2025 Legislative Recap

Utah’s 2025 Legislative Session ended on Friday, March 7th which means it is time for a debrief on where the chips landed after the frenetic 45 days at the Capitol.

First and foremost, THANK YOU to our members continued dedication to fighting for what’s right – access to YOUR waters. As many of you know, USAC’s primary target during the 2025 Session was H.B. 386. If passed, Rep. Chew’s bill would have had the practical effect of deeming all waters private property unless those waters had been adjudicated (i.e., judicially determined) as “navigable” waters. Additionally, H.B. 386 would have heightened the burden of proof to demonstrate navigability, among other restrictive revisions to the Public Waters Access Act of 2010. Luckily, our voices were heard and H.B. 386 never made it out of the House Rules Committee (HRC)! For those just getting the swing of the legislative process, the fact that H.B. 386 never made it out of the HRC meant that it was never released to a standing committee for review, and was essentially left to “die” in the HRC. Without a doubt, our collective efforts opposing H.B. 386 made a HUGE difference in killing this bill!

The second piece of legislation that USAC opposed was Sen. Brammer’s assault on an organization’s ability to bring a legal action on behalf of its members. USAC’s primary concern with S.B. 203 was that it clearly tailored to make it extremely difficult for an organization to pursue its members’ claim(s) in court – an example of which might be USAC filing a lawsuit on behalf of its members. This would have become extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, if the early drafts of S.B. 203 had passed. Fortunately, after numerous organizations, concerned citizens, and the like opposed this bill, it was eventually amended to clarify some of the most confusing and concerning language. Nevertheless, many groups, including USAC and the Utah Bar Association, still oppose it. We will see if Gov. Cox signs it into law.

Of the 982 bills introduced this Session, 582 were passed and are headed to Gov. Cox’s desk. Fortunately, and due to your efforts, H.B. 386 was not among them. Does that mean the threat posed by H.B. 386 is gone for good? Hardly. No doubt, over the “interim” the highly restrictive language of this bill will be modified and it will rear its ugly head again in the 2026 Session. We will be ready!

THANK YOU AGAIN for your ACTION, involvement, and continued support!

The Board of Directors

Utah Stream Access Coalition

info@utahstreamaccess.org

www.utahstreamaccess.org