The 2026 Utah Legislative Session is officially underway, and with it comes a critical window of opportunity to shape the policies that will define our state’s future. For those of us committed to Utah Rising, this isn’t just another session, it’s a chance to translate our shared vision into meaningful action.
When we launched Utah Rising in April 2024, we did so with a clear understanding: ensuring a prosperous future for all Utahns requires more than good intentions. It requires showing up. It requires collaboration between the private sector and public leaders. And it requires sustained engagement in the policy decisions that affect our workforce, our infrastructure, our communities, and our ability to grow responsibly.
Utah Rising is built around six strategic focus areas; those include workforce, transportation, business environment, housing, livability, and natural resources. And with the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games we have both a deadline and a generational opportunity. These aren’t abstract goals. They represent the essential building blocks of a thriving economy and the quality of life that makes Utah a place where people want to live, work, and raise families.
Utah Rising continues to be spearheaded by the Utah Chamber as a unified effort to strengthen our state’s economy and quality of life for all Utahns. But vision without action is just aspiration. That’s where advocacy comes in.
The Utah Chamber’s 2026 Public Policy Guide serves as our roadmap for the legislative session, outlining the priorities that matter most to Utah’s 80,000-plus employers and the employees, and communities they support. Throughout the guide, you’ll notice certain recommendations marked with the Utah Rising symbol. These are the policy priorities directly aligned with our statewide economic vision. And it is these areas where we believe focused investment and smart policy can make the greatest difference.
This session, Utah Rising policy recommendations span several critical areas.
In education and workforce, we’re advocating for investments in early literacy, first credential opportunities for high school students and stronger support for post-secondary completion. A skilled, prepared workforce is the foundation of everything we hope to achieve, and these priorities ensure we’re building that pipeline from the earliest years through to employment.
On housing affordability, one of Utah’s most pressing challenges, we’re calling for continued infrastructure investment to unlock new development, streamlined land use processes to bring homes to market faster, the creation of a statewide community land trust for permanently affordable housing and expanded opportunities for starter homeownership. Workers can’t contribute to our economy if they can’t afford to live here.
In transportation and infrastructure, we’re urging the Legislature to strengthen private sector partnership opportunities and continue investments in roads, bridges, transit and digital networks. These systems are the connective tissue of our economy, and their reliability directly impacts our competitiveness.
We’re also focused on energy and regulatory stability, mental and behavioral health priorities, workforce reentry programs for individuals experiencing homelessness and streamlined regulatory processes that allow businesses to focus on growth and innovation rather than compliance burdens.
Each of these priorities reflects a deliberate choice, not just about what’s good for business, but about what’s necessary to sustain Utah’s momentum and prepare for the opportunities ahead. The 2034 Winter Games will bring the world’s attention to Utah. The question is whether we’ll be ready to show them a state that has invested wisely in its people, its places and its future.
We invite you to review the full 2026 Public Policy Guide and see how these priorities connect to the work we’re doing together through Utah Rising. Stay engaged as the session unfolds. Follow the Chamber’s updates on priority legislation. And consider how your voice, and your business’s voice, can contribute to the policies that will shape Utah for the next decade and beyond.
This is what showing up looks like. This is Utah Rising in action.
Click here to view 2026 Public Policy Guide.