The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Legislature enacts SB 8 to fund state employee compensation and agency budgets for FY 2026 and FY 2027
Last action · March 26, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Scott Sandall and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
This bill supplements or reduces appropriations for the support and operation of state government and higher education for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, funding a 2.5% labor market increase for state and higher education employees alongside health, dental, and retirement adjustments.
State agencies, higher education institutions, and public employees receive adjusted operating funds, salary adjustments, and benefit changes totaling hundreds of millions of dollars across fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
- State agency and higher education compensation appropriations bills are regularly enacted during general legislative sessions in Utah to adjust baseline state employee salaries and operating budgets. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
state employees
State employees receive funding for a 2.5% labor market increase, retirement rate changes, health and dental benefit adjustments, and defined contribution plan matches.
higher education employees
Higher education employees receive funding for a 2.5% labor market increase.
judicial branch and constitutional office employees
Employees of the judicial branch and constitutional offices receive funding equivalent to a 2.5% labor market increase.
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 percentage labor market increase does the bill provide for state employees?
How much is appropriated in operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2027?
What is the set salary for a District Court judge for fiscal year 2027?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
39 actions- Mar 26, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 16, 2026SenateSenate/ to Governor
- Mar 16, 2026SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 13, 2026SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 13, 2026Senate SecretaryEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 33 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from Senate for Enrolling
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 4, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 4, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
- Mar 4, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Mar 4, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar
- Mar 3, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 3, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ floor amendment failed
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ substituted
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Mar 3, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0008S01
- Mar 3, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0008S01
- Mar 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0008S01
- Mar 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0008S01
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ lifted from Rules
- Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 20, 2026SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 19, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0008
- Jan 19, 2026SenateSenate/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 18, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0008
- Jan 16, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0008
- Jan 16, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0008
- Jan 16, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 16, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Multi-Year State Compensation Adjustments
The legislation structures supplementary adjustments across two separate fiscal years (FY 2026 and FY 2027), targeting both baseline operating budgets and targeted labor market increases.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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