SB 193

Enrolled Copy  S.B. 193
1State Legal Holiday Amendments
                                      2026 GENERAL SESSION
                                           STATE OF UTAH
                                 Chief Sponsor: Keven J. Stratton
                                     House Sponsor: Walt Brooks
2
3  LONG TITLE
4  General Description:
5      This bill addresses state legal holidays and holy days.
6  Highlighted Provisions:
7      This bill:
8      ▸ makes Good Friday a legal holiday in Utah;
9      ▸ for Good Friday, provides a half-day of paid time off to a state employee;
10      ▸ requires a school district, a charter school, and an institution of higher education to
11  prioritize, to the extent possible, scheduling school breaks to coincide with state holy
12  days;
13      ▸ requires a government entity to place a high priority on approving an employee's request
14  to take personal leave on a state holy day; and
15      ▸ makes technical changes.
16  Money Appropriated in this Bill:
17      None
18  Other Special Clauses:
19      None
20  Utah Code Sections Affected:
21  AMENDS:
22      63G-1-301, as repealed and reenacted by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 448
23      63G-1-1101, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 351
24  ENACTS:
25      53G-4-416, Utah Code Annotated 1953
26      53G-5-415, Utah Code Annotated 1953
27      53H-3-1304, Utah Code Annotated 1953
S.B. 193  Enrolled Copy
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29   Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
30Section 1. Section 53G-4-416 is enacted to read:
3153G-4-416 . School district prioritization of school breaks to coincide with state
32   holy days.
33      Starting with the 2027-28 school year, when setting the schedule for a school year, a
34   school district shall, to the extent possible, prioritize scheduling school breaks to coincide with
35   Good Friday and other state holy days described in Section 63G-1-1101.
36Section 2. Section 53G-5-415 is enacted to read:
3753G-5-415 . Charter school prioritization of school breaks to coincide with state
38   holy days.
39      Starting with the 2027-28 school year, when setting the schedule for a school year, a
40   charter school shall, to the extent possible, prioritize scheduling school breaks to coincide with
41   Good Friday and other state holy days described in Section 63G-1-1101.
42Section 3. Section 53H-3-1304 is enacted to read:
4353H-3-1304 . Institution of higher education prioritization of school breaks to
44   coincide with state holy days.
45      Starting with the 2027-28 school year, when setting the schedule for a school year, an
46   institution of higher education shall, to the extent possible, prioritize scheduling school breaks
47   to coincide with Good Friday and other state holy days described in Section 63G-1-1101.
48Section 4. Section 63G-1-301 is amended to read:
4963G-1-301 . Legal holidays -- Personal preference day -- Governor authorized to
50   declare additional legal holidays.
51   (1) The following days are legal holidays in Utah:
52(a) except as provided in Subsection (2)(a) or (b):
53(i) January 1, New Year's Day;
54(ii) July 4, Independence Day;
55(iii) July 24, Pioneer Day;
56(iv) November 11, Veterans Day;
57(v) December 25, Christmas; and
58(vi) a day designated by proclamation issued by the president of the United States or
59the governor as a day of fasting or thanksgiving;
60(b)[(i) the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring
61equinox, Easter Sunday;]
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Enrolled Copy  S.B. 193
62[(ii)] (i) the third Monday of January, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day;
63[(iii)] (ii) the third Monday of February, [Washington and Lincoln] Presidents' Day;
64(iii) subject to Subsection (6), the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, Good Friday;
65(iv) the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring
66equinox, Easter Sunday;
67[(iv)] (v) the last Monday of May, Memorial Day;
68[(v)] (vi) the first Monday of September, Labor Day;
69[(vi)] (vii) the second Monday of October, Columbus Day;
70[(vii)] (viii) the fourth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day; and
71[(viii)] (ix) except as provided in Subsection (2)(c) or (d), June 19, Juneteenth
72National Freedom Day; and
73      (c) except as provided in Subsection (3), every Sunday.
74  (2)(a) If a day described in Subsection (1)(a) falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is
75      the legal holiday.
76      (b) If a day described in Subsection (1)(a) falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is
77the legal holiday.
78      (c) If June 19 falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, the preceding
79Monday is the legal holiday.
80      (d) If June 19 falls on Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is the legal holiday.
81  (3) For purposes of Utah Constitution, Article VI, Section 16, Subsection (1), regarding the
82      exclusion of state holidays from the 45-day legislative general session, Sunday is not
83      considered a state holiday.
84  (4) Each employee may select one additional day, called Personal Preference Day, to be
85      scheduled in accordance with rules made, in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
86      Administrative Rulemaking Act, by the Division of Human Resource Management,
87      which the employee may use to observe a state holy day, as described in Section
88      63G-1-1101, or any other day the employee chooses to recognize.
89  (5)(a) If, in the governor's opinion, extraordinary conditions exist justifying the action,
90      the governor may:
91(i) declare, by proclamation, legal holidays in addition to those legal holidays
92described in Subsections (1) and (2); or
93(ii) limit the legal holidays described in Subsection (5)(a)(i) to certain classes of
94business and activities to be designated by the governor.
95      (b) Except as provided in Subsection (5)(c), a legal holiday described in Subsection
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 S.B. 193  Enrolled Copy
96(5)(a) may not extend for a longer period than 60 consecutive days.
97(c) The governor may, by proclamation:
98(i) renew a legal holiday described in Subsection (5)(a) for one or more periods not
99exceeding 30 days each as the governor determines necessary; or
100(ii) terminate a legal holiday described under Subsection (5)(a) or (b) earlier than the
101time period described in a preceding proclamation.
102   (6) A state employee who receives paid time off for a legal holiday will, for Good Friday,
103receive four hours of paid time off rather than the standard eight hours.
104Section 5. Section 63G-1-1101 is amended to read:
10563G-1-1101 . State holy days.
106   (1) As used in this section, "state holy day" means an annual day or other time period of
107special religious significance that the state officially recognizes and observes as a holy
108day under this section.
109   (2) A state holy day is not a legal holiday or state holiday, unless the state holy day is also
110designated as a legal holiday under Section 63G-1-301.
111   (3) The following are state holy days:
112(a) Holi, on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Phalguna;
113(b) Lunar New Year, from the lunar calendar's first new moon through the lunar
114calendar's first full moon;
115(c) Good Friday, on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday;
116(d) Easter Sunday, on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the
117spring equinox;
118(e) Eid al-Fitr, on the first day of the Islamic lunar month of Shawwal;
119(f) Passover, for eight days, starting on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew lunisolar month
120of Nisan;
121(g) Vesak Day, on the first full moon of the Hindu lunisolar month of Vaisakha;
122(h) Eid al-Adha, on the tenth day of the Islamic lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah;
123(i) Rosh Hashanah, on the first two days of the Hebrew lunisolar month of Tishrei;
124(j) Yom Kippur, on the tenth day of the Hebrew lunisolar month of Tishrei;
125(k) Diwali, on the fifteenth day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartik; and
126(l) Christmas, on December 25.
127   (4) A state government entity or local government entity shall place a high priority on
128approving an employee's request to take personal leave on a state holy day.
129Section 6. Effective Date.
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130  This bill takes effect on May 6, 2026.
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