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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah House Urges Congress to Pass Prison Reentry Funding, Cell Phone Jamming, and Drone Restrictions
Last action · March 17, 2026: House/ to Lieutenant GovernorSponsors: Melissa Ballard and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Utah's House of Representatives adopted a resolution urging Congress to pass the 2025 Second Chance Reauthorization Act and the 2025 Cellphone Jamming Reform Act, criminalize drone flights over prisons, and authorize drone-mitigation pilot programs. The non-binding measure also encourages federal support for providing incarcerated individuals with pre-release Medicaid access.
The measure establishes official state policy positions directed at federal lawmakers regarding federal correctional funding, control, and inmate health care eligibility, though it carries no direct funding or changes to Utah state law.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
incarcerated individuals
The measure advocates for federal policies affecting their access to reentry resources, pre-release health care, and facility security conditions.
correctional officers and staff
The resolution addresses facility security measures, contraband cell phones, and drone surveillance that impact staff safety.
law enforcement and correctional agencies
The resolution requests federal authorization for pilot programs enabling agencies to mitigate drones flying over critical infrastructure.
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
Does this resolution change Utah state law or appropriate any state funds?
What specific federal legislation does the resolution ask Congress to pass?
What concerns does the resolution raise regarding drones at correctional facilities?
What else do you want to know?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
32 actions- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ to Lieutenant Governor
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 13, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 13, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 12, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
- Mar 12, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
Show 26 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Mar 3, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Mar 2, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Mar 2, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Mar 2, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 2, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 2, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Mar 2, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 26, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 24, 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 8, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HJR004
- Jan 8, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HJR004
- Jan 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HJR004
- Jan 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HJR004
- Jan 2, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 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.
Adoption of Pre-Release Medicaid Waivers
The resolution highlights an emerging policy trend where 11 states had secured CMS Medicaid re-entry waivers by August 2024 to provide health care pre-release.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance35How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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