This bill modifies provisions related to government records access.
This bill:
Support
Good Government
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah's public records law currently allows a government employee or official who is the subject of a records request — meaning someone named in the request or who created the record being sought — to be involved in deciding how that record is handled, including classifying it, reviewing or responding to the request, or ruling on an appeal. This bill would prohibit that person from taking part in any of those steps: they could not make the final call on how a record is classified, could not participate in the agency's review or response to the request, and could not take part in an appeal of a decision about the request. It also extends this same restriction to political subdivisions (like cities and counties) that have adopted their own records policies, requiring those policies to include the same prohibition. If a chief administrative officer happens to be the subject of a request under appeal, the bill requires that official to hand off their appeal duties to someone else.
Introduction
Feb 12
House Rules
House Committee
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
IntroductionFeb 12
House Rules
House Committee
House Floor Vote
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Senate 2nd Reading
Senate 3rd Reading
Governor
This bill modifies provisions related to government records access.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Utah's public records law currently allows a government employee or official who is the subject of a records request — meaning someone named in the request or who created the record being sought — to be involved in deciding how that record is handled, including classifying it, reviewing or responding to the request, or ruling on an appeal. This bill would prohibit that person from taking part in any of those steps: they could not make the final call on how a record is classified, could not participate in the agency's review or response to the request, and could not take part in an appeal of a decision about the request. It also extends this same restriction to political subdivisions (like cities and counties) that have adopted their own records policies, requiring those policies to include the same prohibition. If a chief administrative officer happens to be the subject of a request under appeal, the bill requires that official to hand off their appeal duties to someone else.
Support
Good Government
House/ filed
House file for bills not passed
House/ strike enacting clause
Clerk of the House
LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0551
Version Sponsor
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
House Rules Committee
House/ received bill from Legislative Research
Clerk of the House
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM