Jan 20 – 23, 2026

Higher Education-Related Events

During the opening day of the 2026 General Session, Senate President Stuart Adams welcomed higher education leaders to the Senate chamber and underscored the essential role higher education plays in Utah’s success. He highlighted some of the many ways Utah System of Higher Education institutions do this through cutting-edge research, academic excellence, and collaboration with industry, emphasizing, “Utah is leading the way because our higher education institutions are driving innovation and shaping the future. They don’t just educate; they ignite and spark the passion that enables these great breakthroughs.”

On Jan. 23, elected officials joined higher education leaders in signing a resolution reaffirming their shared commitment to higher education’s “core mission: to cultivate minds, foster discovery, build a civil society, and prepare students for meaningful lives and successful careers.” At the event, Governor Spencer Cox, House Speaker Mike Schultz, Senate President Stuart Adams, Board Chair Amanda Covington, Higher Education Commissioner Geoffrey Landward, Southern Utah University President Mindy Benson, and Dixie Technical College President Jordan Rushton gave remarks about higher education’s focus on helping students thrive, disseminating knowledge, fostering discovery, and contributing to the health of our economy and civil society. Other Board members, institutional presidents, elected officials, and community members joined this collaborative event, which emphasized the importance of accessible, affordable, and high-quality higher education.

Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee

The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee (HEAS) convened its first meeting of the 2026 General Session on Thursday, Jan. 22. The subcommittee heard presentations from the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education that covered:

• Select highlights of Board and Commissioner’s office actions and achievements in 2025, including strategic reinvestment, advancements in shared services, a rigorous tuition and fee setting process, the phase three pilot launch of Admit Utah in the Provo School District, the operationalization of the First Credential initiative in collaboration with the Utah State Board of Education, and more.
  
• The Board’s consensus budget processes and the System’s operating and capital budget requests for the 2026 Legislative General Session.
  
• A summary of USHE institutional progress toward performance funding goals.
  
• An update on HB 261 (2025) compliance reviews.

The subcommittee also heard presentations from the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst regarding the higher education base budget, an overview of potential enrollment growth and performance funding model revisions, and the LFA’s recommendations to the committee for reaching a 5% reduction target announced at the Dec. 2025 Executive Appropriations Committee meeting. The Commissioner’s office, like all institutions and state-funded entities, was also required to propose 5% expenditure reductions and presented corresponding scenarios for both the Board line item and the System as a whole.

Upcoming HEAS meetings

All meetings begin at 8 a.m.

• [Concluded] Monday, Jan. 26
  
• Wednesday, Jan. 28
  
• Friday, Jan. 30
  
• Tuesday, Feb. 3
  
• Thursday, Feb. 5
  
• Monday, Feb. 9
  
• Wednesday, Feb. 11

Legislation of Interest

HB 84 – Higher Education Dangerous Weapons Amendments (Rep. Walt Brooks): Allows for the carrying of a firearm on a public institution of higher education campus without a concealed carry permit. The first substitute (not yet adopted) would update the bill to establish that an individual 18-20 years old may open carry an unloaded firearm in any public location not prohibited by state or federal law, but would prohibit an individual 18-20 years from carrying a loaded firearm on a public higher education campus unless the individual has a valid concealed firearms permit. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 88 – Public Assistance Amendments (Rep. Trevor Lee): Amends provisions regarding exceptions to verification of lawful presence for the receipt of certain public assistance benefits. The first substitute, if adopted, would impact higher education by prohibiting agencies or political subdivisions of the state (including USHE institutions) from providing to an individual “who is without lawful presence in the United States” a public benefit that is funded by state or local funds, including tuition assistance and other services. The substitute would also strike language in statute that currently states institutions do not have to verify a student’s lawful presence in the US to exempt the student from paying the out-of-state portion of tuition under 53H-11-203. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 166 – Open Carry of a Firearm Amendments (Rep. Verona Mauga): Creates the offense of prohibited open carry of a firearm within 500 feet of large public gatherings as defined in the bill. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 180 – Dangerous Weapons on Campus Amendments (Rep. Andrew Stoddard): Establishes that individuals with a concealed carry permit may not openly carry a firearm on the grounds of a daycare, elementary or secondary school, or an institution of higher education campus unless the individual is lawfully responding to an active threat. The second substitute, if adopted, would only focus on daycares and elementary and secondary schools and would remove higher education from the purview of the bill. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 204 – Higher Education Student Belief Accommodation (Rep. Michael Petersen): For courses that an institution mandates for graduation or for an academic major, requires public institutions of higher education to reasonably accommodate a student’s objection to a required examination, assignment, or activity if the student requests an accommodation for reasons of the student’s religion or conscience. Requires the institution to establish a process by which a student or educator may submit a grievance with regard to the implementation of this bill. Requires the Board to ensure the protection of students’ sincerely held religious and conscience beliefs and provide guidelines for institutional policies and practices related to this section. This bill has been assigned to the House Education Standing Committee but has not yet been assigned a hearing date as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 219 – Higher Education Civics Amendments (Rep. Melissa Ballard, Sen. Lincoln Fillmore): Requires the Board to adopt policies requiring USHE institutions to incorporate certain seminal historical and civic-related primary source documents into general education writing courses, where the institution and course instructor determine incorporation is appropriate and advances the learning objectives of the course. Requires a Board policy to preserve the discretion of institutions and faculty to select documents and design assignments and maintain genre diversity in writing instruction. Requires the pilot program at the Utah State University Center for Civic Excellence to ensure general education writing courses in the pilot incorporate seminal documents and clarifies that other USHE institutions may voluntarily adopt this pilot program writing course structure starting in the 2026-27 academic year. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 297 – Higher Education and Private Equity Amendments (Rep. Jason Kyle): Prohibits higher education institutions from entering or changing major agreements with private capital firms without prior legislative approval through joint resolution. Requires institutions to, upon request, provide the state auditor with all accounts associated with the operation of the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program. Requires the Board to create administrative rules to implement and enforce the provisions of this bill. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 352 – Higher Education Alignment (Rep. Karen Peterson): Requires the Utah Board of Higher Education to organize USHE institutions into regions that include at least one degree-granting institution and one technical college to facilitate more seamless collaboration through horizontal and vertical integration. Enhanced collaborations would include examples such as ensuring programs are articulated and stackable, integrating admissions, enrollment, and student services between partner institutions, leveraging shared administrative services, and identifying ways to share select academic programs and research opportunities. Requires the Board to report to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee on the implementation of this section. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HB 353 – Higher Education Credit Transfer Amendments (Rep. Ryan Wilcox): Amends the Utah Board of Higher Education’s existing statutory obligations to establish clear pathways for transfer and articulation, avoid the unnecessary duplication of courses, and communicate to students opportunities to receive credit for prior learning. Emphasizes that the Board must also consider students transferring from non-USHE institutions when executing on these responsibilities. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

