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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Bill Expands Overdose Reporting Defences and First-Time Offence Dismissals
Last action · March 7, 2026: Senate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to RulesSponsors: Carol Moss and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Utah HB 295 expands legal protections and s for individuals who report or experience drug overdoses, and creates an option for prosecutors to dismiss first-time drug charges if the defendant completes substance abuse treatment. The measure applies to bystanders and victims who remain at the scene and cooperate with emergency responders.
Changes criminal liability and sentencing options for individuals involved in drug overdoses, potentially lowering incarceration rates for first-time offenders who undergo substance abuse treatment.
- Utah's controlled substances laws govern criminal penalties for manufacturing, distributing, and possessing illegal drugs, alongside specific exemptions for medical research and religious practices. context
- Good Samaritan and overdose reporting laws are designed to encourage witnesses to call for emergency medical assistance during drug overdoses without fear of immediate arrest for minor possession offences. 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.
Individuals experiencing drug overdoses
Individuals experiencing overdoses gain explicit eligibility for affirmative defences and sentencing mitigations when medical assistance is reported.
Substance use disorder treatment facilities
Law enforcement officers
Officers must interact with revised affirmative defence criteria during overdose responses and 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
Who is eligible for the new overdose affirmative defence under HB 295?
Can first-time drug offenders have their charges dismissed under this bill?
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
37 actions- Mar 7, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ filed
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ strike enacting clause
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
Show 31 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 27, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 27, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 27, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 26, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Not Considered
- Feb 17, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0295S01
- Feb 17, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0295S01
- Feb 13, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0295S01
- Feb 13, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0295S01
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 22, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0295
- Jan 22, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0295
- Jan 21, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 21, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0295
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0295
- Jan 20, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 20, 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 →Voting Record
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Total
9
- Yes
- 4
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 5
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (9)
Show 3 earlier roll calls
House/ passed 3rd reading
Total
75
- Yes
- 59
- No
- 2
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 14
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (72)
48 more members
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Total
10
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 4
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (10)
House Comm - Substitute Recommendation
Total
10
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 4
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (10)
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.
Expansion of Overdose Immunity Protections
The legislation extends liability protections from bystanders to include the overdose victims themselves, provided cooperation and reporting criteria are met.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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