SALT LAKE CITY (
ABC4) — Governor Spencer Cox signed another 61 bills on Wednesday, addressing many topics including transgender surgeries for those in state custody and election law issues.
H.B. 252 — or State Custody Amendments — is a bill signed that would prohibit state agencies from initiating any treatments or procedures to inmates that pertain to:
- a cross-sex hormone treatment.
- a primary sex characteristic surgical procedure; or
- a secondary sex characteristic surgical procedure.
The bill further specifies that treatments “to treat an inmate’s gender dysphoria and any co-occurring mental health disorder” can only be treated through psychotherapy, mental health care, or any other necessary and appropriate treatment.
The new law also restricts these treatments to minors in state custody, prohibiting treatments that pertain to:
- puberty inhibition drug treatment.
- a cross-sex hormone treatment.
- a primary sex characteristic surgical procedure; or
- a secondary sex characteristic surgical procedure.
Similarly to inmates, it would also limit treatments for gender dysphoria and co-occurring mental disorders to those specified methods. The measure also prohibits male and female individuals from sharing rooms with each other while in state custody.
Among the other bills signed by Cox were bills affecting election law in Utah. S.B. 53 — or Election Code Amendments — changes laws around Utah’s ballot petitioning system. It repeals the in-state residency requirement for signature gathering and adds language to allow someone to remove their name from a petition.
S.B. 54 — or Appearance of Candidate name on Ballot — changes the way a candidate’s name can appear on a ballot. It adds regulations around the use of nicknames, and mandates the use of middle names if first names are “similar.”
After this recent batch of 61 bills, the governor has signed a total of 101 bills. This leaves a total of 481 bills left for Cox to act on before the Mar. 27 deadline. If a bill is not acted upon before that deadline, it becomes law without needing the governor’s signature.
The governor remains in legislative review for the rest of the week, so more bills are expected to be signed throughout the week. For more coverage on the 2025 General Session, visit Inside Utah Politics.
The complete list of bills signed by the Governor on March 19 includes the following:
- HB 12, Division of Purchasing and General Services Amendments
- HB 25, Retirement Amendments
- HB 47, Public Lands Watering Rights Amendments
- HB 48, Wildland Urban Interface Modifications
- HB 55, County Office Amendments
- HB 58, Building Inspector Amendments
- HB 64, Public Official Bonding Amendments
- HB 115, State Park Funding Amendments
- HB 122, Military Affairs Amendments
- HB 134, Food Cart Amendments
- HB 138, Food Labeling Amendments
- HB 174, Water Rights Restricted Account
- HB 175, Housing Construction Amendments
- HB 194, Beekeeping and Veterinary Amendments
- HB 200, Outdoor Recreation Amendments
- HB 202, Private Landowner Big Game Revisions
- HB 208, Urban Farming Assessment Modifications
- HB 223, State Grant Requirements
- HB 224, Inmate Reentry, Finances, and Debt Modifications
- HB 239, Disaster Funds Revisions
- HB 252, State Custody Amendments
- HB 256, Municipal and County Zoning Amendments
- HB 276, Commitment Revisions
- HB 282, Health and Human Services Modifications
- HB 283, Child and Family Services Amendments
- HB 296, Recovery Residence Services Amendments
- HB 310, Disability Coverage Amendments
- HB 317, Executive Agency Innovation Incentives
- HB 412, Boards and Commissions Revisions
- HB 414S, Raw Milk Amendments
- HB 550, Building Permit Fee Prohibition Amendments
- HCR 7, Concurrent Resolution Recognizing Patriots’ Day
- HCR 9, House Concurrent Resolution to Create Energy Compact with Idaho and Wyoming
- HCR 14, House Concurrent Resolution Supporting Streamlining Utah Housing Policies
- SB 19, Utah Retirement Systems Amendments for Military Personnel
- SB 21, Long-Term Disability Amendments
- SB 22, State Employee Benefit Amendments
- SB 25, Postretirement Reemployment for Emergency Services Workers
- SB 50, Limited Purpose Local Government Entities Board of Trustees Compensation Amendments
- SB 53, Election Code Amendments
- SB 54, Appearance of Candidate Name on Ballot
- SB 104, Boundary Line Amendments
- SB 118, Political Party Procedures Amendments
- SB 121, Property Loss Amendments
- SB 128, Assisted Reproduction Amendments
- SB 161S01, Cultural and Community Engagement Amendments
- SB 165, Municipal Broadband Service Amendments
- SB 179, Local Regulation of Business Entities Amendments
- SB 196, Physical Therapist Practice Amendments
- SB 242, Public Employees’ Benefit and Insurance Program Modifications
- SB 245, PEHP Amendments
- SB 255, Line-of-Duty Death Benefit Amendments
- SB 269, Telecommunications Amendments
- SB 278, State Debt Collection Amendments
- SB 284, Medicaid Doula Services
- SB 297, Congregate Care Amendments
- SCR 1, Concurrent Resolution Authorizing Adult Sentencing and Supervision Length Guidelines and Juvenile Disposition Guidelines
- SCR 2, Concurrent Resolution Encouraging Practices that Promote Child independence
- SCR 3, Concurrent Resolution Supporting Federalism Principles and Utah’s Control of its Energy Future
- SR 4, Concurrent Resolution Fostering Social Connection and Establishing Utah Community Health Day
- SCR 5, Concurrent Resolution Recognizing Radon Action and Awareness Month