HR 5 – House Rules Resolution – House Standing Committees (Rep. Matt MacPherson): Replaces the House Education Standing Committee with the House Public Education Standing Committee and the House Higher Education Standing Committee. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

SB 1 – Higher Education Base Budget (Sen. Ann Millner, Rep. Karen Peterson): Supplements or reduces appropriations otherwise provided for the support and operation of state government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026 and appropriates funds for the support and operation state government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. This bill will be heard in the Senate on Jan. 28 and in the House on Jan. 29.

SB 77 – Dual Language Immersion Amendments (Sen. Daniel McCay): Provides a new definition of “qualified instructor” and requires a USHE institution that offers an upper-division course in the Utah Language Bridge Program to ensure a qualified instructor teaches or co-teaches the course. If a USHE institution cannot provide a qualified instructor for an LEA in its service region, it requires the LEA to partner with a different USHE institution to provide an upper-division Utah Language Bridge Program course. Requires a USHE institution that offers an upper-division course under the Utah Language Bridge Program to ensure the course counts toward the related foreign language degree the institution offers. This bill has been assigned to the Senate Education Standing Committee and will be heard in that committee’s 2 p.m. meeting on Jan. 26.

SB 95 – Public Speaking Amendments (Sen. Kathleen Riebe): Requires USHE institutions to conduct content-neutral risk assessments for public events with outside speakers and, based on a multi-level threat classification system outlined in the bill, take certain mandatory security measures corresponding to the assigned threat level. Requires coordination between USHE institutions and the Department of Public Safety. Requires an entity sponsoring the guest speaker’s appearance to obtain a specific level of general liability coverage. Mandates training, requires the designation of institutional coordinators, and requires reporting and oversight by the Board and the Legislature for certain provisions of the bill. This bill has been assigned to the Senate Education Standing Committee but has not yet been assigned a hearing date as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.

SB 107 – Education Legislation Advisory Commission Amendments (Sen. Keven Stratton): Creates an Education Legislation Advisory Commission to study education-related issues in the state and propose and provide feedback to legislators on proposed education-related legislation. Membership would include the Commissioner of Higher Education. This bill will be heard in the Senate Education Standing Committee during its 2 p.m. meeting on Monday, Jan. 26.

SB 118 – Mental Health Services in Higher Education (Sen. Jen Plumb): Codifies an existing ongoing appropriation from the 2022 Legislative General Session (was previously detailed only in intent language, not in State Code). Establishes that the institution may use the appropriation for mental health peer coaching programming or for other mental health resources at USHE institutions. Establishes specific requirements for peer coaching programming at USHE institutions. Requires the Board to administer and monitor the funds. This bill will be heard in the Senate Education Standing Committee during its 2 p.m. meeting on Monday, Jan. 26.

SB 152 – Public and Higher Education Collaboration (Sen. Michael McKell): Requires the Utah State Board of Education (K-12) and the Utah Board of Higher Education to establish and implement a process for disclosing grades 7-12 student data to UBHE and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education to support secondary student engagement in college and career readiness programs and facilitate easier access to higher education admissions and financial aid. Requires Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to inform parents of their right to opt out of sharing this information with higher education entities. Requires compliance with state and federal data laws and requires higher education employees with access to grades 7-12 student data to be trained on federal and state student data privacy laws, proper handling and protection of student data, data breach prevention and response procedures, and authorized uses and disclosure limitations for data received under this part. Requires UBHE to make administrative rules in coordination with USBE. This bill will be heard in the Senate Education Standing Committee during its 2 p.m. meeting on Monday, Jan. 26.

SJR 8 – Joint Resolution to Initiate a Law School at Utah Valley University (Sen. Brady Brammer): Directs Utah Valley University, in consultation with the Utah Board of Higher Education, to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for establishing a law school, with a specific focus on the institution’s Thanksgiving Point facilities. Requires that the feasibility study shall consider how a law school at UVU would complement existing legal education in Utah and serve populations not currently reached by traditional law school programs. Requires UVU to submit a written report of findings and recommendations to the Education Interim Committee and the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee no later than Nov. 30, 2026. This bill has been assigned to the Senate Education Standing Committee but has not yet been assigned a hearing date as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Jan. 26.