Legislative Bills

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HB0098 | Sexual Offense Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill creates the offense of sexual conduct without affirmative consent.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill creates a third degree felony offense of sexual conduct without affirmative consent; amends the Sex and Kidnap Offender Registry to include the offense of sex conduct without affirmative consent.

Bill Details
Year: 
2022
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 04, 2022
Sponsor
Representative
Democrat - District 26
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

This law would help victims of sexual assault by closing the gap of sexual conduct without affirmative consent. Currently defendants can escape criminal liability for engaging in sex where the victim is not consenting, through avoiding awareness of the victim's non-consent, such an an inebriated or sleeping victim, or when the victim "freezes" due to fear.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations promote and support the adoption and
enforcement of laws, at all levels of government, to end the recruitment, force or involvement
of a minor in conduct or violence of a sexually nature and all forms of sexual exploitation;
and be it further

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations encourage and call for members, policy
makers, schools and community organizations to actively raise awareness and to address
those conditions and situations that contribute to the sexual exploitation of a minor

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.

HB0099S01 | Enhanced Kindergarten Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill addresses requirements and funding for optional enhanced kindergarten.

Bill Details
Year: 
2020
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 28, 2020
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 74
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$10,000,000
This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2021: to the State Board of Education - Minimum School Program - Related to Basic School Programs, as an ongoing appropriation: from the Education Fund, $9,955,000; and to the State Board of Education - MSP Categorical Program Administration, as an ongoing appropriation: from the Education Fund, $45,000.
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

This bill addresses requirements and funding for optional enhanced kindergarten. Optional extended day kindergarten contributes to increased school readiness, leads to higher academic achievement, enhances social and emotional learning of a child and supports literacy and language development. 

Commission: 
Family Life
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA supports the expansion of optional full-day kindergarten programs for students in need of support to achieve minimal learning standards and requests increased funding to support such expansion.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

1.Support education legislation which maintains the constitutional guarantee that the Legislature shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a public education system, which shall be open to all children of the state; and that all revenue from a tax on income shall be used to support the system of public education and higher education.

2. Support education appropriations which fully fund enrollment growth and increase the WPU by 6%.

National PTA Public Policy Agenda

National PTA's 2019-2020 Public Policy Agenda

Early Learning and Childhood Education: The PTA has advocated for over a century to provide affordable, accessible and high-quality early education programs to all children, such as universal kindergarten. It is critical to PTA’s mission to empower all families with the tools and practices they need to effectively engage in their child’s education and development, starting at the earliest stages.

https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/federal-legislation/Public-Policy-Agen...

HB0099 | Sex Offender Restrictions Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill increases the penalty for repeat offenders of sex offender restrictions.

Highlighted Provisions: 

12 ▸ increases the penalty for repeat offenders of sex offender restrictions; and
13 ▸ makes technical changes.

Bill Details
Year: 
2023
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 14, 2023
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 54
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

Children should be safe in their community and should be protected from dangerous individuals. Children should be protected from sex offenders in public places where children congregate. If sex offenders ignore the restrictions placed upon them, then the penalties should be increased to encourage compliance.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations advocate for adequate laws to protect children in all areas of child abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and exploitation

Resolved, That state laws and local ordinances be monitored to assure adequate safety
regulations for the protection of children and youth;

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.

COMMITMENT: We are dedicated to children’s educational success, health, and well-being through strong family and community engagement, while remaining accountable to the principles upon which our association was founded.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

5. SAFETY. Support evidence-based community violence intervention and means reduction strategies.

 

HB0101S02 | Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements

Description
General Description: 

This bill addresses law enforcement reporting requirements.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill requires the Bureau of Criminal Identification to collect statistics on the source of firearms recovered from restricted persons

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 13, 2024
Sponsor
Representative
Democrat - District 23
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

No parent should have to fear for the safety of their child every time they leave home. Unfortunately, far too often, lives are lost or changed forever due to gun violence. This bill will collect statistics on the sources where restricted persons obtained recovered firearms, and will therefore inform policy makers and allow them to address these problems.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, The Utah PTA support collaboration among criminal justice, public health, medical, educational, and other organizations interested in this problem;

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.

To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

SAFETY: Support funding to strengthen school safety measures. This includes the improvement of school infrastructure to ensure safety and security, implementation of comprehensive safety training, adoption of evidence-based strategies for community violence intervention and means reduction, as well as the education of families and communities on school safety protocols, children's online security, and the assessment of digital threats posed to schools across Utah.

National PTA Public Policy Agenda

Enhance the physical safety of school buildings, address environmental health hazards and invest in disaster preparedness through emergency planning, infrastructure improvements and physical security measures without undermining the school environment or causing psychological harm through trainings, lock downs or responses to false threats of violence, also known as “swatting.”

HB0101 | Distracted Driver Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends provisions related to the use of a handheld wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle.

