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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah allows peace officer and dispatcher applicants with expunged convictions to test under specific conditions
Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsors: Matt MacPherson and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill addresses standards for peace officers and dispatchers.
Expands employment eligibility within state law enforcement and public safety agencies for individuals who have cleared past non-violent criminal records after a decade-long waiting period.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Peace officer applicants
Individuals with past expunged or dismissed convictions gain eligibility to enter training academies and take certification exams if they meet 10-year waiting period and firearm possession criteria.
Dispatcher applicants
Applicants for dispatcher positions who have past expunged or dismissed convictions become eligible to take certification examinations under the same 10-year criteria.
Law enforcement employing agencies
Agencies gain a broader pool of eligible candidates while retaining the authority to perform independent background investigations.
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
Can anyone with an expunged record apply to become a peace officer under this bill?
Does this bill apply to emergency dispatchers as well as law enforcement officers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
32 actions- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ filed
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ strike enacting clause
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
Show 26 earlier actions
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 25, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 23, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 23, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Feb 13, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 13, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Feb 11, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0455S01
- Feb 11, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0455S01
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0455S01
- Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0455S01
- Feb 6, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 4, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Feb 4, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0455
- Feb 4, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0455
- Feb 3, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 3, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0455
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0455
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Feb 2, 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.
Relaxed Certification Bar for Cleared Records
The bill creates a uniform pathway allowing individuals with expunged non-violent felony convictions to enter law enforcement and dispatch training after a 10-year waiting period.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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