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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Authorizes Jail Recovery Pods, Restricts Syringe Exchanges, and Creates Court Intervention Programs
Last action · March 18, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Tyler Clancy and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah law allows county jails to establish structured substance use s, prohibits syringe exchange programs from distributing drug paraphernalia other than syringes or operating within 100 feet of homeless shelters, and authorizes justice courts to create the .
Communities, jails, and courts gain new legal mechanisms for managing individuals with substance use disorders, altering where syringe exchange services can operate and what supervision or s can be imposed on individuals charged with drug offenses.
- The Utah Legislature passes bills during its annual general session, which for 2026 is designated as the 2026GS session. context
- Tyler Clancy serves as a member of the lower house in the Utah Legislature and sponsored HB 205. 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.
Incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders
Individuals in county jails may volunteer to participate in structured recovery housing pods subject to screening and written agreements.
Syringe exchange program operators
Operators face strict geographic limitations on where they can facilitate exchanges and are barred from distributing non-syringe drug paraphernalia.
Drug offenders and individuals charged with drug offenses
Defendants may be subjected to court-ordered off-limits restrictions or eligible for specialized STEP supervision programs.
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 county jails set up special units for inmates with substance use disorders?
What items are syringe exchange programs banned from distributing?
What happens if someone violates a drug off-limits order issued by a court?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
57 actions- Mar 18, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 16, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 16, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 12, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 12, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 51 earlier actions
- Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ concurs with Senate amendment
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
- Mar 5, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House with amendments
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ floor amendment
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ motion to reconsider
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
- Mar 5, 2026SenateSenate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 12, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 11, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 11, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 11, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 11, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 5, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0205S01
- Feb 5, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0205S01
- Feb 3, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 3, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ substituted
- Feb 3, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0205S01
- Feb 2, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 2, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Substitute Recommendation
- Feb 1, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0205S01
- Feb 1, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0205S01
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 28, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0205
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 16, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0205
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0205
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0205
- Jan 8, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 8, 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.
Tightening of Syringe Exchange Operations
The legislation introduces explicit geographic restrictions near homeless shelters and public parks alongside a strict ban on distributing non-syringe drug paraphernalia.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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