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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah grants legal immunity to governmental entities and first responders for disaster response and emergency medical services
Last action · February 27, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Matthew H. Gwynn and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah enacts legislation protecting governmental entities and their employees from lawsuits when responding to disasters or providing emergency medical services. The law takes effect immediately upon the governor's signature and applies retrospectively to March 18, 1985.
Residents filing lawsuits against local governments or first responders for actions taken during disasters or emergency medical care will find those claims barred by government immunity, altering legal recourse for injuries sustained during public emergencies.
- The Governmental Immunity Act of Utah governs when and how state and local governmental entities and their employees can be sued for injuries or damages. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
first responders
First responders receive explicit immunity from suit when providing emergency medical services.
governmental entities
Governmental entities are granted immunity from suit for disaster response and emergency medical activities.
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 covered by the new immunity provisions?
Does this bill appropriate any funds?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
44 actions- Feb 27, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Feb 18, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Feb 17, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Feb 17, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 38 earlier actions
- Feb 17, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 12, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 12, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Feb 12, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 12, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 11, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 11, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 11, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 11, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 6, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 6, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 5, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 4, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 3, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 2, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 2, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 2, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 2, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Jan 28, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0079S01
- Jan 28, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0079S01
- Jan 26, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Jan 26, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Jan 23, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0079S01
- Jan 23, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0079S01
- Jan 22, 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 5, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0079
- Jan 5, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0079
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0079
- Dec 23, 2025Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0079
- 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.
Retroactive Legal Protection
The bill applies retrospectively to 1985, establishing long-standing retroactive immunity for covered activities.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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