On The Record Utah

Get involved

Utah legislators hear from fewer constituents than you'd think. A short, personal message at the right moment can change a vote. Here's how it works.

How a bill becomes law

  1. A legislator writes a bill. Any legislator can ask the Legislature's lawyers to draft one. It gets a number like H.B. 64 (House) or S.B. 50 (Senate).
  2. It goes to a committee. A small group of legislators holds a public hearing. This is where most bills are changed or stopped, and where the public can speak.
  3. The whole chamber votes. If the committee approves it, all 75 House members or 29 senators debate and vote on it.
  4. The other chamber does it again. The bill repeats the committee and vote steps in the other chamber. If that chamber changes it, the first chamber has to agree to the changes.
  5. The governor signs or vetoes it. Most new laws take effect in May. The Legislature can override a veto with a two-thirds vote.

The Legislature meets for 45 days each year, from late January to early March. Committees also meet once a month the rest of the year (“interim days”) to study issues for the next session.

When your voice matters most

  • Before the committee hearing. That's where most bills live or die, and committee members listen to people from their districts.
  • Before the floor vote in your legislator's chamber. Every bill page here shows where a bill is in that process.
  • Any time, for next year. Legislators start drafting bills in the fall. If you want something changed, tell them before the session starts.

Contact your legislators

  1. Enter your address to find your state representative and senator.
  2. Open any bill and use Take action to get their email and a message you can edit and send.
  3. Keep it short: say you live in their district, name the bill, say whether you support or oppose it, and give one reason from your own life.
  4. Be respectful, even if you disagree. Legislators remember constituents who were reasonable.

Testify at a hearing

  1. Find the hearing on the bill's page (under Take action) or the committee's agenda on le.utah.gov.
  2. Committee meetings at the Capitol are open to the public. The chair decides how much public comment to take, often a minute or two per person. Many committees also accept remote comment; the agenda explains how.
  3. Start with your name, where you live, and whether you support or oppose the bill. Then give your reason.
  4. Can't make it? Email the committee members before the hearing. Written comments count too.

Follow what happens

  • Check your legislators' pages here for their votes, what they said, and whether their record matches their promises.
  • The Legislature's own site, le.utah.gov, lets you create a free account to track bills and get notified when they move.
  • All committee hearings and floor debates are streamed and recorded; every hearing on our bill pages links to its video.