H.B. 133
FailedUse of Force Reporting Requirements
HB0133S01 (Substitute)
Use of Force Reporting Requirements
Introduction
Jan 20
House Rules
Mar 5
House Committee
Feb 4
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
What This Bill Does
This bill addresses the justified use of force.
Key Provisions
This bill:
- establishes that an individual is required to report, or cause another individual to report, the use of deadly force to 911 or law enforcement in order to receive a pretrial justification hearing;
- automatically provides a defendant with a prima facie claim of justification at a pretrial justification hearing if the defendant reported, or caused another individual to report, the defendant's use of force within 24 hours after using the force; and
- makes technical and conforming changes.
Plain-Language Summary
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
Under current Utah law, a person charged with a crime can request a pretrial justification hearing — a special court proceeding where a judge decides before trial whether the use of force was legally justified, potentially resulting in the charges being dismissed. This bill adds a new condition: if someone used deadly force that killed another person, they cannot access that pretrial hearing unless they reported the incident to 911 or law enforcement within 24 hours. The bill also creates an automatic legal advantage — called a "prima facie claim" — for defendants who did report within that window, meaning the state bears the burden of proving the force was not justified without the defendant first having to build that case.
H.B. 133
FailedUse of Force Reporting Requirements
Current version: HB0133S01 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 20
House Rules
Mar 5
House Committee
Feb 4
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
IntroductionJan 20
House RulesMar 5
House CommitteeFeb 4
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
What This Bill Does
This bill addresses the justified use of force.
Key Provisions
This bill:
- establishes that an individual is required to report, or cause another individual to report, the use of deadly force to 911 or law enforcement in order to receive a pretrial justification hearing;
- automatically provides a defendant with a prima facie claim of justification at a pretrial justification hearing if the defendant reported, or caused another individual to report, the defendant's use of force within 24 hours after using the force; and
- makes technical and conforming changes.
Plain-Language Summary
AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.
Under current Utah law, a person charged with a crime can request a pretrial justification hearing — a special court proceeding where a judge decides before trial whether the use of force was legally justified, potentially resulting in the charges being dismissed. This bill adds a new condition: if someone used deadly force that killed another person, they cannot access that pretrial hearing unless they reported the incident to 911 or law enforcement within 24 hours. The bill also creates an automatic legal advantage — called a "prima facie claim" — for defendants who did report within that window, meaning the state bears the burden of proving the force was not justified without the defendant first having to build that case.
Documents
Other Versions
Original
Subjects
Action History20
House/ filed
House file for bills not passed
House/ strike enacting clause
Clerk of the House
House/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules
House Rules Committee
House Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules
House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
House Comm - Not Considered
House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
Last updated Mar 26, 2026, 9:39 PM