To pull the Great Salt Lake out of its currently-labeled “serious adverse effects” status, an additional 261 billion gallons of water (800,000 acre-feet) will need to be added.

As President Donald Trump, who recently took interest in the lake’s conservation, put it, “We’re losing water rapidly, rapidly, and it’s getting smaller, smaller, drier, drier.” The lake has shrunk 600 square miles since 1986.

The 2026 legislative session saw a range of bills brought forward to help conserve not only the Great Salt Lake, but Utah’s water generally.

Rep. Jill Koford, R-Ogden, sponsored legislation that would allow farmers to temporarily sell their water rights to the state. One such bill, HB410, is on its way to Cox’s desk.

Other bills were aimed at giving Utah better ability to manage land within its borders. While more than half of Utah’s land is federally owned, a vast majority is held under “proprietorial interest only,” Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, told the Deseret News.

He sponsored HB546 to assess the access, health and productivity of the land. The bill was passed by the Legislature and is also ready for Cox’s signature.

“The first step is to gather the data and then we go from there,” Ivory said.

Energy

The 2026 legislative session will change Utah’s energy and environmental sectors in several distinct ways.

First, SB135 authorizes Utah to pursue nuclear fuel recycling and an advanced nuclear development hub, called a “Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.” The bill also requires the state to conduct a study of its own laws and regulations to find where nuclear energy is currently held back in the state.

The Legislature also passed HB76, which requires data centers to report how much water they use. For each day the operator of a large data center fails to report, the state will impose a $100 fine.

While estimates vary, data centers’ daily water consumption is generally thought to be hundreds of millions of gallons.

Salt Lake City/Transportation

Salt Lake City found itself at the center of a few more bills this year, but it didn’t appear to be a target quite as much as last year.

SB242 ended up being one of the biggest bills that affected Utah’s capital city this year, prohibiting Salt Lake City from conducting lane reduction projects on major corridors. It also gives the Utah Department of Transportation more say in whether the city can create similar projects on bigger city roads.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall called it an improvement to last year’s SB195, which paused several road projects in the city and called for a study of the impacts of recently-completed ones. Still, many residents showed up to meetings to voice their disapproval of the bill, which is why the bill was rejected by many legislative Democrats.

Utah lawmakers passed HB302, which tells local governments to fly one flag but allows them to adopt others for ceremonial purposes that could be flown in select places, like City Hall. That was in response to Salt Lake City adding three flags last year to bypass a bill prohibiting governments from flying LGBTQ, Juneteenth or other flags.

There weren’t many public safety measures focusing on Salt Lake City this year, though. Mendenhall credits that to the city’s new public safety plan and improvements implemented by Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd, who celebrated his first anniversary on the job this week.

A look at miscellaneous measures passed by the Legislature this year

There were a number of bills introduced this session dealing with the welfare of animals, specifically animals in shelters. HB87, also known as “Biscuit’s bill,” focuses on animals that are stuck in shelters for years after being victims of animal abuse and neglect. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Salt Lake City. It will help speed up the adoption process and provides options for how these animals can be adopted.

SB201, sponsored by Sen. Keith Grover, R-Provo, would make it so fewer shelter animals in the state are euthanized. The bill would give animal rescues and other organizations the ability to pull animals before they are euthanized.

At the start of the session there were three different bills that regulated the use and sale of kratom in Utah in different ways. By the end of the session, parts of all the bills were merged together into SB45, which passed on Wednesday. The bill started as a complete ban on kratom but was changed to allow only the sale of pure leaf kratom in smoke shops to people 21 and older.

Utah lawmakers also increased the tax on nicotine and tobacco products through HB337. The bill raised taxes on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack and also put a $1 tax on alternative nicotine products, like Zyn, that have up to 20 pouches. There is also a tax raise on e-cigarettes and vaping products.

Lawmakers have also added a new state holiday this session. Good Friday will be an official state legal holiday starting next year, but workers will only get a half day off for the holiday. State employees will also receive a new benefits package, created by SB229, which changes how their leave works.

The governor and other elected officials in the executive branch will see major pay increases after lawmakers made the governor’s salary equal to that of the state Supreme Court’s chief justice. Under SB235 the governor will now make around $247,225, while the attorney general will earn $234,863 and the Lt. Gov, state auditor and state treasurer will make around $225,500.

