All Roll Calls
Yes: 117 • No: 21
UtahS.B. 2982026 General SessionSenate
Programmable Money Amendments
Sponsored By: Keven J. Stratton (Republican)
Signed by Governor
BusinessCommerce and Trade
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Answers and damages for blocked payments
Beginning May 5, 2027, either party to a denied programmable-money transaction can request specific reasons within 90 days. The issuer must respond within 30 days by mail and, if the address is known, email, unless federal law bars disclosure. The response must explain the denial, include the agreed service terms, identify the terms relied on, and provide contact information. People harmed by unlawful payment requirements or forbidden denials can sue for court relief, actual damages, and punitive damages. Winning plaintiffs receive reasonable attorney fees; punitive damages equal the greater of three times actual damages or three times awarded attorney fees. Each unjustified denial or failed transaction is a separate offense. Courts can revoke Utah business authorization for intentional, knowing, or repeated violations.
More payment choices and fewer unfair denials
Beginning May 5, 2027, anyone requiring programmable money for a transaction must also accept or offer a free non-digital option. Issuers cannot deny, limit, or cause transactions to fail for forbidden reasons, including decisions made by code or artificial intelligence. Those reasons include political speech or beliefs, group ties, religion, sex, skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and medical history, including vaccination or treatment choices. The ban also covers residence or location, purchase or browsing history, business sector, lawful firearms activities, and fossil-fuel, timber, mining, or farming activities. Other forbidden reasons include support for enforcement against illegal immigration or trafficking, environmental or social-governance reporting or targets, employee social-justice or diversity-training policies, social-credit factors, and other lawful behavior. Issuers can still reject transactions that are crimes or payments for crimes.
New legal limits without banning crypto
Beginning May 5, 2027, Utah's commercial code excludes programmable money and central bank digital currency from its definition of money. Programmable money is also excluded from the code's deposit-account definition, changing how balances are classified under secured-lending rules. Programmable money includes currency with automatic conditions, transaction controls, user-specific limits, expiration, declining value beyond ordinary inflation, or social-credit uses. Electronic systems that only transfer ordinary, non-programmable legal tender are not programmable money. The law does not ban public or private parties from buying or selling cryptocurrency or other assets; other laws still apply.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Keven J. Stratton
Republican • Senate
Cosponsors
Jason B. Kyle
Republican • House
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 3/6/2026
House/ passed 3rd reading
Yes: 48 • No: 11
House vote • 3/3/2026
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Yes: 13 • No: 2
Senate vote • 2/27/2026
Senate/ passed 3rd reading
Yes: 25 • No: 1
Senate vote • 2/26/2026
Senate/ passed 2nd reading
Yes: 20 • No: 6
Senate vote • 2/26/2026
Senate/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/26/2026
Senate/ substituted
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/26/2026
Senate/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 2/19/2026
Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
Yes: 5 • No: 1
Senate vote • 2/19/2026
Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
Yes: 6 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Governor Signed
3/19/2026Senate/ to Governor
3/13/2026SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
3/13/2026SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
3/11/2026SenateEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
3/11/2026Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
3/10/2026Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
3/10/2026Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
3/6/2026SenateSenate/ received from House
3/6/2026SenateHouse/ to Senate
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ passed 3rd reading
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
3/6/2026HouseHouse/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar
3/5/2026HouseHouse/ 3rd Reading Calendar to Rules
3/3/2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
3/3/2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
3/3/2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
3/3/2026House/ to standing committee
3/2/2026HouseHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
3/2/2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
2/27/2026HouseSenate/ to House
2/27/2026SenateSenate/ passed 3rd reading
2/27/2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
2/27/2026SenateSenate/ passed 2nd reading
2/26/2026Senate
Bill Text
Enrolled
3/11/2026
Substitute #2
2/25/2026
Substitute #1
2/19/2026
Introduced
2/16/2026