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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah alters federal grant approval tiers, adds high-dollar legislative oversight committees
Last action · March 18, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Val Peterson and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah raises the funding thresholds for executive, judicial, and educational agency approval of federal grants and establishes mandatory legislative oversight committees for ultra-high-impact federal funds exceeding $100 million. Under the updated rules, medium and high impact grant tiers shift upward, requiring more rigorous review for large federal funding streams. The law takes effect on May 6, 2026, or earlier depending on legislative approval votes.
State agencies seeking large federal grants must now navigate stricter monetary thresholds and mandatory legislative committees before funds can be expended or obligated.
- The Executive Appropriations Committee is a key joint committee of the Utah Legislature responsible for managing the state's budget and reviewing fiscal matters. context
- Utah code chapter 63J-5 governs how state agencies apply for, accept, and administer federal grants and funds. 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.
executive branch agencies
Executive agencies must adhere to adjusted dollar thresholds and submit required federal grant summaries to the governor and legislative committees.
judicial branch agencies
Judicial agencies must submit federal funds request summaries to the Judicial Council under updated monetary thresholds.
State Board of Education
The State Board of Education must review grant request summaries based on revised funding limits.
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
What qualifies a federal grant as an ultra-high-impact request?
Who must approve a medium-impact federal funds request before the state is obligated?
When does this legislation take effect?
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
40 actions- Mar 18, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 2, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 2, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Feb 27, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 34 earlier actions
- Feb 27, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 27, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Feb 26, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 25, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 2nd reading
- Feb 25, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
- Feb 13, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 10, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 9, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 6, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 6, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Jan 29, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Jan 28, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 26, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 26, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0342
- Jan 25, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0342
- Jan 23, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 23, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 23, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0342
- Jan 23, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0342
- Jan 23, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 23, 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.
Escalation of Federal Grant Review Thresholds
The legislation consistently shifts review thresholds upward (e.g., raising low-impact ceilings from $1 million to $5 million), adapting state oversight to larger federal award sizes.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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