You're previewing an early version of the Bill Tracker. We're still ironing out some bugs — thanks for your patience as we build this out.

S.B. 145

Signed into Law

Lobbying Amendments

View on le.utah.gov
S.B. 145Signed into Law

Lobbying Amendments

Senate
House
Governor

What This Bill Does

This bill amends and enacts provisions relating to lobbying.

Key Provisions

This bill:

  • defines terms;
  • modifies and clarifies the definitions of lobbyist, lobbying, and a principal;
  • modifies the limits for certain expenditures;
  • prohibits consideration, a reward, or an incentive for lobbying that is contingent on certain government action and provides criminal and civil penalties for violation of the prohibition;
  • replaces the offense of employing or soliciting a person to lobby for contingent compensation with the offense described in the preceding paragraph;
  • creates an exception to the definition of "expenditure" in relation to certain sporting events, performances, or exhibitions of a state institution of higher education or a private, nonprofit institution of higher education;
  • amends provisions relating to lobbying by a former state official; and
  • makes technical and conforming changes.

Plain-Language Summary

AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.

Utah's lobbying laws get a significant overhaul under this bill, which rewrites key definitions and adds new restrictions. A "lobbyist" is now defined as anyone who accepts or agrees to accept any payment, reward, incentive, or other compensation in exchange for lobbying — broadening the definition beyond just employees or contractors of a formal "principal." Similarly, a "principal" is now anyone who pays or promises to pay something of value for lobbying services. The bill explicitly bans lobbyists from accepting pay that is contingent on whether a specific government action occurs or on the amount of money appropriated for a program. Several spending thresholds are also raised — the limit for small non-food gifts increases from $10 to $25, and the cap for publications and commemorative items rises from $30 to $50 — and university-sponsored sporting events and arts performances are carved out as exceptions that don't count as reportable expenditures when a public official attends to build a relationship with the institution. The bill also loosens the one-year post-employment lobbying ban for former state officials by allowing them to lobby branches of government other than the one where they previously served.