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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Bill HB 391 standardizes midterm vacancy appointments for elected officials and updates campaign finance disclosure rules
Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsors: Lisa Shepherd and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Utah HB 391 establishes uniform appointment procedures for midterm vacancies in major elected offices, requiring replacements to be chosen from the political party of the prior officeholder and mandating conflict-of-interest disclosures and interim financial reporting for candidates seeking appointment.
Changes how vacancies are filled for U.S. senators, state legislators, executive officers, county officials, and State Board of Education members, while imposing specific financial disclosure and reporting deadlines on individuals seeking midterm appointments.
- Utah law governs midterm vacancies across federal, state, and local offices through specific appointment and special election protocols. context
- The Utah State Legislature considers various election law amendments during its general sessions to streamline administrative processes. context
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.
Registered political parties
Party liaisons and central committees are required to submit lists of nominees or candidate names to fill midterm vacancies in elected offices.
Elected officials and potential appointees
Individuals seeking appointment to fill midterm vacancies must complete mandatory conflict of interest disclosures and interim financial reports.
County legislative bodies
County legislative bodies must appoint interim replacements for vacant county offices within specified calendar days following party submissions.
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
How are midterm vacancies in the Utah Legislature filled under this bill?
What requirements must individuals seeking appointment to a vacant office meet regarding financial disclosures?
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
41 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
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
Show 35 earlier actions
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 24, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 18, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0391S03
- Feb 18, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0391S03
- Feb 18, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0391S02
- Feb 18, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0391S02
- Feb 18, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 17, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ substituted
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 17, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0391S03
- Feb 17, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0391S03
- Feb 16, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0391S02
- Feb 16, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0391S02
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 29, 2026House Rules CommitteeBill Substituted by Sponsor in House Rules Comm
- Jan 29, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0391S01
- Jan 29, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0391S01
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 28, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0391
- Jan 28, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0391
- Jan 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0391S01
- Jan 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0391S01
- Jan 27, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 27, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0391
- Jan 27, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0391
- Jan 27, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 27, 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.
Standardization of Midterm Appointment Rules
The bill aligns multiple sections of the Utah Code to consistently mandate that midterm replacements for partisan elected offices be selected from the same political party as the previous officeholder.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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