Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We finally hit the end of the 2026 Legislative Session! Over the past seven weeks, we worked through a full agenda of policy proposals, budget decisions, and constituent priorities. I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent the people of District 26 and for the many residents who reached out with ideas, feedback, and concerns throughout the session.

In this final update, I’m sharing a summary of the session, including the outcomes of the bills I sponsored and other key legislation passed this year. Thank you for staying engaged and for being part of the legislative process.

Thank you for following along throughout the legislative session and for the many emails, calls, and conversations along the way. Hearing from you helps ensure that the work we do at the Capitol reflects the needs and priorities of our community.

Although the legislative session has concluded, my work representing our district continues year-round. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions, concerns, or ideas for future legislation. It’s an honor to serve you.
 

Matt MacPherson
Representative, House District 26

HB 82 Judgement Information Amendments

• Updates the information required to file a judgment lien against an individual’s real property by replacing full Social Security numbers and birthdates with only the last four digits of the SSN and the debtor’s birth month and year.
• This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

HB 136 Unlicensed Driver Amendments

• Expands when officers must or may impound a vehicle and creates new procedures for identifying unlicensed drivers. It also raises impound‑related fees, adjusts penalties, updates license‑suspension processes, and requires fingerprint software to be compatible with law‑enforcement systems.
• This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

HB 148 Tax Return Donation Amendments

• Creates a School Meals Debt Relief Fund, allows taxpayers to contribute through their state income tax return, and directs the State Board of Education to collect school meal debt data and distribute funds to LEAs to help pay down outstanding student meal balances.
• This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

HB 314 Firearm Purchase Amendments

• Removes the requirement for firearm dealers to use a duplicate background-check form provided by the Bureau of Criminal Identification. It also extends the period the bureau can retain background-check records from 20 to 30 days.
• This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

HB 392 District Court Amendments

• Gives the attorney general an unconditional right to intervene in constitutional challenges and creates a process for convening a randomly selected three‑judge district court panel when certain state entities or officials are parties to a civil case. It also outlines how the panel operates and gives the Utah Supreme Court exclusive appellate jurisdiction over its decisions.
• The bill passed both the House and Senate and has been signed into law by the Governor.

HB 539 Public Safety Modifications

• Updates public‑safety statutes by clarifying domestic‑violence definitions, modifying criminal‑case venue rules, and refining standards for mitigation and pretrial release. It also revises protective‑order and jail‑release procedures and includes coordination clauses to align definitions with other legislation.
• This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

HR 4 House Rules Resolution - Legislation Disclosure

• Allows representatives to disclose when a bill request was filed at the request of an agency head and requires the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to track and report those disclosures to caucus staff.
• This bill has passed the House and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

HR 8 Resolution Admonishing and Censuring Judge Don M. Torgerson

• This resolution censures Judge Don M. Torgerson for statements made during a child‑sexual‑exploitation sentencing and criticizes the Utah State Courts for issuing an inaccurate defense of those remarks. It reaffirms the Legislature’s commitment to protecting children and directs that the censure be formally recorded and delivered to judicial authorities.
• This bill has passed the House and is on its way to the Governor's desk.