Clint Yingling
Forty-five days, in data.
Each winter Utah’s Legislature has 45 days to take up every bill. Here is when bills show up, which ones make it, and how much happens at the very end.
The earlier a bill shows up, the better its odds.
Out of every 10 bills introduced in each week of the session, this many passed.
All 2016–2026 sessions combined. Early bills include the budget and bills written before the session starts, which often have more support behind them, so timing isn’t the only reason they do better.
Each session, bill by bill
Every square is one bill, dropped in on the day it was introduced. Then the ones that passed turn blue.
Bills arrive in the first week. They pass in the last.
Each square is 5 bills. Above the line: when bills were introduced. Below it: when bills got their final vote.
More bills are ready on day one.
Each square is 10 bills introduced on the opening day. Bills that start early get more time for review, and as section 01 shows, better odds.
Bills rarely get voted down. They run out of time.
Out of every 100 bills introduced in 2026:
Most floor votes aren’t close.
Out of every 20 votes on the House and Senate floor:
About the data
- Sections 01 and 02: Utah Legislature bill records for the 2016–2026 General Sessions, compiled by Clint Yingling. “Passed” means it passed both chambers, including bills later vetoed.
- Sections 03–06: Adam Brown’s Utah Legislature statistics (adambrown.info, BYU Political Science). Section 06 averages the House (73% nearly unanimous, 16% party-line) and Senate (76%, 14%).
- Totals differ slightly between sources, and from trackers like LegiScan, because each counts a few edge cases differently.