Last year, lawmakers set up a system to screen firefighters for cancer as they have a much higher risk for certain cancers than most people. This year they passed HB416 to establish a cancer benefit trust fund to help these firefighters pay their medical bills and lessen the burden on them and their families.

Contributing: Carter Williams

The Utah Legislature upheld the state’s 15-year-old compact on immigration amid Republican division over whether to revisit policies that make the state a welcoming place for illegal immigrants.

House Republicans had departed from the 2011 compromise in dramatic fashion last Friday when they narrowly passed a bill overturning some of the compact’s core tenets of economic integration.

On the final night of the 2026 session, Senate Republicans refused to consider the bill, along with several other House proposals, which would further limit illegal immigrants’ access to jobs and services.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joined legislative leadership in expressing a desire for Utah to continue to pursue a balance between rule of law and human dignity as states struggle to navigate federal inaction.

“This is probably the No. 1 issue that’s on the minds of lots of Americans,” Cox said. “Because we had an administration that really screwed this up four years ago, and let far too many people across the border.”

Unlicensed drivers bill passes

Lawmakers did pass one bill to address some of the public safety concerns associated with illegal immigration. HB136 would empower police officers to enforce traffic citations against unlicensed drivers.

Even as total car crashes have fallen over the past five years, crashes involving unlicensed drivers have risen statewide, and now account for 35% of crashes and 45% of DUI arrests in West Valley City.

But law enforcement agencies report being unable to issue citations to some of these drivers because they cannot be identified. This has become a major obstacle, resulting in multiple highway fatalities.

The bill would allow law enforcement, after pulling someone over for a traffic violation, to impound an adult’s car and to do a fingerprint scan if they have no driving credential and no one can pick up the vehicle.

Another bill aimed at improving the safety of Utah roads, HB118, requiring English language ability to drive large trucks, also passed the Senate along party lines on the last night of the session.

Senate kills immigration bills

However, other House proposals that were resurrected from last year, which also sought to address the impacts of illegal immigration, did not meet approval in the Senate.

HB141, taxing foreign money transfers by illegal immigrants, HB294, requiring more businesses to verify legal status and HB386, ending subsidies for illegal immigrants, didn’t get a Senate vote.

The bill, HB386, would have repealed one of the pillars of the Utah Compact policy package — a state-run migrant worker visa program that never received a federal waiver to be implemented.

Last Friday, Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, forced a House vote on a substitute version of the bill that incorporated portions of his HB88, one of the session’s most controversial bills.

Initial versions of the bill required taxpayer-funded programs to deny local or federal benefits to those who could not prove lawful presence in the U.S. This was shut down by a “voice vote” on the House floor.

But last Friday, Lee made House members vote up or down on HB386, with a newly included ban on in-state university tuition and subsidized home loans for those who are unable to prove legal residency.

The bill passed 39-33 before stalling when no senator would sponsor it. This was because it sought to unravel a hard-won consensus with no effort to build an alternative, according to Senate leadership.

The bill “does away with the Utah Compact,” which was negotiated with key constituencies, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said.

“That compact was vetted by a lot of stakeholders many years ago,” Adams said. “If you don’t bring everyone back together, how do you actually wash away a compact without that type of effort?”

The Utah Compact, which was re-signed by community leaders in 2019, outlined five principles, including recognizing federal immigration authority, maintaining family unity and facilitating immigrants’ assimilation.

Utah Speaker Mike Schultz acknowledged the toll historic levels of immigration has had on Utahns. Some local services were “overwhelmed” before the Trump administration closed the border, he said.

But Utah’s Republican majority still believes a “balance” can be struck on immigration policy that values Utah as a “diverse state” with a “diverse economy,” according to Schultz.

Immigration population doubles

Since 2019, the illegal immigrant population in Utah doubled from an estimated 90,000 to nearly 180,000, and the number of English as a Second Language students grew to more than 58,400.

A recent analysis of federal immigration data found that during the final 18 months of the Biden administration, Salt Lake City received more immigrant arrivals per capita than nearly any other city in the country.

