Feb 2 – 6, 2026

Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee

On Feb. 3, the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee (HEAS) heard presentations on institutional updates, performance, and 2026 General Session budget requests from Bridgerland Technical College, Ogden-Weber Technical College, and Mountainland Technical College. During the meeting, the Utah System of Higher Education’s Talent Ready Utah (TRU) presented an overview of its background; methodologies for identifying workforce priorities; initiatives supporting K-12 and higher education students and the incumbent workforce; and TRU’s state, national, and global partnerships. TRU also outlined its 2026 General Session request for appropriation from the Utah Board of Higher Education’s consensus budget, seeking $3 million ongoing for the Targeted Workforce Accelerator initiative to support growth and career readiness in the strategic sectors of energy, artificial intelligence, and deep technology. 

On Feb. 5, HEAS met on the University of Utah campus to hear presentations from the University of Utah and Utah State University regarding institutional updates, performance, research endeavors, and 2026 General Session budget requests. Subcommittee members also engaged with researchers from both institutions through a research poster exhibit. 

HEAS considered the following legislator-initiated requests for appropriations in Week 3:

• Tanner’s Program for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost)
• University of Utah Center for Medical Cannabis Research (Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost)
• American Legion Boys and Girls State at Weber State University (Rep. Jill Koford)
• Teaching Academy Paraprofessional Model Trial (Rep. Jason Thompson)
• Higher Education Research Funding Pilot Program (Sen. Ann Millner) 

Upcoming HEAS meetings:

All meetings begin at 8 a.m.

• Wednesday, Feb. 11

Upcoming Transportation and Infrastructure Approporiations Subcommittee meetings:

All meetings begin at 8 a.m.

• Tuesday, Feb. 10

Legislation of Interest

(PASSED) 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 of state government for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. This bill was signed by the Governor.

(PASSED) SB 6 – