In a little noticed last-minute move, Utah Republicans dealt a potentially devastating blow to government transparency. On the final night of the 2025 legislative session, they quietly dismantled Utah's open records law—eliminating language that for years has protected citizens' right to access information about their government.
Buried at the bottom of HB394 is a provision that repeals “intent language” that lawmakers included with Utah’s Government Access and Records Management Act, known as GRAMA. Intent language is sometimes added to legislation to give courts guidance on how to interpret laws.
The section currently on the chopping block contains statements that have long affirmed the public’s right to access information about how the government conducts its business, and that the government should favor public disclosure whenever possible. It also recognizes the public’s right to privacy in relation to personal data collected by government agencies.
If Gov. Spencer Cox signs the bill into law, these critical transparency guarantees will vanish entirely.
Sen. Daniel Thatcher warned that deleting this section from the law was too much of a change.
“I believe this is a very significant policy decision, and I’m not comfortable voting to strike that language recognizing the right of the public to know what we’re doing and for their data to be private,” Thatcher declared. “I think this is a serious policy call and I think we should reject this.”
The assault on the public's right to know didn’t stop there. SB277 would dismantle the seven-member State Records Committee — replacing the oversight body with a single attorney appointed by the governor who would have unilateral power to decide whether records can be released to the public. HB69 makes it more difficult for the public to recoup legal costs if they have to fight to access public records in court.
