After a tumultuous year in the political landscape for immigrants, families, and human services more broadly, our goals for the session include defending wins we have achieved in recent years and preventing further erosion of services. As the sessions approaches, our focus will be on tracking legislation that impacts the four core pillars of the 100% Kids Coverage Coalition:
Cover all kids
In 2024, we helped pass the legislation that established the State CHIP program, allowing more non-US citizen children to access public health insurance. Voices will closely monitor bills that could reverse these gains.
Continuous Coverage
Despite federal changes that make it more difficult for adults to maintain continuous Medicaid coverage, children in Utah should continue to receive 12 months continuous coverage following enrollment. While we do not expect this to change, we will continue to monitor this issue.
Connect Kids to Coverage
We will continue to advocate for policies that better support families in enrolling in health and maintaining health coverage by reducing procedural barriers and ensuring that families have access to resources that help them navigate Medicaid and CHIP.
Protect Parent Coverage
We expect this to be the area facing the greatest legislative and regulatory challenges in 2026. The significant changes made through H.R. 1, also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill”, pose a real threat to coverage for parents through provisions such as work requirements, increased eligibility checks, limits on retroactive coverage changes, and expanded cost sharing.
Other Issues to Watch
In addition to children’s physical health, Voices has recently embarked on a behavioral health continuum project that will span from antepartum screening and support to behavioral health resources for adolescents and teens. With that in mind, we will be on the lookout for proposals that support, or detract from, this project.
This blog will be updated as information becomes available. Last updated 2/6/26.
Weekly Updates
Week 1
In the first week of the Utah legislative session, we only saw a few of the children’s health related bills that we are following moved to committee, all of which were sponsored by Senator Plumb (D), District 9.
SB81, Dyslexia Testing Amendments, which allows for a licensed and qualified mental health therapist to administer a dyslexia assessment and subsequently requires a school district or charter school to take actions, including individualized intervention, if a qualifying dyslexia assessment shows that a student lacks reading competency, shows signs of dyslexia, or is lagging in acquiring a reading skill. This was sent for discussion in the Senate Education Committee to be discussed on January 26th.
SB127, Pediatric Care Amendments, requires hospital emergency departments to create policies directly addressing pediatric care and SB170, Vitamin K Amendments, requires that a healthcare provider and/or unlicensed direct entry midwives administer Vitamin K to a newborn infant within 24 hours after birth, as well as procedures to follow should a parent choose to opt out. Both of which were sent for discussion in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to be discussed on January 26th.
Week 2
In week 2 of the legislative session, several more children’s health-related bills were assigned to a committee. However, our primary focus has been closely following the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee, where a number of cuts were proposed that would directly impact Utah’s children and their families. On Friday, many of those items that we were most concerned about, including State CHIP and many supports for children and adults with disabilities, were removed from the recommended cut list. You can find the full updated list of recommendations here.
On Tuesday, H.B. 174, Sex Characteristic Change Treatment Amendments, was heard before the House Health and Human Services Committee, which would make permanent the moratorium on cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers treatments for minors that was passed in 2023. Despite significant presence and comment in opposition to this bill, it received favorable recommendation from the committee and moved on to a second reading. We are in opposition to this bill and the impacts that it will have on the physical and mental health for transgender youth.
Several other bills sponsored by Senator Plumb (D), District 9, including S.B. 81, Dyslexia Testing Amendments, S.B. 104, School Medication Amendments, S.B. 127, Pediatric Care Amendments, SB170, Vitamin K Amendments advanced from their respective committees with affirmative recommendations on January 27th, and are moving on to second readings in the Senate. You can read more about each of these in the Children’s Health Priorities below.
Lastly, HB152, Educational Vaccine Exemption Amendments was heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee late Friday afternoon. The bill’s title was updated from Public Education Immunization Requirement Repeal, which was part of Substitute 1, back to its original title. Only substitute 1 was heard in committee, but did not receive a favorable recommendation, in a 6-6 tie vote. We anticipate that the second substitution of the bill, which has already been published, may be reconsidered as the committee seemed more open to the compromise changes proposed in the new language as well as what was discussed in committee.
Week 3
Week 3 of the legislative session saw little change on the bills that we’ve been tracking, including S.B. 81, Dyslexia Testing Amendments, S.B. 104, School Medication Amendments, S.B. 127, Pediatric Care Amendments, SB170, Vitamin K Amendments, which are all still up for a second reading on the Senate Calendar. Similarly, H.B. 174, Sex Characteristic Change Treatment Amendment, is awaiting a first reading in the Senate.
