Legislative Bills

HB0208S02 | Teacher Licensure Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill addresses changes in teacher licensure requirements.

Highlighted Provisions:

HB 208 disallows any pedagogical performance assessment as a requirement for teacher licensure. It would require all competencies to be certified by a teacher leader prior to licensure. The teacher leader must have an assignment as a teacher. This would be an additional duty on top of regular teaching duties. A teacher leader has to evaluate competencies for all who gain their professional license, whether through university or APPEL program. It also requires USBE to collaborate with USHE to establish a strategy for an additional pathway to becoming a professionally licensed teacher.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0208S02

Year:

2024

Status:

Governor Signed

Last Action:

Mar 12, 2024

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Oppose

Utah PTA Resolution:

EDU 2019-1 | Best Practices in Education

Impact on Children:

Teachers without pedagogical competency are less prepared to manage a classroom, and studies show that they do not stay in the profession as long as those with pedagogical training. Having a teacher leader certify pedagogy puts an additional burden on the other teachers in the school. Also, there are concerns about the fiscal impact of paying stipends to the teacher leaders.

Commission:

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

Teacher quality is the single most important school-based factor in student achievement; teacher’s knowledge of subject matter and effective pedagogies for teaching specific content and skills, along with particular knowledge about their students’ backgrounds, interests, and learning styles are central to effective teaching and learning; and to build teacher capacity the focus should be on policy, training, pedagogy, infrastructure development, teacher welfare, and empowerment.

HB0209S02 | Amendments to Civil and Criminal Actions

Description

General Description:

This bill addresses civil and criminal actions.

Highlighted Provisions:

This bill clarifies the requirements for bringing a civil action for human trafficking;

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0209S02

Year:

2024

Status:

Governor Signed

Last Action:

Mar 18, 2024

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

Impact on Children:

Children are victims of both commercial and sexual abuse by traffickers. They often experience a wide range of trauma and adversities, resulting in sexual, physical, and emotional injuries and often lifelong health, educational, economic, legal, social, relational, sexual and spiritual impacts. This bill would allow victims of trafficking to recover damages inflicted upon them by traffickers.

Commission:

Safety

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

National PTA Child Trafficking

Resolved, That National PTA and its constituent organizations advocate for the protection of rights of victims and support efforts to provide measures for the physical, psychological, and social recovery of victims of child trafficking;

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.

HB0210 | Insurance Coverage for Children Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill enacts provisions relating to the Medicaid program and the Utah Children�s Health Insurance Program.

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0210

Year:

2020

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 12, 2020

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

Impact on Children:

1. This bill would direct the Dept of Health to adopt policies to keep eligible children from unnecessarily losing Medicaid and going without insurance
2. It removes paperwork barriers in Medicaid and CHIP. Currently, if a child is on Medicaid, they can lose their coverage if their parent takes on an extra few hours at work one month- HB 210 would prevent this from happening.
3.When children are uninsured, it impacts all aspects of their life, for example they may be less likely to participate in physical activity programs or sports because parents are worried about an injury.
4. Utah has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the nation.

Commission:

Health

National PTA Public Policy Agenda

National PTA Position Statement-Elements of Comprehensive Health Programs
-Early diagnosis and treatment of children’s vision problems is a necessary component to school readiness and academic learning;
-Integrated school and community health promotion efforts that acknowledge the shared responsibility for student health with the home, public and private health care systems, law enforcement and justice systems, government, environmental agencies, business, religious organizations, civic groups and the media.

National PTA Position Statement - National Health Reform and Access to Care for Children, Youth, Families, and Pregnant Women

-Universal Coverage. It is essential that health reform eliminate barriers to health care providing universal, affordable health coverage on a mandatory basis to all, regardless of income, age, geographic residence, health status, legal status or education. Pre-existing condition exclusions and waiting periods should be prohibited, and continuous portable coverage should be provided.

-Health Care Costs. The National PTA believes that agencies with responsibilities for educational, health or welfare services must have provisions for adequate funding and structure to meet effective legislative intent and to provide adequate funding for school and community services to children in areas under federal government control. Any health plan should provide adequate reimbursement levels to encourage the development of primary care practices and to ensure appropriate distribution of health resources to underserved areas, and not shift costs to families, particularly those of low income. Costs should be contained in all sectors of the health care system, and administrative procedures be simplified. The National PTA supports taxing tobacco and alcohol products as a means of raising revenues for health care, but would oppose taxing employees or organizations for health benefit premiums.

