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HB 24UTAHSession 2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Utah Law Reduces Penalties for Specific Traffic Infractions and Merges Insurance Offenses

Original title: Criminal Penalty Amendments

Last action · March 25, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Ryan Wilcox and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Does

Utah HB 24 reduces the criminal penalty from a class C misdemeanor to an for speeding between 21 and 29 miles per hour over the limit in a school zone and for careless driving, while merging motor vehicle insurance requirements into a single statute starting May 6, 2026.

Why it matters

Drivers caught speeding moderately in school zones or committing careless driving face s rather than misdemeanors, lowering criminal exposure while retaining mandatory fine schedules.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Motorists

Drivers face reduced misdemeanor charges down to infractions for specific speeding and careless driving offenses.

Directly affected

Vehicle Owners

Owners are subject to streamlined motor vehicle security provisions and merged statutory penalties for operating without insurance.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the new penalty for driving 25 miles per hour over the limit in a school zone?
Operating a vehicle 21 to 29 miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone is reduced from a class C misdemeanor to an .
Is careless driving still a misdemeanor under this bill?
No, the penalty for careless driving is reduced from a class C misdemeanor to an .
When does this law go into effect?
The bill takes effect on May 6, 2026.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

57 actions
  1. Mar 25, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolled
    Governor Signed
  2. Mar 12, 2026House
    House/ to Governor
  3. Mar 12, 2026House
    House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
  4. Mar 3, 2026House
    House/ enrolled bill to Printing
  5. Mar 3, 2026Clerk of the House
    Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
  6. Mar 3, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 51 earlier actions
  1. Mar 3, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Bill Received from House for Enrolling
  2. Feb 27, 2026House
    House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
  3. Feb 27, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  4. Feb 27, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  5. Feb 27, 2026Senate
    Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
  6. Feb 27, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 3rd reading
  7. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed back on 3rd Reading Calendar
  8. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 3rd Reading Calendar table
  9. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 3rd reading
  10. Feb 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 2nd reading
  11. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 2nd reading
  12. Feb 17, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
  13. Feb 17, 2026Senate
    Senate/ committee report favorable
  14. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  15. Feb 9, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Not Considered
  16. Feb 6, 2026SenateCommittee
    Senate/ to standing committee
  17. Feb 3, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  18. Feb 3, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  19. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  20. Feb 3, 2026HouseFloor
    House/ passed 3rd reading
  21. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ floor amendment
  22. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ substituted
  23. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ uncircled
  24. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ circled
  25. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ uncircled
  26. Feb 3, 2026House
    House/ 3rd reading
  27. Jan 30, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0024S02
  28. Jan 30, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0024S02
  29. Jan 29, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0024S02
  30. Jan 29, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0024S02
  31. Jan 29, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0024S01
  32. Jan 27, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0024S01
  33. Jan 27, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0024S01
  34. Jan 26, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0024S01
  35. Jan 26, 2026House
    House/ 2nd reading
  36. Jan 26, 2026House
    House/ comm rpt/ substituted/ amended
  37. Jan 23, 2026House
    House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  38. Jan 23, 2026House
    House Comm - Amendment Recommendation
  39. Jan 23, 2026House
    House Comm - Substitute Recommendation
  40. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0024S01
  41. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0024S01
  42. Jan 22, 2026House
    House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
  43. Jan 22, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0024
  44. Jan 20, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  45. Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  46. Jan 19, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0024
  47. Jan 14, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
  48. Dec 4, 2025Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0024
  49. Dec 4, 2025Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0024
  50. Dec 4, 2025Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  51. Dec 4, 2025Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Ryan WilcoxHouse · District 7RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Cal MusselmanSenate · District 4RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Decriminalization of Minor Traffic Infractions

The legislation shifts specific moderate speeding infractions and careless driving out of misdemeanor classifications into infractions.

Utah Legislature

Connected Entities

Calvin R. Musselman, Utah, Ryan D. Wilcox
PersonCalvin R. Musselman“Senate Sponsor of HB 24”Map →
locationUtah“State where the legislation applies”Map →
PersonRyan D. Wilcox“Chief Sponsor of HB 24”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy15
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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