Lobbyists plan for long night on last day of Utah legislative session

SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers have until midnight Friday night to pass all of the legislation proposed during the 2026 Utah legislative session. Some lobbyists said they will stay on Utah’s Capitol Hill until the clock strikes 12 to track the bills they care the most about. 

Steve Burton was there, representing criminal defense attorneys, tracking a couple of dozen criminal justice bills that still needed a final vote as of Friday afternoon. 

“The last day is really unpredictable, and you never really know what’s going to happen,” he said. 

A long night on the last day

According to Burton, criminal justice bills account for about 26% of all proposed legislation this year. One of the bills that has already passed both houses dealt with shortening the process to pursue the death penalty in the state. Burton was hoping for changes to that bill that didn’t materialize. 

“As you know, it’s unconstitutional to execute someone who has an intellectual disability, so there were terms on how that would be decided (if) that were changed a little bit,” Burton said. 

Instead, the bill awaits Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature without the changes Burton and fellow defense attorneys wanted.

David Garbett, co-director of Stewardship Utah, also planned to stay at the Capitol until midnight on Friday. His organization lobbied in favor of three bills that address environmental concerns, such as reducing air pollution and making sure more water makes it to the Great Salt Lake. 

“(It’s) down to the wire,” he said. “We’ve got two that need to go through the Senate today, and one that needs to go through the House, so fingers crossed.” 

For some, Utah Legislative Session not the goal

Not everyone in the Capitol on the last day was there to lobby for or against legislation. KSL spotted people taking photographs for weddings, birthdays and graduations. Photographer Rylee Patterson didn’t know it was the last day of the session when she planned to take pictures on Friday. 

“I didn’t know,” Patterson said. “I called ahead of time and asked if we were allowed to take pictures today, and they said yes.” 

As to why she chose the Capitol building, Patterson said it makes a good backdrop. 

“It’s beautiful, it’s cold outside, there’s good lighting in here,” Patterson added. 

Patterson said even though it was an accident, being present on the last day of the session was pretty cool. 

Related: Utah lawmaker wants to criminalize encouraging suicide in sextortion schemes

Follow @KSLbbruce