On the evening of 20 May 2026, I learned that the “Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity” is no more—but only in the sense that they’ve reverted to their previous moniker of the “Governor’s Office of Economic Development.”
This change took effect on May 6, thanks to House Bill 475, which the Governor signed on March 24.
It’s worth noting, however, that there’s more to HB 475 than a simple rebranding. According to this new legislation, the Board of Economic Development* (the same board we’ve been talking about in this project) is now explicitly required to “maintain ethical and conflict of interest standards consistent with those imposed on a public officer under Title 67, Chapter 16, Utah Public Officers' and Employees' Ethics Act” (§ 63N-1a-402(j)). This little gem wasn’t even in the original 4 FEB draft of the bill, but was added on 11 FEB.
HB 475 also created the “Economic Development Council” (§§ 63N-1a-501–503), a new body chaired by the Governor that sits above the existing GOED Board to set statewide strategic economic development priorities. Its membership section (§ 63N-1a-501) establishes per diem rules and quorum rules, but, unlike the new provisions for the GOED Board, it contains no conflict-of-interest language whatsoever. The Council includes sitting legislators (Senate President, House Speaker), the Governor or designee, and representatives of major development authorities (Inland Port, Point of the Mountain, Military Installation Authority, Fairpark District). Leaving out any conflict-of-interest standard seems rather odd, considering the explicit language added for the benefit of the GOED Board in the same bill.
Fun fact: The UFA™ Code of Ethics & Conduct states, in part:
“1.6 Recognizing and avoiding conflicts of interest which may occur whenever one’s pursuits in a particular subject lead one to actions, activities, or relationships that undermine—or appear to undermine—one’s ability to make honest and impartial choices when performing one’s duties and harm the collective interests of a project or program.”
*As of publication, they're still updating the copy on their website.