Employment Amendments

101
34-58-101
34-58-102
34-58-103
0
Employment Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Lisa Shepherd
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill concerns an employee's voluntary cooperation with law enforcement.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
prohib
its an employer from taking certain actions based on an employee's decisions
regarding voluntary cooperation with a law enforcement officer in specific contexts; and
provides remedies for a violation of the prohibition.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
ENACTS:
34-58-101
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
34-58-102
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
34-58-103
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
34-58-101
is enacted to read:
58. Employment Rights Regarding Cooperation with Law Enforcement
34-58-101
. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1)
"Law enforcement agency" means the same as that term is defined in Section
53-1-102
.
(2)
"Law enforcement officer" means an individual:
(a)
who is an employee of a law enforcement agency; and
(b)
whose primary and principal duties consist of the prevention and detection of crime
and the enforcement of criminal or immigration statutes or ordinances of the federal
government, this state, or a political subdivision of this state.
Section 2. Section
34-58-102
is enacted to read:
34-58-102
. Employment rights regarding cooperation with law enforcement.
(1)
Except as provided in Subsection
(2)
, an employer may not:
(a)
request, require, or prohibit an employee or an applicant for employment from:
(i)
voluntarily cooperating with a law enforcement officer; or
(ii)
declining to voluntarily cooperate with a law enforcement officer, unless
required by law; or
(b)
take adverse action, fail to hire, or otherwise penalize an employee or an applicant
for employment for:
(i)
voluntarily cooperating with a law enforcement officer;
(ii)
declining to voluntarily cooperate with a law enforcement officer, unless required
by law; or
(iii)
indicating that the employee or applicant intends to:
(A)
voluntarily cooperate with a law enforcement officer if requested to do so by a
law enforcement officer; or
(B)
decline to voluntarily cooperate with a law enforcement officer if requested to
do so by a law enforcement officer, unless required by law.
(2)
Subsection
(1)
does not prevent an employer from requiring an employee to protect, or
agree to protect, a legal right held solely by the employer in the context of an employee's
voluntary interaction with a law enforcement officer in the course and scope of the
employee's employment.
Section 3. Section
34-58-103
is enacted to read:
34-58-103
. Civil action for violation of chapter.
(1)
An employee or an applicant for employment who is injured by an employer's violation
of Section
34-58-102
may bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction.
(2)
An action brought under Subsection
(1)
may request relief including monetary damages,
injunctive relief, and specific performance.
Section 4.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
May 6, 2026
.
2-17-26 12:28 PM