Utah’s legislative branch is made up of 29 state senators and 75 representatives. Constituents can find their district’s legislators on the Legislature’s website map.

Anyone can get in contact with a legislator by finding their names on the House and Senate rosters and navigating to their respective webpages, which include a phone number, email and address. The sites also show whether the lawmaker is part of any leadership or committees and includes external links to any required disclosures including professional affiliations or financial conflicts of interest.

How a bill comes to be

Bills can be found on the homepage of the Legislature’s website by clicking on the “Bills” tab. From there, anyone can look at passed bills, currently opened bill files or a list of over 350 bills that have been introduced so far for the 2025 general session

The process of a bill becoming law can be a winding road, but the Legislature’s website outlines several steps for a bill to become law.

First, an idea is developed. A legislator, lobbyist and even the governor can have ideas for bills. Next, the bill is drafted and the proposal is submitted as a bill request to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, where the nonpartisan office assigns a drafting attorney to prepare the bill in its technical form and review its constitutionality or other legal concerns. The bill receives a number and a fiscal note, which details the anticipated cost and revenue estimate of the proposed legislation.

Now, the bill can be introduced to the public and to the Legislature. It starts with the Rules Committee, where it is assigned (or not assigned) to a standing committee, like the House Education Committee. The  committee will review the bill in an open meeting, where members of the public can weigh in.

Keep in mind, this is the typical process bills must follow in order to be considered — but if there’s enough support in the House and Senate, lawmakers can vote to “suspend the rules” and fast-track legislation to the chambers, even if it hasn’t received a committee hearing.

How to share your thoughts in a committee hearing

To participate in committee hearings, check the Legislature’s calendar or weekly schedules, where agendas should be made available to the public at least 24 hours before the meeting to notify the public when a bill is  being discussed in committee. Members of the public can also provide comment virtually by joining a Zoom meeting.

No one is guaranteed an opportunity to make a public comment, and not every action item on the agenda will include time for public comment. Lawmakers that chair the committees usually set time limits on public comment periods. Members of the public must also abide by decorum rules and are prohibited from clapping, yelling, making loud noises, bringing posters or banners, noisemakers, glitter or confetti, or using any other disruptive devices.

If you miss a live discussion, you can still tune in later. Committee hearings and floor times are streamed and recorded on the Legislature’s website.

After public comment, lawmakers on the committee can choose to amend, hold, table, substitute or make a favorable recommendation on the bill. Or they could choose to do nothing, which would effectively stall the bill.

How does a bill get passed?

Next, if a bill receives a favorable recommendation, it advances to either the House or Senate floor for consideration. The bill then gets debated on the floor, where it can be amended, substituted or held. At least 15 votes are required to pass a bill in the Senate and at least 38 votes are required for it to pass through the House.

If a bill gets approval from both chambers, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, sign it. Then, the bill is sent to Gov. Spencer Cox, where he can sign it, veto it or do nothing and allow it to become law without his signature.

Finally, the bill becomes law 60 days after adjournment. The bill language may also set a specific date when the law goes into effect.

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.