Published by Paul Ivinskas
Sunday, October 25, 2026

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Public officials and candidates

R. Neil Walter

State representative, House District 74 · Republican

R. Neil Walter in an official Utah Legislature portrait.
Official portrait. Photo: Utah Legislature (photographer uncredited) · Copyright retained by rights holder · Utah Legislature official member portrait

Southern Utah

Office held

State representativeHouse District 74
County: Washington
Service listed by the Legislature: January 1, 2023
Source

On the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot

R. Neil Walter is a candidate for Utah House, District 74. The ballot lists R. Neil Walter, Republican. The district covers all or part of Washington County.

Everyone on the ballot for this seat

CandidateParty
R. Neil Walter (incumbent)Republican
Jeffrey N LipeDemocratic

Listed in ballot order. Source: Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Amended 2026 General Election Certification (PDF). 2026 election guide

Voting record

Utah House, 2026 sessions

The official record lists R. Neil Walter's vote on 838 roll calls in the 2026 sessions. The latest:

  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1686Voted: Yea
    6th Sub. HB 492: Transportation, Infrastructure, and Housing Amendments
    Conference Committee/Final Passage · Result: Passed, Yeas 66 Nays 5 N/V 4 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1684Voted: Yea
    1st Sub. SB 156: Constable Amendments
    Senate 3rd Reading, Final Passage · Result: Passed, Yeas 67 Nays 1 N/V 7 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1683Voted: Yea
    1st Sub. SB 47: Reauthorization of Administrative Rules
    Senate 3rd Reading, Final Passage · Result: Passed, Yeas 64 Nays 6 N/V 5 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1682Voted: Yea
    3rd Sub. HB 125: Department of Natural Resources Related Modifications Amendments
    Conference Committee/Final Passage · Result: Passed, Yeas 66 Nays 1 N/V 8 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1680Voted: Yea
    3rd Sub. HB 377: Real Estate Amendments
    Concurrence, Concurred/Final Passage · Result: Yeas 53 Nays 13 N/V 9 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1678Voted: Yea
    5th Sub. HB 119: Automotive Repair Business Amendments
    Concurrence, Concurred/Final Passage · Result: Yeas 68 Nays 1 N/V 6 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1676Voted: Yea
    3rd Sub. SB 181: School Discipline Amendments
    Senate 3rd Reading, Final Passage · Result: Passed, Yeas 56 Nays 13 N/V 6 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1673Voted: Yea
    3rd Sub. HB 591: Nuisance Amendments
    Concurrence, Concurred/Final Passage · Result: Yeas 47 Nays 14 N/V 14 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1671Voted: Yea
    4th Sub. HB 535: Disposition of Public Property Modifications
    Concurrence, Concurred/Final Passage · Result: Yeas 61 Nays 1 N/V 13 · Official record
  • March 6, 2026 · Vote 1669Voted: Yea
    2nd Sub. SB 165: Economic Mobility Initiative
    Senate 3rd Reading, Final Passage · Result: Passed, Yeas 63 Nays 4 N/V 8 · Official record

Votes are listed as the official record shows them, newest first. Source: Utah Legislature, floor vote records (le.utah.gov). Updated October 15, 2026.

All votes by R. Neil Walter

Finance, teaching and real estate

R. Neil Walter's official biography describes a real-estate executive and broker with finance study at Brigham Young University and Carnegie Mellon University. It identifies him as a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and records nine years teaching economics and finance as an adjunct at Dixie State University. His background therefore combines investment and business experience with teaching in southern Utah higher education. [1]

Western Washington County

Walter began House service in January 2023 and represents District 74, which his biography identifies with the western portion of Washington County. His standing assignments include Education and Political Subdivisions. Those responsibilities place school governance and the powers and operations of local governments in his legislative portfolio, alongside representation of a constituency in one of Utah's rapidly developing regions. [1]

Financial officers in public education

Walter sponsored 2026 HB524, Public Education Financial Officers. The introduced text proposed making school-district business administrators at-will employees reporting directly to superintendents, and specifying a reporting relationship for the state education system's deputy superintendent of operations. It is an example of legislation concerning financial governance and institutional authority within schools. The proposed reporting lines would connect business administrators directly to local superintendents and the state operations deputy directly to the state superintendent. [2]

In the 2026 General Session, R. Neil Walter was chief sponsor of H.B. 31, Local Education Agency Financial Reporting. It would have required common naming conventions on the Utah Public Finance Website and clarified what counts as public financial information for local education agencies. It was read on the House floor but pulled back to a committee that did not take it up, and it was filed on March 6, 2026. [3]

In the 2026 General Session, R. Neil Walter was chief sponsor of H.B. 73, Public Employee Retaliatory Action Amendments. It expands the definition of retaliatory action by an employer to include complaining about an employee to the body that licenses them, in violation of the whistleblower statute. The governor signed it on March 17, 2026. [4]

Higher-education budgets and oversight

His current roster lists Higher Education Appropriations, General Oversight and interim committees for Education and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment. That mix extends his work from schools and local governments into university spending, resource policy and agency scrutiny. His finance and teaching experience supplies professional context, while the official assignments identify where he participates in legislative budget and policy review. [1]

Profile sources

Profile refreshed October 20, 2026. Candidate statements describe the candidate's own experience or positions; official records and reporting are labeled separately.

  1. Utah Legislature — official member biography and assignments · Official record
  2. Utah Legislature — introduced 2026 HB0524 · Official record
  3. Utah Legislature, H.B. 31 Local Education Agency Financial Reporting · Official record
  4. Utah Legislature, H.B. 73 Public Employee Retaliatory Action Amendments · Official record

From the Legislature's roster

Profession
Real Estate
Committees

As listed by the Utah Legislature.

In the news

Sources

  1. Utah Legislature, legislator roster data (le.utah.gov)
  2. Utah House, R. Neil Walter
  3. Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Amended 2026 General Election Certification (PDF)

Office and ballot data as of October 15, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.

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