The rate of 1,685 immigrant arrivals for every 100,000 residents was mirrored by a statewide rate of 1,015, making Utah sixth in the nation, outranking hot spots like Arizona, Nevada and California.

Amid a nationwide deportation crackdown, Lee told the Deseret News the Trump administration asked him to pursue policies that would remove incentives for illegal immigration to encourage self-deportation.

Lee’s other immigration proposals, repealing Utah’s driving privilege card program, and blocking access to banks, jobs and housing for illegal immigrants, were held without a committee hearing.

States around the country are struggling with the same impacts of mass immigration. Neighboring states like Colorado have even higher rates of immigration-related crime than Utah.

Throughout the session lawmakers lamented that multiple presidential administrations rejected Utah’s 2011 migrant worker program and that Congress had failed to reform immigration law.

Faced with federal dysfunction, and a lack of political will to resolve a useful campaign issue, Cox said governors are currently engaging in conversations about federal immigration solutions.

But regardless of what happens on the national level, Cox hopes Utah can continue to be a model of common sense and compassionate policies, even if that means revisiting the 15-year-old compact.

“In Utah, we believe that you should have to follow the law, that we should make people follow the law, and that we can do that with dignity and respect,” Cox said. “In Utah, we care about doing this the right way.”

The family of an aunt and her niece who were found dead on a Utah trail earlier this week said Friday that they can’t comprehend why the women were slain in a pair of killings allegedly committed by a stranger in search of money.

In a statement, a family spokesperson for Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, said the women were “bonding over the beauty of a hike in one of their favorite places on Earth — cherished by them and the community, considered to be a safe sanctuary.”

“They were murdered,” the spokesperson said. “We cannot comprehend why this happened.”

Authorities have charged Ivan Miller, 22, with aggravated murder in their deaths Wednesday. He was charged with the same crime in the fatal shooting of Margaret Oldroyd, 86, who is not related to Dewey or Graves. Oldroyd’s relatives could not be reached for comment Friday.

The bodies of the three women were found at two locations in South Central Utah.

Charging documents filed Thursday in Utah allege that Miller, of Blakesburg, Iowa, confessed to the killings. He allegedly told authorities that “he did it because he needed money” after hitting an elk in Loa, Utah, selling his truck to a local tow company and staying at a hotel for a few days, according to the documents.

Miller said he shot Oldroyd in the head as she sat down to watch TV in her home in Lyman, then took her Buick but realized he didn’t like the car, the documents allege. He drove to a nearby trail, where he encountered Graves and Dewey and shot them, the documents allege.

Miller allegedly said he stabbed Dewey when she continued to move.

He abandoned the Buick, according to the documents, and took a Subaru that belonged to Dewey or Graves. The husbands of Dewey and Graves later found their bodies near a trail head and called authorities, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Miller was arrested hundreds of miles east, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after authorities tracked the location of a stolen key fob, the documents state.

Scott Van Zandt, a public defender representing Miller, said during a court hearing Friday that his client does not want to speak to police or media, the Associated Press reported.

A representative for the Colorado State Public Defender did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment Friday night.

In the family statement, Dewey was described as a wife, mother, grandmother and sister with a large extended family all over the world.

“She was loved deeply and loved her family deeply,” the statement says. “She was the heart of our family.”

Graves, a wife, daughter and sister, was “adored by her many friends and extended family members. She was joy, sunshine and beauty embodied.”

“We need time to mourn, love each other and be with our family and friends,” the statement says. “We are at a loss for words that can describe what we are feeling and cannot publicly express our sadness and devastation at this time.”

The Utah Jazz are near the end of a difficult four years of rebuilding. They’ve had successes and failures with their picks and development. Luckily, the successes have seemingly outweighed the failures. The Jazz have not been lucky on lottery night the last three seasons. Maybe this fourth season is the charm? Despite the bad lottery luck, Utah has successfully accumulated a roster that will win a lot of games next year. With a mix of trade and drafting, Utah is ready to start its next winning chapter.

The question this week was, of all the players Utah has accumulated for this next run, which one is the most likely to be an All-Star next season? It looks like that player for Jazz fans is Keyonte George.

