Legislative Bills

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SB0086S03 | Local Government Bonds Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill modifies provisions relating to local government bonds.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill will prohibit local governmental agencies (School Boards) from using lease revenue bonds unless they are building a prison.

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 20, 2024
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 17
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Oppose
Utah PTA Resolution: 
Impact on Children: 

Removing the Lease Revenue Bond seriously curtails the ability of a local school board to meet building needs. Especially needs that may be sudden or unanticipated.

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

Resolved, That Utah PTA and its constituent associations continue to urge the legislature to make public education revenue allocations and funding effort a high priority

SB0088S01 | Juvenile Justice Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends provisions related to juvenile justice.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill clarifies requirements regarding the collection of a DNA specimen from a minor adjudicated by the juvenile court; allows the Division of Juvenile Justice Services to manage accounts and finances for minors in the custody of the Division of Juvenile Justice Services; provides that a minor may not be placed in a correctional facility that is intended to hold adults accused or convicted of offenses as an alternative to detention; provides a time period in which an agency is required to send an affidavit to an individual who is the subject of an expungement order by the juvenile court;

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 14, 2024
Sponsor
Senator
Democrat - District 14
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

Every child should have the opportunity to reach their full potential—even if they make a mistake while growing up. Children should be safe from harm while in the juvenile justice system.

Commission: 
Safety
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

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

National PTA and Utah PTA Position Statements: 

National PTA Position Statement Child Safety and Protection

Prohibit the incarceration of youth in adult facilities.
Assist youth leaving the juvenile justice system, and prevent their return.

National PTA Public Policy Agenda

Prioritize restorative justice, positive school discipline and alternative dispute resolution techniques over the detention, exclusion or incarceration of youth, including providing training for school personnel on safe de-escalation techniques, trauma-informed care and positive behavioral interventions and supports, while intentionally eliminating any discipline practices that may historically or currently target youth of color and contribute to a school-to-prison pipeline.

SB0089 | Social Media Modifications

Description
General Description: 

This bill changes when the provisions of the Utah Social Media Regulation Act become effective.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill is an extension of time for the the Utah Social Media Regulation Act from March 1, 2024 to October 1, 2024. 

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Jan 19, 2024
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 19
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

This bill wants social media companies to be accountable for harms against children through their social media platforms. 

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

That Utah PTA and its constituent associations advocate for laws, policies, and technology development which protects children and youth from surveillance capitalism, persuasive technology, and algorithms which encourage addictive usage of social media, and be it further resolved that Utah PTA and its constituent associations support lawmakers in their efforts to create laws which call for appropriate social media policies that protect children and provide parents the ability to know what their child is engaged in, who they are engaging with and how much time they are engaging online, in order to empower parents to make the best decisions for their children and families

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

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.

SB0091 | School Accountability Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends provisions related to school overall ratings under the school accountability system.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill removes the requirement on the State Board of Education to use a letter grade when assigning a school overall rating and replaces the grade with a performance indicator.

Bill Details
Year: 
2021
Status: 
Senate/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 05, 2021
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 10
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support w/ Comment

Utah PTA advocates against the implementation of any accountability system that reduces the evaluation of a school to a single grade or score. Utah PTA supports 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.

Impact on Children: 

Perceptions of school quality are impacted by schools’ accountability ratings and have consequences for the economy of the schools’ community. Stakeholders recognize the inadequacy of a single letter grade for schools.

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

Resolved That Utah PTA advocates against the implementation of any accountability system that reduces the evaluation of a school to a single grade or score,

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

4. Support accountability for all public schools that take into account the needs of students, teachers, and communities including the suspension or elimination of rating schools with a single letter grade and the establishment of a new baseline for future accountability measures.

SB0092S01 | Student Communication Methods

Description
General Description: 

This bill requires local school boards to develop policies and procedures for students to have non-electronic notification of and access to certain activities and events.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill requires local school boards to develop policies and procedures to ensure that students have non-electronic notification of and access to certain activities and events.

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 20, 2024
Sponsor
Senator
Democrat - District 14
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Local Issue
Impact on Children: 

Decisions about how to communicate with parents should be worked out on a local level. Schools can provide a wide variety of options to meet the needs of parents and students.

Commission: 
Education
Utah PTA Public Policy Program
Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

General Principles for Consideration of Proposed Legislation: Maximum local control when it serves the best interest of all children and youth.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

EDUCATION. Support an adequately funded public school system by funding an 8% WPU increase over and above growth and inflation; implement policies to increase proficiency levels by improving attendance, reducing class sizes, and supporting teachers; increase academic excellence for all Utah students; and prioritize local control to LEAs and individual schools.

SB0093 | School Climate Data Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends the required components for establishing and reporting data from the school climate survey.

Highlighted Provisions: 

Requires the State Board of Education (state board) to: establish a school climate survey; make rules regarding survey logistics; and  report aggregated school-level survey results on the state board's parent portal;  describes who should receive a survey;

Bill Details
Year: 
2024
Status: 
Senate/ filed
Last Action: 
Mar 01, 2024
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 17
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support w/ Comment
Impact on Children: 

Understanding where our students are in regards to risk and protective factors informs the policies and actions of schools to help provide the education, prevention and necessary interventions.

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

Utah  PTA  and  its  constituent  associations  will  continue  to  support  methods  to  gather information  (such  as  the  SHARP  survey)  that  will  assist  in  monitoring,  anticipating  and predicting youth behaviors

SB0095S01 | Autism Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill amends provisions related to insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorder.

