The Libertas Institute is a libertarian think tank located in Lehi, Utah. The organization's stated mission is "clear a path for each Utahn to pursue a better life by removing obstacles that limit opportunity. The Institute focuses on five areas: free markets, personal freedom, justice and due process, education empowerment, and limited and open government.
First-In-The-Nation Policies
The organization has developed and secured passage of a number of policies that were first of their kind in the nation:
A comprehensive digital privacy law to protect data held by third parties from government intrusion.
A law that prohibits the government from requiring permits and licenses of minors operating lemonade stands and other small .
A “free range parenting” law preventing parents from being punished for providing their children with some basic
A food truck freedom law that prevents local governments from requiring duplicative inspections, licenses, and f
A law setting a cap on the amount of interest and late fees that can be imposed on a person’s fine, to prevent the perpetual increasing of debt obligations by low income people to the
Areas of Focus
Libertas Institute works on dozens of policy issues each year spanning a wide range of topics. On average, 82% of their proposals are successfully enacted into law. Some examples include: Free Market:
In 2017, the Utah Legislature passed the “food truck freedom” proposal to ensure that mobile food vendors could travel from one city to the next without having barriers stand in the way, including duplicative inspections, restrictions on where they can operate, etc.
In 2017, cities were prohibited from enforcing their restrictive ordinances on short-term rentals by using popular platforms such as Airbnb.
In 2017, Utah were no longer required to pay for licenses to operate a business out of their home, saving over a million dollars statewide.
In 2018, homemade food producers were allowed to begin directly selling their products to consumers without having to comply with burdensome food regulations designed for industrial producers.
In 2019, bowenwork practitioners were exempted from having to obtain an occupational license.
Personal Freedom:
In 2014, law enforcement was restricted as to when they could forcibly invade a person’s home when serving a warrant.
In 2017, civil asset forfeiture—the taking of one’s property without convicting that person of having committed a crime—was restricted.
In 2018, parents were no longer threatened with charges of abuse or neglect for allowing their children to play or roam independently.
In 2018, medical cannabis was legalized following a ballot initiative and Libertas Institute’s negotiations with the Legislature to preserve a broad program in law.
In 2019, the crimes for fornication, sodomy, and adultery were repealed.
In 2020, consenting adult polygamists were no longer criminalized as felons.
Justice and Due Process:
In 2014, police were restricted in using “stingray” devices to capture the location of and information about innocent .
In 2014, law enforcement’s use of drones was .
In 2016, the Legislature enacted substantial restrictions on the use of body cameras by .
In 2018, a warrant was required by statute to obtain a person’s blood for law enforcement purposes without their
In 2018, police quotas were banned in
In 2018, individuals who owed money to the state were allowed to perform compensatory service in lieu of paying
In 2019, medical providers were prohibited from performing pelvic examinations of sedated individuals without their explicit
Education Empowerment:
In 2014, homeschooling families were no longer required to teach information mandated by the
In 2018, transparency requirements were introduced for how police officers were being used in
Limited and Open Government:
In 2015, child welfare workers were prohibited from taking children over medical neglect issues until a second medical opinion was obtained by a parent who desired
In 2015, annual reporting requirements were imposed on law enforcement regarding their use of civil asset
In 2017, local governments facing a ballot proposition were required to actively disclose to residents the opportunity to submit arguments for or against the proposition for inclusion in the voter
In 2017, a law was repealed that required disclosure of donors by nonprofits following Libertas Institute’s successful lawsuit overturning the
In 2019, the ability of the government to be immune from lawsuits in cases of wrongdoing was
In 2019, the government implemented a program of automatic expungement for past offenses of qualifying individuals who had not committed any new
Other Programs & Initiatives
In addition to policy work, Libertas Institute is involved offers the following educational projects: The Tuttle Twins: a series of children’s books that teach young people the ideas of a free . Each book is based on a classic text, such as F.A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom or Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Children’s Entrepreneur Market: an annual series of markets operated by children selling various The Institute hosts over a dozen markets each year, with each market attracting over 200 young entrepreneurs and nearly one thousand customers. Free Market Rules: a weekly curriculum for families to learn about free market economics together in the . Content is delivered digitally and activities are provided for children of all ages.