But the season isn’t over yet! We still have at least 20 games left, and the Jazz still have a chance to improve their lottery odds. Currently, the Jazz are sitting at 5th in the lottery standings. It’s going to be tough, but can the Jazz still rise in the standings? That was my next question for Jazz fans: Do you think the Jazz can lose enough to get into the top of the lottery?

According to Jazz fans, fifth is as high as they will go. Not a bad thing considering it likely keeps the pick in Utah. That alone would be a win for the Jazz, considering it was likely going to the Thunder a few months ago.

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TORREY, Wayne County — An Iowa man who shot and killed three Utah women at random without warning in southern Utah had no prior connection to his victims and no ties to the area, but claimed it “had to be done” to steal their cars, according to prosecutors.

Ivan W. Miller, 22, of Blakesburg, Iowa, was charged in 6th District Court Thursday afternoon with three counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony. He is accused of randomly killing three women in Wayne County — including a woman in her 80s at her home in Lyman, and two women who were hiking on the Cockscomb Trail just off state Route 12 between Torrey and Teasdale.

Miller was arrested early Thursday near Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

The names of the three women have not yet been released. Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Roden said they are from “the area” but are not related to each other.

Brutal killings

Charging documents filed Thursday outline the brutal killings.

Miller told investigators “that he had hit an elk in Loa, Utah, a few days ago, sold his truck to a tow company, and stayed in an area hotel for a few days. Miller admitted that he had killed someone and stole a car,” according to charging documents. The elderly woman’s car was confirmed to be in Loa on Feb. 27.

During a second interview with the FBI in Colorado, he told an agent “that he stayed the night in the back shed at (the elderly woman’s home) after coming to Lyman. Miller advised that he saw a Buick Lesabre at that location and watched the old lady drive away. Miller then entered her home, waited for her behind a door, and shot her in the back of the head with the 1911 (pistol) while she was sitting down watching television,” the charges allege.

“Miller said he cleaned up the scene the best he could, dragged her to the out building and further down into the basement where he ultimately left her. Miller said he grabbed his stuff and took the car, but he did not like the car and wanted to find a different vehicle. Miller said he parked the vehicle near (the trailhead) where he saw a younger woman and an older woman get out of a white Subaru,” court documents state.

“Miller said that he went up to them and shot the younger one in what he thought was the chest and she went down. Miller then shot the other one twice in the body but that she was still moving. Miller then stabbed her multiple times in the heart,” prosecutors wrote in the charges.

“Miller admitted he dragged both alleged victims at (the trailhead) to a ditch and laid them next to one another. Miller said he did it because he needed money. Miller said that he took their credit cards and used the older woman’s card to buy gas. Miller said that his intent was to get back to Iowa,” according to the charges.

“Miller confessed that it ‘had to be done’ but he did not like to do it.”

A park ranger who responded to the trailhead “observed three spent .45 caliber shell casings and a spent 20- gauge shotgun shell near where the bodies were located. (The ranger) noted it appeared the bodies were possibly dragged to where they were laying, which was in a dried-up creek bed,” the charging documents say. He further noted that there were drops of blood on the road leading to where the bodies were found.

The two women killed near the hiking trailhead were found by their husbands, who went looking for them after they failed to return home on time. The men called the police after finding their bodies. Responding officers found the elderly woman’s stolen vehicle nearby and traced it back to her home, where her body was discovered, Roden said.

Court documents indicate that the vehicle was located “concealed under a tree in the area” and that “a live 20-gauge shotgun shell” was found near the vehicle.

When sheriff’s deputies went to the elderly woman’s home, they found more blood in the woman’s “front room and drag marks leading out of the home,” the charges state. The body of the woman was found “in a cellar located under a shed on the property. Deputies advised that it appeared the female was moved using a wheelbarrow.”

Tracking suspected gunman

Multiple agencies, including the FBI, then used technology such as license plate readers and “integrated tracking services” and tracked the car stolen from one of the two women in Torrey through southern Utah, into northern Arizona and eventually into southern Colorado, he said. Charges note that the vehicle was recorded driving through Bicknell, Wayne County, at 10:32 a.m. Wednesday. By 9:13 p.m., it was in Farmington, New Mexico.