Links

National PTA Position Statement-Elements of Comprehensive Health Programs

National PTA Position Statement - National Health Reform and Access to Care for Children, Youth, Families, and Pregnant Women

HB0211S01 | School Fees Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill amends provisions related to elementary and secondary school fees.

Highlighted Provisions:

11 This bill:
12 ▸ amends definitions;
13 ▸ with certain exceptions, prohibits a local education agency (LEA) from charging an
14 elementary school student a fee;
15 ▸ with certain exceptions, prohibits an LEA from charging a secondary school student
16 a fee for a curricular activity or portions of a co-curricular activity;
17 ▸ authorizes an LEA to charge a secondary school student a fee for an extracurricular
18 activity;
19 ▸ amends provisions related to a fee waiver;
20 ▸ repeals provisions related to fees for textbooks;
21 ▸ prohibits charging a student in grade 6 a fee for a remediation program;
22 ▸ repeals outdated language

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0211S01

Year:

2022

Status:

House/ filed

Last Action:

Mar 04, 2022

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support w/ Comment

Utah PTA recognizes that this will shift the burden of fees away from families, however, we do not want this revenue stream to be considered as an "increase" in Education Funding as districts will not see "extra" money.

Impact on Children:

This will lift the financial burden on families.

Commission:

Education

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

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

HB0212 | Homeless Youth Protection Amendments

Description

General Description:

This bill modifies provisions related to shelter, care, and services for homeless youth.

Highlighted Provisions:

This bill:
▸ clarifies that a person who provides shelter, care, or services to certain homeless youth may refer the homeless youth to temporary or permanent housing

Bill Details

Bill Number:

HB0212

Year:

2021

Status:

Governor Signed

Last Action:

Mar 17, 2021

Fiscal Note

Fiscal Note Amount:

None

View Fiscal Note

Utah PTA Response

Utah PTA Position

Support

Utah PTA Resolution:

SAF 1976-1 | The Runaway Child (retired)

Impact on Children:

HB212 actually makes some very minor changes to the much more impactful legislation passed a couple years ago, HB371 “Consent to Services for Homeless Youth.”

That legislation was in response to and involved much input from youth as well as service stakeholders about basic needs for youth in homelessness. It accomplished three purposes:

The bill resulted in youth, ages 15, 16, 17 being able to escape the streets and check themselves into a licensed facility without having to provide a parent’s signature. When we discussed the concern about admission to an adult shelter, we learned that youth are referred to a youth facility, not admitted at an adult facility, where all were concerned about the population they would meet.
The bill also removed the restriction for those who harbor minors, ages 15, 16, and 17. We haven’t emphasized this in the news media because we all recognize the possible “invitation” to predators to take advantage of homeless youth. The reality is that there are many, many young people staying with friends, relatives, and neighbors who have been subject to litigation for providing shelter. Under the new law, the person providing harbor is required to notify authorities – police, Child Protective Services, DCFS, etc. – within 48 hours of the youth’s coming to their home. We realize this doesn’t guarantee everything we want, but we know it has allowed much more safety than before for kids as well as those providing a place in their homes. As a teacher, I have heard regularly about “couch-surfing” that was illegal before HB371.
A third provision in HB371 was that it allowed these minors to receive services and resources that normally would have required parent signatures. Again, the intent is not to provide or encourage run-aways, etc., but for the 2000+ kids in homelessness every day in Utah, we know more are safer and getting services than before.

This year’s bill HB212 makes a couple adjustments after discussions about improving elements of safety.
(Info from Rep Weight)

Commission:

Student Leadership

Utah PTA Public Policy Program

National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

Resolved, That the National Congress address itself to this problem by: 1. Encouraging intensive programs to promote the National Resolutions: strengthening family and home life and children's emotional health. 2. Promoting an active community awareness campaign with respect to citizen responsibility toward hitchhikers, harboring runaways, and the real needs of these young people. 3. Encouraging communities to provide shelter homes, resources and services for the runaway youth. 4. Directing increased attention to effective guidance counseling in the schools

Utah PTA Legislative Policy:

#1 - 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.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:

5. Support measures to promote safe and healthy environments and behaviors for children to prevent suicide, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking,

Legislative Bills

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