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HB 175UTAHSession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Utah Restricts Government Contractors and Grant Recipients from Political Campaigning and Contributions

Original title: Public Funds and Political Activities Amendments

Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ filedSponsor: Trevor Lee

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

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What This Bill Proposed

Utah House Bill 175 prohibits entities receiving government contracts or state grants from participating in political campaigns, lobbying beyond an insubstantial level, or making political contributions starting July 1, 2026. If a contractor or grant recipient violates these rules, state agencies must terminate contracts, halt fund disbursements, and claw back previously distributed money.

Background
  • In Utah, government procurement and grant administration are governed by Title 63G of the Utah Code, which sets standards for state purchasing, contracts, and public funds distribution. context
  • The Utah Legislature previously enacted foundational grant oversight provisions under Chapter 300 of the 2024 General Session, which this bill further amends. 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.

Directly affected

Government contractors

Contractors are barred from making political contributions and engaging in certain political campaigns or lobbying activities under penalty of contract termination and debarment.

Directly affected

State grant recipients

Grant recipients must comply with political neutrality rules, submit progress reports, and face potential fund clawbacks if they violate contribution or lobbying restrictions.

Directly affected

Procurement units and state agencies

State agencies and procurement units must enforce political eligibility checks, withhold funds from violators, terminate non-compliant contracts, and report grant clawbacks.

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 individuals associated with a government contractor still make personal political contributions?
Yes. The bill explicitly states that nothing in the section prohibits an individual from exercising personal First Amendment rights for a political purpose, including speaking, campaigning, and contributing personal money.
What happens if an administering agency claws back grant funds from a recipient?
The administering agency must submit a written report to the Executive Appropriations Committee containing the recipient's name, a copy of the grant agreement, and the reason for the .

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

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.

Procedural history

11 actions
  1. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ filed
  2. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ strike enacting clause
  3. Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  4. Jan 20, 2026House
    House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
  5. Jan 17, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0175
  6. Jan 17, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0175
Show 5 earlier actions
  1. Jan 14, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
  2. Jan 7, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0175
  3. Jan 7, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0175
  4. Jan 7, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  5. Jan 7, 2026Legislative 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

Trevor LeeHouse · District 16RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift98% confidence

Expansion of Procurement Compliance

The bill bridges procurement law and campaign finance/lobbying restrictions by tying government contract and grant eligibility directly to political neutrality.

Utah LegislatureExecutive Appropriations Committee

Connected Entities

Executive Appropriations Committee, Trevor Lee, Legislative Auditor General
OrganizationExecutive Appropriations Committee“Receives written reports from administering agencies when grant funds are clawed”Map →
PersonTrevor Lee“Chief Sponsor in the Utah House of Representatives”Map →
OrganizationLegislative Auditor General“Authorized to audit the use of any grant funds”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
  • Controversy75
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz60
    Current news / social attention level

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