Bill Details
Year: 
2019
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 26, 2019
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 16
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Pending
Impact on Children: 

Will help our children diagnosed with Autism to receive needed help with insurance coverage.

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

Resolved, That Utah PTA support efforts to ensure appropriate and equitable coverage by private health plans and insurers for the diagnosis and medically necessary treatment of individuals with autism and other disorders causing developmental delays;

SB0099S01 | School Leadership Development Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill creates a grant program to provide awards for mentorship and training activities for new and aspiring principals.

Bill Details
Year: 
2020
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 30, 2020
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 5
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$5,000,000
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, $4,800,000; and to the State Board of Education - State Administrative Office - General System Support, as an ongoing appropriation: from the Education Fund, $200,000.
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Pending

PTA supports the concept of improving school leadership as a best practice of education; nevertheless, our first priority is funding a 6% growth in the WPU.

Impact on Children: 

1.  Leadership is second only to teaching among school-related influences on student success; and principals make important contributions to school culture and climate, have detectable and substantial impacts on student achievement, and have a powerful impact on the teachers in their buildings by setting smart professional development agendas, selecting and supporting accomplished teachers to take on leadership roles, working one-on-one as mentors for teachers who need guidance and support, shaping a vision of academic success for all students, creating a climate hospitable to education, and managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement

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

Utah PTA Resolution EDU 2019-1 Best Practices in Education - That Utah PTA and its constituent associations encourage the State Legislature to prioritize education funding in the areas of teacher capacity, school leadership, family and student engagement, student-centered learning climate, and instruction and curriculum alignment.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

Utah PTA Legislative Priority #7. Support legislation, funding, and community partnerships that provide programs and resources to strengthen families and children’s social and emotional well being through affordable housing, homelessness initiatives, education, and parenting skills, and juvenile justice reforms.

SB0099S03 | Child Welfare Amendments

Description
General Description: 

This bill addresses provisions related to child welfare.

Highlighted Provisions: 

This bill:
12          ▸     modifies definitions and defines terms;
13          ▸     repeals a requirement that the Child Welfare Training Coordinator be appointed by
14     the director of the Division of Child and Family Services;
15          ▸     modifies the training requirements for caseworkers of the Division of Child and
16     Family Services;
17          ▸     clarifies that the Division of Child and Family Services may share a record related
18     to an investigation of a report of child abuse or neglect with certain persons;
19          ▸     modifies provisions that require the Division of Child and Family Services to
20     remove certain information from a record related to a report or an investigation of
21     child abuse or neglect before disclosing the record to the subject of the report or a
22     parent or guardian;
23          ▸     allows certain information and records contained in the Management Information
24     System developed by the Division of Child and Family Services to be classified as
25     private or controlled under the Government Records Access and Management Act;
26          ▸     allows the Division of Child and Family Services to share a record related to a
27     report or an investigation of child abuse or neglect with the Division of Substance
28     Abuse and Mental Health, the Department of Health, or a local substance abuse authority for
29     the purpose of providing substance abuse treatment to a parent of a newborn child;
30          ▸     directs the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to coordinate with the
31     Department of Health and other health care providers to develop a program to
32     reduce substance abuse by parents of a newborn child;
33          ▸     requires the Department of Human Services to perform a review of a child who has
34     suffered a near fatality and is the subject of an open case for child welfare services
35     within one year of the near fatality;
36          ▸     modifies the fatality review process of the Department of Human Services to allow
37     review of near fatalities of children;
38          ▸     modifies the requirements giving notice of a summons for a parent or guardian of a
39     juvenile proceeding;
40          ▸     amends the requirements for returning a child to the custody of a parent or guardian
41     in a shelter hearing;
42          ▸     clarifies that an adjudication for abuse, neglect, or dependency of a child, or
43     termination or restoration of parental rights may not be expunged;
44          ▸     modifies the type of records that a court may order sealed in a juvenile
45     expungement proceeding;

Bill Details
Year: 
2021
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Mar 16, 2021
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 6
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Impact on Children: 

This bill updates information and language to better protect children in aspects of child welfare. All stakeholders came together for the clean up, technical changes, and clarifications. The training coord. requirement codifies the position to merit based vs at will.

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

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

Utah PTA Legislative Policy: 

High standards for those who work in all areas concerned with children and youth

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities: 

Support legislation, funding, and community partnerships that provide programs and resources to strengthen families and children’s social and emotional learning and well-being including, but not limited to: positive behavior programs and classes including art, music, physical education, civic engagement, and character development; early childhood education, parenting skills, and juvenile justice reforms.

SB0100S02 | School Gender Identity Policies

Description
General Description: 

This bill enacts provisions ensuring a parent's access to information related to a parent's child, including gender identity.

Highlighted Provisions: 

Parents have access to children's school records

Bill Details
Year: 
2023
Status: 
Governor Signed
Last Action: 
Feb 16, 2023
Sponsor
Senator
Republican - District 8
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Note Amount: 
$0
None
Utah PTA Response
Utah PTA Position
Support
Utah PTA Resolution: 
Impact on Children: 

Children are most likely to succeed in life if their family is involved in their care.

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

That Utah PTA recognizes the importance of parental roles and encourages parental involvement in all aspects of their children’s lives;