- A last-minute ban on transgender female students participating on girls’ sports teams (HB11, 4th sub) passed the Senate and the House. The governor said he will veto the bill.
- ‘Sensitive materials’ bill (HB374) passed the Senate and goes to the governor.
- Juneteenth is officially recognized as a Utah holiday (HB238).
- The Senate rejected a bill (HB274) to develop age-appropriate health education curriculum addressing sexual violence behavior prevention education.
How will this year’s session impact you? Learn which bills passed, which didn’t, which are likely to come back and how this all affects you during a UEA Legislative Team session re-cap for UEA members on Thursday, March 17, at 4:30 p.m. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER (NOTE: If you already signed up for the UEA Capitol Insights weekly Zoom briefings, you do not need to re-register.)
Last-minute Fireworks on Transgender Sports Bill: HB11: Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Activities was the hot discussion of the evening. The original bill passed by the House earlier in the session created a commission to determine if a trans athlete could participate in a gender-designated interscholastic activity. A substitute bill, proposed by Sen. Dan McKay on the Senate floor at 8:30 p.m., would create a total ban on transgender female students participating on girls’ sports teams. The Senate passed the substituted bill on a vote of 16-13. The House then concurred with the change on a vote of 46-29 despite Gov. Spencer Cox indicting he would veto the bill. (See more at KSL.com.)
Senate Floor (reported by Mike Kelley): The following UEA-tracked bills passed the Senate and now go to the governor for signature or veto:
- HB374 (5th sub.) Sensitive Materials in Schools defines certain instructional materials as “sensitive materials” and prohibits those in a public school. It also requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, to provide guidance and training to public schools on identifying sensitive material. The UEA opposes this bill. It passed on a vote of 23-3.
- HB238 (1st sub.): State Holiday Modifications designates Juneteenth National Freedom Day each year as a holiday throughout the State. It passed unanimously.
- HB380: School Enrollment Amendments changes the enrollment window for students who are not within the school boundaries to begin two weeks earlier. The UEA supports this bill. It passed unanimously.
- HCR16: Concurrent Resolution Recognizing Student Athletes’ Right to Religious Freedom and Modesty passed unanimously.
- HB387 (4th sub.): Ballot Processing Amendments requires the posting of certain statistics relating to ballots and the schedule for processing ballots. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House concurred with Senate changes.
- SB134 (4th sub.): Special Education Amendments addresses the least restrictive environment and use of special education funding. The Senate unanimously concurred with House changes.
- HB302 (1st sub.): Educational Language Services Amendments creates new requirements for interpretation and translation services in schools and parent engagement. The UEA supports this bill. It passed unanimously.
One UEA-tracked bill failed in the Senate:
- HB274: Health Education Amendments requires the State Board to develop age-appropriate health education curriculum addressing sexual violence behavior prevention education which would be subject to parental consent as with other sex education material. The UEA supports this bill. It failed on a vote of 10-18.
House Floor (reported by Mike Kelley): The following UEA-tracked bills passed the House and now go to the governor for signature or veto:
- SB211: Income Tax Fund Amendments changes the name of the Education Fund to the Income Tax Fund. It passed on a vote of 56-16.
- SB245: School Turnaround Program Revisions revises the existing School Turnaround program. The UEA supports this bill. It passed unanimously.
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- See the 2022 UEA Legislative Tracking Sheet for the current bills tracked by UEA.
- View all legislative happenings at UEA Under the Dome.