# Utah S.B. 72: Obscene Animal Abuse Material Amendments Utah S.B. 72, Obscene Animal Abuse Material Amendments, is a 2026 General Session Senate bill sponsored by Evan J. Vickers (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-23 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB72-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-14 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah S.B. 72 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Obscene Animal Abuse Material Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-05 - Last action: 2026-03-23, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Evan J. Vickers (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Animals, Abuse, Neglect, or Dependency, Crimes, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Pornography, Sexual Offenses, Fines - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 7 (149 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Victims gain claims against repeated distribution: benefit, medium. Distributing obscene animal abuse material now counts toward Utah’s racketeering law. A qualifying pattern needs at least three related, non-isolated episodes. The latest episode must occur within five years of the preceding episode. People injured by a covered pattern can seek double damages, cost… - Families gain claims for harmful content: benefit, medium. Beginning May 6, 2026, civil claims cover obscene animal abuse material or pornography viewed by a minor under 18. The material must directly cause physical, psychological, emotional, or medical harm, and the provider must not be exempt. Existing liability protections remain for a clear warning bef… - Communities gain local content regulation powers: benefit, low. Utah counties, cities, and other local governments can regulate obscene animal abuse material. Local rules can cover zoning, licenses, public nuisances, certain businesses, or display racks that hide material from view. This authority does not itself set a statewide household fee. - Limited protections for services and professionals: benefit, low. Listed internet, communications, video, hosting, and game-software services are exempt when distribution is only incidental to transmission, connections, storage, or caching. They must not intentionally help distribute the material; relevant internet and hosting exceptions also bar knowing payments… - Criminal penalties for animal abuse distributors: cost, low. The law criminalizes distributing, exhibiting, publishing, or promoting obscene animal abuse material, and preparing or possessing it for distribution. Adults age 18 or older face a third-degree felony, at least 30 days in jail, and minimum fines. The minimum fine is $1,000 plus $10 per article exh… - Utah restricts defined animal abuse material: cost, low. Utah’s restrictions cover material showing animal crushing or sexual conduct with an animal only when it meets three obscenity tests. Taken as a whole, it must appeal to unhealthy sexual interests, be clearly offensive, and lack serious value. Serious value includes literary, artistic, political, o… - School users face animal abuse restrictions: cost, low. The school-property offense now includes intentionally or knowingly creating, viewing, or accessing obscene animal abuse material. When the conduct does not amount to another listed offense, adults age 18 or older face a class A misdemeanor. People under 18 face a class B misdemeanor. School and la… - Warning penalties exclude coerced content sharers: mixed, medium. Beginning May 6, 2026, covered providers must give a clear, reasonable warning before distributing material or performances defined as obscene. Violations can bring up to $2,500 each in civil penalties, filing and attorney fees, and an injunction. The warning-enforcement section excludes people por… - Landlords gain rights but face penalties: mixed, medium. Owners and intermediate lessors face a class A misdemeanor for knowingly allowing covered distribution or exhibition on their property. This requires a prior chapter conviction there involving a tenant, occupant, or employee, with direct appeals exhausted or abandoned. A fine unpaid 30 days after j… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Evan J. Vickers (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Stephanie Gricius (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate/ concurs with House amendment | pass | 25 | 0 | | | 2026-03-05 | House | House/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-05 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 63 | 0 | | | 2026-02-25 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 10 | 0 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Senate/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 24 | 0 | | | 2026-02-20 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd reading | pass | 23 | 0 | | | 2026-02-04 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 4 | 0 | | ## Actions (39) - 2026-03-23: Governor Signed - 2026-03-13: Senate/ to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-12: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-03-10: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-03-10: Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling - 2026-03-06: Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-06: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ concurs with House amendment (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ placed on Concurrence Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-05: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-05: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-03-05: House/ substituted (House) - 2026-03-05: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-02-25: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-02-25: House/ committee report favorable (House) - 2026-02-25: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-23: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-02-23: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-02-23: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ passed 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ passed 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-06: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-02-06: Senate/ committee report favorable (Senate) - 2026-02-04: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-01-20: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (Senate) - 2026-01-20: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-01-13: Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research (Senate) - 2026-01-05: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-12: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0072.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-03-02: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0072S01.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-01-05: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0072.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0072.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0072S01.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0072.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [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-SB72-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).