That vehicle was then recorded in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on Thursday and later found abandoned. After a brief search of the area, Miller was located and arrested without incident.

Officers in Colorado were notified Wednesday about 11:10 p.m. that the stolen vehicle wanted in connection with the three killings in Utah was in their area, according to a statement from Pagosa Springs police.

“A Pagosa Springs police officer found the vehicle within the city limits. The vehicle was then abandoned in Centennial Park in the downtown area,” the statement said.

About 2:40 a.m., Miller was located and detained.

“Upon a frisk of Miller, he was found in possession of a concealed handgun and large knife. Miller was arrested for possession of concealed weapons. A subsequent interview linked Miller to the deaths in Utah,” according to police.

Information about whether Miller was located inside a hotel, at a residence or in an outdoor area was not immediately available.

Roden said investigators were questioning Miller in Colorado Thursday in an attempt to learn more about his alleged crimes. Bank cards belonging to the three women were found in Miller’s wallet, the charge state.

“The investigations continue into Thursday morning as members of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation and the Utah Crime Lab process two crime scenes in the Lyman and Torrey area,” the Department of Public Safety announced Thursday. “There are no ongoing threats to the public, and investigators have no outstanding suspects.”

As word of the three deaths spread throughout Wayne County on Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office issued a statement “asking that all residents take extra precautions, keep lights on, keep doors locked, remain home or with others this evening if possible. Multiple law enforcement agencies are currently in the area.” Law enforcement agencies in surrounding counties issued similar messages.

All schools in Wayne County canceled classes for Thursday prior to Miller’s arrest “out of an abundance of caution.” Counselors will be available for students and teachers “when classes resume next week,” according to Torrey city administrators. The Wayne County Courthouse in Loa also announced it would be closed Thursday.

Torrey Mayor Mickey Wright issued a statement and extended his “deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims. This is a heartbreaking moment for our small, close‑knit community.”

“Our community is grieving today,” he said. “I want to acknowledge the professionalism and rapid response of law enforcement during yesterday’s multi‑state search. Their work brought clarity and safety back to our community during an extremely difficult and uncertain day.

“Our community is strong. In the coming days, we will support one another, check on our neighbors, and ensure that those affected by this tragedy are not alone.”

Iowa crimes

Miller was scheduled to appear in an Iowa courtroom on Friday on charges of theft, burglary, marijuana possession and being ineligible to carry a gun, according to court records.

In that case, Miller was found inside a cabin at Lake Wapello State Park in Davis County, Iowa, on Dec, 31, according to court records. A state park ranger who was going to clean the cabin and prepare it for an arriving guest found it unlocked and noticed it looked like someone was living inside, as food and pans were seen, according to court documents.

“I went to check the bedrooms and found a fully loaded 7.62 x 54 bolt-action rifle with bayonet and a fully loaded Diamondback AR-10 .308 with scope and bipod, along with several loaded magazines and extra ammunition in boxes and loose ammunition in a bag,” the ranger wrote in court documents.

As rangers were investigating, Miller “came to the door, softly knocked, then immediately put his hands in the air and backed away. I stepped outside with Mr. Miller and recognized him from a prior incident. He told me, ‘It’s OK, you can arrest me now,’” the charges state.

Miller claimed he had picked the lock on the cabin a couple of days earlier “so he could get somewhere warm.”

A few months before that, Miller was cited by Alaska wildlife troopers near Bristol Bay for “operating a vessel not equipped with personal flotation devices,” according to a bulletin from the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

The United States Hockey League’s regular season is nearing its end, with teams jockeying for playoff positioning to secure home ice advantage. The Dubuque Fighting Saints find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference with 12 games remaining.

Currently in his first season at the USHL level, Norwegian-born defenseman Ludvig Lafton is putting together a very strong campaign. In the previous two years, Lafton played in Sweden for Farjestads Jr. of the Swedish Junior Hockey League. Through 44 games played, Lafton has posted one goal and 27 assists, finding himself tied for the 10th most points among all USHL defenseman.

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“I feel like I have been playing worry-free and just trying to play my style of game,” Lafton said during an interview on Thursday afternoon. “My teammates and coaches have been amazing, whether it has been helping me out or encouraging me to play my game. They are always helping me out.”

