# Utah H.B. 188: Juvenile Justice Amendments Utah H.B. 188, Juvenile Justice Amendments, is a 2026 General Session House bill sponsored by Nicholeen P. Peck (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-17 (Governor Signed) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB188-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah H.B. 188 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Juvenile Justice Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-08 - Last action: 2026-03-17, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Nicholeen P. Peck (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Juveniles, Education, K-12 Education, Judicial Operations, Juvenile Justice, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Student Discipline - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 7 (121 yes, 19 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Effective youth programs gain payment incentives: benefit, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, juvenile program contracts link incentives to programs rated effective at reducing repeat offenses using a standard tool. A higher rate allocation applies when a minor receives the required evidence-based treatment amount and successfully finishes within three months. These p… - Court referrals for repeated school drug possession: cost, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, school administrators, their designees, or school resource officers must send qualifying drug-possession cases directly to court. This applies when a minor allegedly possessed drugs on school property after at least two earlier alleged school-property possession offenses. Whe… - Some youth lose court diversion options: cost, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, probation officers cannot offer nonjudicial adjustment—a diversion option—for listed misdemeanors committed at age 12 or older. These include specified drug distribution, possession with intent to distribute, and unlawful adolescent sexual activity offenses. When H.B. 301's r… - Parents get notice; school reporters gain protections: mixed, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, the law replaces earlier school reporting provisions covering confidentiality, immunity, and evidence. Principals receiving the required report must notify parents about alleged student offenses on school grounds during school or at school-sponsored activities. Principals mus… - School searches gain powers and safeguards: mixed, low. Beginning May 6, 2026, principals may investigate alleged drug offenses involving school property, students, or employees before notifying law enforcement. Searches on school property need a reasonable belief they will uncover evidence, must fit their purpose, and cannot be overly intrusive. State… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Nicholeen P. Peck (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Todd Weiler (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-05 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension | pass | 21 | 6 | | | 2026-02-27 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 3 | 1 | | | 2026-02-23 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 62 | 10 | | | 2026-02-17 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 7 | 2 | | | 2026-02-17 | House | House Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 8 | 0 | | | 2026-02-05 | House | House Comm - Held | pass | 9 | 0 | | | 2026-02-05 | House | House Comm - Substitute Recommendation | pass | 11 | 0 | | ## Actions (36) - 2026-03-17: Governor Signed - 2026-03-12: House/ to Governor (House) - 2026-03-12: House/ received enrolled bill from Printing (House) - 2026-03-11: House/ enrolled bill to Printing (House) - 2026-03-11: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-03-06: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-03-06: Bill Received from House for Enrolling - 2026-03-05: House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling (House) - 2026-03-05: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ Rules to 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-02: Senate/ committee report favorable (Senate) - 2026-02-27: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-25: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-02-23: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-02-23: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-23: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-18: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-02-18: House/ comm rpt/ substituted (House) - 2026-02-17: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-17: House Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-02-13: House Comm - Not Considered - 2026-02-05: House Comm - Held - 2026-02-05: House Comm - Substitute Recommendation - 2026-02-03: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-01-27: House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (House) - 2026-01-20: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-01-14: House/ received bill from Legislative Research (House) - 2026-01-08: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-11: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0188.pdf) - Substitute #3, 2026-02-17: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188S03.pdf) - Substitute #2, 2026-02-13: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188S02.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-02-05: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188S01.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-01-08: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/HB0188.pdf) - [Substitute #3 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188S03.pdf) - [Substitute #2 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188S02.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188S01.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/HB0188.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB220-2026GS) - [Utah bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah/bills) - [Utah state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB188-2026GS (as of 2026-10-19).