The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Utah prohibits law enforcement and prosecutors from requiring polygraph exams for sexual offense victims
Last action · March 26, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Angela Romero and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah law prohibits law enforcement officers, prosecutors, courts, and government officials from asking or requiring a victim to take a during an investigation or prosecution. A victim's refusal to take a polygraph test cannot prevent the investigation, charging, or prosecution of an offense, effective May 6, 2026.
Changes investigative procedures for sexual assault cases across Utah by explicitly barring officials from using lie detector tests as a condition for pursuing criminal charges or proceeding with an investigation.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
victims of a sexual offense
Victims cannot be asked or required to take a polygraph examination, and their refusal to take one cannot halt the investigation, charging, or prosecution of their case.
law enforcement officers
Law enforcement officers are prohibited from asking or requiring sexual offense victims to submit to polygraph exams or using them as a condition to proceed with an investigation.
prosecuting attorneys
Prosecutors are prohibited from requiring polygraph examinations for victims or conditioning criminal prosecutions on a victim taking a polygraph test.
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 police still ask a sexual assault victim to take a lie detector test?
What happens if a victim refuses to take a polygraph exam?
When does this law go into effect?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
40 actions- Mar 26, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 11, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 11, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 10, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 10, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 34 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ floor amendment failed
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 19, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 12, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 12, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 11, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 13, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0089
- Jan 13, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0089
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0089
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0089
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative 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.
Elimination of Polygraph Requirement for Sexual Assault Victims
The bill explicitly removes polygraph examinations as an investigative tool or precondition for criminal proceedings involving victims of sexual offenses in Utah.
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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