The style of play in Europe is a little bit different than the North American game, something that Lafton has adjusted very well as the season has gone on.

“It’s been a transition from playing in Europe to playing over here with the smaller ice sheets and higher speeds,” Lafton said. “The game is more physical with the smaller ice and compacted space.”

In 2024, Lafton was selected to represent his home country of Norway at the World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. The experience of getting to play for Norway was something that left a real impact on the now 20-year-old.

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“It was a surreal experience. It was crazy to be there and play against all the top players in the world. It was an amazing learning moment,” Lafton said. “We had a really good team that year  and put together a really strong game against the United States of America.”

Although the Fighting Saints defenseman won’t be able to return to the 2027 World Juniors taking place in Edmonton, Lafton helped make sure Norway was elevated from the Division One tournament. In five games, Lafton posted one goal and eight assists, en route to Norway’s 5-0 record and good enough for promotion.

“It’s huge for Norwegian hockey and to help the next generation of players to get that national exposure,” Lafton said. “The difference between Division One and the top group is huge in terms of media coverage and fans that attend. It’s huge for Norway that we have teams in the top division for both Under-20 and Under-18.”

Utah Hockey Club’s 5th & 6th Round Recap After the Utah Hockey Club traded their seventh-round pick, they had four draft picks remaining. There were two picks in the fourth round and two in the fifth, so with that, let’s recap the last four picks made by Utah.

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Lafton’s appearance at the World Juniors wasn’t the only major impact in 2024, as the defenseman was selected by the Utah Mammoth in the sixth round, 190th overall in the National Hockey League Draft, a dream come true in his hockey career.

“It was a pretty crazy and surreal moment. Just being a kid from Norway, I didn’t even think it was possible to be selected. I wanted to be drafted but couldn’t imagine it, and then it happened,” Lafton said. “I was in the car with my mom and sister on our way to my grandparents’ house when I got the call. I blacked out, my phone was blowing up, and then I received a call from Utah.

Lafton will continue to climb the ranks of the hockey world next season when he heads to the University of Maine to play for the Black Bears in the NCAA. The next step will be crucial for his development, and Lafton feels he has found the right spot.

“I got a really good feel for the place and the coaching staff they have. Speaking to the head coach, Ben Barr, he just gave me a good vision for the way they want me to play,” Lafton said. “The rink is an amazing place, and the town felt right to me. It just felt like the best place for me to go and develop my game.”

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With 12 games remaining until the playoffs begin, Lafton remains focused on helping the group get their game to where it needs to be when the puck drops for postseason hockey.

“We know that when we’re playing our game, we can beat anybody,” Lafton said. “It’s just about sticking to the process, being consistent and getting better every single day.”

The process of getting better every single day is something Lafton knows he will need to keep aspiring towards if he is going to achieve his goal of playing in the NHL.

“Getting drafted gave me motivation to keep on working,” Lafton said. “The job is far from over, but my mind is set on playing in the NHL.”

The Fighting Saints return to action on Friday night when they travel on the road to face the Des Moines Buccaneers. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. CST.

The Utah Jazz won (or lost, from a tanking lens) against the Washington Wizards, with a final score of 122-112

Funny enough, Trae Young made his Wizards debut tonight. Conveniently, he was on a 20-minute restriction and didn’t play in the final quarter of the game (but what about anti-competitive behavior and integrity of the game!) and finished with 12 points, six assists, and three turnovers. To be clear, I don’t blame the Wizards for this – its something of a jab to the NBA to bring your player back from “injury” and play him against a fellow tanking team on a minutes restriction.

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Regardless of this win’s lottery sting, a shining takeaway from tonight was Ace Bailey’s play. In the 10 games before tonight, Bailey has played the best basketball of his rookie season, averaging nearly 15 points and 6 rebounds a game. Tonight he reached a career high with 32 points from 12-19 shooting from the field, including 7-11 from three.

Every player looks better when their shot is falling, of course. But it’s especially clear how high his ceiling is when the combination of his athletic fluidity, length, size, and touch come together. The Jazz need this type of wing creation if they want to compete next season. Hopefully Bailey continues this trajectory.

