House advances state-sovereignty bill restricting automatic adoption of international directives

The Utah House on Jan. 22 passed House Bill 85, described by sponsor Representative Shepherd as a measure to prevent state executives from automatically implementing international directives that the sponsor and supporters said could undermine local accountability.

Shepherd framed the bill as building on 2024's Senate Bill 57 and said HB85 "puts clear guardrails to protect Utahns" from international government organizations whose recommendations do not align with Utah experts. Shepherd said the measure would preserve electoral accountability when significant emergency decisions are made.

Opponents questioned whether a present problem exists. Representative Arthur said the bill "does nothing necessarily helpful" today and that he would vote no on principle if a bill had no substantive positive or negative effect. Representative Ivory and Representative Clancy defended the bill, saying it clarified state authority and reinforced accountability.

The House recorded the passage of HB85 by a tally of 55 yes and 11 no votes; the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.

What happens next: HB85 goes to the Senate, where its alignment with existing state and federal law, and how it defines the international organizations it addresses, will determine whether it becomes law.