Bill Details
Year: 
2020
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 12, 2020
Sponsor
Representative
Democrat - District 37
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

The changes would increase the ability to enforce the law by not allowing any manual manipulation and thereby making Utah roads safer for all.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

National PTA Resolution on Distracted Driving
Resolved, That PTA and its constituent associations support the adoption and enforcement of laws that restrict the manipulation of handheld and portable communication devices while driving;

HB0101S01 | Food Sales Tax Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill reduces the tax imposed on amounts paid or charged for food and food ingredients.

Highlighted Provisions: 

  This bill reduces the tax imposed on amounts paid or charged for food and food
10     ingredients.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     removes the state tax imposed on amounts paid or charged for food and food
14     ingredients; and
15          ▸     makes technical and conforming changes.

Bill Details
Year: 
2023
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 03, 2023
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 30
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Oppose w/ Comment

Utah PTA does not support the combination of removing sales tax on food with removing the earmark on education funding.

Commission: 
Health

HB0102S01 | Higher Education Residency Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends higher education residency provisions.

Highlighted Provisions: 

requires an institution within the state system of higher education to grant residency status to an individual who is not a citizen of the United States but has been granted or has applied for certain immigration status.

Bill Details
Year: 
2023
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 13, 2023
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 44
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

Students preparing to enter higher education that are in Utah on a special visa, or have been granted refugee status or asylum, or can show that they are in the process of applying for said status and visa will be granted Utah residency tuition and benefits.

Commission: 
Community Engagement
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

That Utah PTA and its constituent associations support additional flexibility for refugee students throughout the enrollment and placement process, including, but not limited to, flexibility regarding age, guardianship, and identity documentation, to ensure schools have accurate information; additional time for obtaining final vaccinations if compliance is likely, as refugees learn to navigate Utah’s healthcare system; and additional flexibility in the acceptance and translation of prior educational experience into Utah credits, ensuring each student is placed in the appropriate grades and classes

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

Equity in the form of equal justice, privileges, opportunities, and responsibilities in every phase of life for all children and youth, while recognizing that each child is unique with individual needs and talents.

Equal opportunity for housing, education, health care, employment, and rights under the justice system

HB0103 | Utah Intergenerational Poverty Work and Self-sufficiency Tax Credit

Description
General Description: 

This bill enacts a state earned income tax credit.

Bill Details
Year: 
2019
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 14, 2019
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 49
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Pending

Utah PTA supports this bill as long as the provision of reimbursing the education fund from the general fund remains in the bill.

Impact on Children: 

A Tax credit will give families experiencing intergenerational poverty more money for necessities.

Commission: 
Community Engagement
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA supports the training of school administrators, teachers, and staff to recognize and understand the unique situation and needs of families living in intergenerational poverty.

HB0103 | Student Intervention Early Warning Program

Description
General Description: 

This bill converts the student intervention early warning pilot program into an ongoing program.

Highlighted Provisions: 

12 This bill:
13▸removes a repeal date for the student intervention early warning program;
14▸removes a two-year pilot program limitation on a contract for the program

Bill Details
Year: 
2022
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 23, 2022
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 59
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support

Utah PTA supports assessing students in ways that will identify underperforming groups and help improve their performance.

Impact on Children: 

This bill supports struggling students by identifying early school failure.

Commission: 
Education
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

"That Utah PTA support systems of accountability for public schools that take into account qualitative characteristics, including a welcoming environment, family engagement efforts, administrative leadership, and community collaboration; in addition to quantitative measurements, such as educator qualifications, student absenteeism, average student tested proficiency and student academic growth;"

HB0105 | Reductions to Income Tax

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends the income tax rates.

Highlighted Provisions: 

11 This bill:
12▸amends the corporate franchise and income tax rates (from 4.95% to 4.75%); and
13▸amends the individual income tax rate (from 4.95% to 4.75%).
This bill takes effect for a taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2023.

Fiscal Note of 320 Million

Bill Details
Year: 
2022
Status: 
House/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 04, 2022
Sponsor
Representative
Republican - District 62
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Oppose

2022 Income Tax Position Statement: Unless specifically targeted to low socio economic classes and military families, Utah PTA opposes broad income tax reductions as these directly affect funding for education.

Impact on Children: 

Utah is 50th state with per pupil spending. While we have stretched our budget in admirable ways, Utah PTA recommends that Utah be in the 3rd quartile of per pupil spending before considering tax cuts. Children are shortchanged when other states consistently outspend us per pupil. Utah has a difficult time recruiting and retaining teachers. Class sizes are higher than the national average. This impacts the quality of education we can give to our students.

Commission: 
Education
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions: 

Resolved, That Utah PTA continue to urge the legislature to make public education revenue allocations and funding effort a high priority; and be it further Resolved, That Utah PTA encourage the legislature to adequately fund critical educational needs, including but not limited to, class size reduction, teacher salaries, technology, textbooks and supplies; and be it further Resolved, That Utah PTA supports the maintenance of a stable funding mechanism to support public education based on the following principles: enrollment growth; inflation; support of a K-12 education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account; funding the USBE Strategic Plan, and; the Governor’s 10-year Education Roadmap; and be it further