Notably, Isaiah Collier, who has also improved his play as of late (despite possessing the ball nearly 50% of the time when he’s on the court!), finished with 27 points and 11 assists. I can imagine that next year, Collier will not have the ball so much when all of Utah’s weapons return. But it’s important he gets opportunities to run the offense – both Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. rely on their guards to set them up for good looks.

The Jazz continue their roadtrip and face off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

TORREY, Utah (AP) — Two men whose wives did not return from a hike in Utah’s south-central desert arrived at the trailhead Wednesday to find both women dead and a car missing, spurring a multi-state search that led investigators to a third body before they arrested a suspect Thursday in Colorado.

An Iowa man has been charged with aggravated murder in the deaths of the two hikers and a third woman authorities say he killed inside her home after he spent a night in a shed on her property. There was no indication that the man had any connection to the victims, said Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Ivan Miller, 22, told investigators after his arrest that he killed the three women to steal their cars and credit cards because he needed money to get back to Iowa, charging documents show. He had hit an elk a few days earlier in a tiny Utah farming town near Capitol Reef National Park and was without a vehicle after selling his truck to the tow company.

After staying in hotels for a few days, Miller slept in the woman’s shed. He stole her Buick after shooting her from behind while she was watching TV, Wayne County prosecutors allege.

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Miller, of Blakesburg, Iowa, told authorities that he quickly realized he did not like the Buick and wanted a different vehicle, according to court documents. He parked it at a trailhead about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the first victim’s home, saw two women get out of a Subaru and killed them before taking the car, the documents state. He attempted to conceal their bodies in a dry creek bed, prosecutors allege.

The husbands called 911 and waved down a ranger after finding their wives shot and stabbed at the trail, which is used mostly by locals and partially shielded from the road by piñon and juniper trees, according to officials and court documents.

Officials identified the hikers as aunt and niece Linda Dewey, 65, and Natalie Graves, 34, and the woman killed in her home as Margaret Oldroyd, 86. The hikers had no known connection to Oldroyd.

Victim remembered as ‘the sweetest woman’

Authorities found Oldroyd’s body in a cellar under a shed on her property after identifying the owner of the stolen Buick left at the trailhead, according to court documents.

Police used yellow tape to cordon off the brick home in Lyman and an outbuilding while investigators gathered evidence Thursday.

Oldroyd’s next-door neighbor of 20 years, Randy Jones, described her as “the sweetest woman you’d ever meet” and said he was shocked by her death.

Oldroyd had a love of yard work, always keeping her flowers and lawn watered and neatly manicured. She used to work at a local grocery store stocking shelves, Jones said. And when Jones helped rid her yard of skunks, she’d bring him a cake as a thank you.

“Out here in rural counties, we all take care of each other,” Jones said.

In recent years, he didn’t see his neighbor leave home much except to attend religious services and pick up groceries. But every now and then, she would come over to Jones’ house, sit with him and visit his horses.

Suspect tracked across state lines

Investigators have not found a motive for the killings and do not believe the suspect targeted the women for any reason other than “convenience,” Roden said. Investigators were still looking into when Miller arrived in Utah and what he was doing prior to the killings.

Authorities used license plate readers and vehicle tracking services to follow Miller’s path, from Utah through northern Arizona and into the mountain town of Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado, where he abandoned the stolen vehicle, Roden said. He was found after a short search.

According to online jail records, Miller was being held on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor. He was arrested in Colorado with a large knife and a .45 caliber pistol, according to court documents, and was scheduled to make his first court appearance in the state Friday afternoon.

Miller is being represented at the hearing by the Colorado Public Defender’s office, said Justin Bogan, who heads the office in the judicial district that covers Pagosa Springs. Bogan declined to comment further. Voicemail messages left at listings for possible relatives of Miller were not immediately returned on Thursday.

Authorities were working to bring Miller to Utah to face the murder charges.

The Associated Press left a message for the public defender’s office in Utah late Thursday afternoon.

Before a suspect was in custody, Wayne County residents were asked to remain vigilant and schools were closed Thursday. Officials asked for help finding a white Subaru Outback but warned people not to approach it.

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Slevin reported from Denver, Schoenbaum from Salt Lake City and Brumfield from Cockeysville, Maryland.