A new bill, H.B. 471, Social Services Amendments, was released this week, and upon initial reading, causes concern for both immigrant families and children’s health due to the nature of the targeted and dangerous language used within it. While the intent of the bill appears to be a codification of H.R.1, the language goes further to include measures that make reporting work per work requirements more challenging, increase risk for more frequent, out of cycle, Medicaid redeterminations, and require that state departments report applicants who do not qualify for services due to their immigration status to ICE. While these provisions are mainly aimed at adults, we know that when we make it harder for parents to receive services, it is less likely that they will also seek out services for their children. Further, for mixed status households, departments sharing an undocumented parent’s information, even when seeking services for U.S. citizen children, can reduce the number of applicants due to fear.
Week three was also the last full week of Social Services Appropriations meetings before the final vote on Monday, February 9th. Those items that were discussed last week that were removed from the cut list stayed that way; however, a few items of concern remained, including cuts to graduate medical education for family practice residents and $23M in funds for population based mental health funding that is passed to the counties to provide mental health services, among others. We are maintaining our advocacy efforts with the Social Services Appropriations Committee, urging them to recommend against any cuts to social services. This is crucial for safeguarding Utah families as the Committee prepares its final recommendations for the Executive Appropriations Committee.
Week 4
Coming Soon
Children's Health Priorities
HB88: Public Assistance Amendments
Summary: This bill would require state public assistance programs that are currently exempt, such as vaccines, communicable disease testing, crisis counseling, support for victims of domestic violence, housing assistance, and food pantries, to verify lawful presence for all individuals 18 and older.
It additionally shortens the sunset of the State CHIP program that would strip the healthcare of more than 1,500 immigrant children across the state. Further, the second substitute adds a provision that removes government immunity for directors and agencies that violate this proposed policy as well as possible criminal charges for staff who knowingly fail to validate an applicant’s lawful status. It also adds a provision that allows private taxpayers to bring a right of action against the government agency or the executive director. It also adds a provision that allows private taxpayers to bring a right of action against the government agency or the executive director.
Opposition Statement: We oppose this bill because it does not make our community safer, stronger, or healthier. Instead, it goes against our Utah values and will make it so mixed-status immigrant families can no longer access currently exempt programs. Emergency and public health programs have remained exempt because they have been historically recognized as necessary, humane, and protective of the well-being of all children in our state.
By denying basic services like these, we are not only undermining the dignity and humanity of immigrant communities and sending a harmful message to children across our state about who belongs. Additionally, removing access to health coverage would mean that more than 1,600 State CHIP enrollees would be unable to access the timely care they need, including well-child visits, vaccinations, preventive care, and disease management services. We urge every legislator to oppose this harmful bill.
Position: Oppose
HB152: Educational Vaccine Exemption Amendments
Summary: This bill repeals a requirement to complete an online education module to access a vaccination exemption form. As this bill is in the process of being changed after being discussed and failing to move forward in the House Health and Human Services Committee on January 30th, we are cautiously monitoring for additional changes. However, Representative Lee (R), District 16, expressed willingness to engage in continued discussions on a compromise proposal.
Position: Oppose
HB174: Sex Characteristic Change Treatment Amendments
Summary: This bill prohibits health care providers from providing cross-sex hormones or puberty lockers to minors. It would make permanent the moratorium on these treatments that was passed in 2023, S.B. 16,Transgender Medical Treatments and Procedures Amendments.
Opposition Statement: We oppose this bill because it denies patients and physicians the opportunity to make collaborative care plans that fit the unique needs of each individual. Additionally, this legislation goes against the recommendations of major physician and mental health provider groups.
Position: Oppose
HB259: Parental Access to Children’s Medical Records Amendments
This bill requires a health care facility to ensure that a minor’s parents have access to the minor’s medical records unless certain circumstances, such as a court order, are met. The American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement discusses the nuances of adolescent care, in particular, and makes recommendations for physicians to encourage discussion between patients and their parents, and also notes that under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to break confidentiality.
Position: Neutral
SB127: Pediatric Care Amendments
The measure requires hospital emergency departments to establish pediatric care policies, designate a pediatric emergency care coordinator, complete pediatric readiness assessments, and report the results to the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. It also directs the Bureau to collect this data and adopt rules to improve pediatric emergency department safety.
Position: Support
SB170: Vitamin K Amendments
This bill requires that a healthcare provider and/or unlicensed direct entry midwives administer Vitamin K to a newborn infant within 24 hours after birth, as well as procedures to follow should a parent choose to opt out.
Position: Support
BILL TRACKING
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Learn more about other bills on our bill tracking page.
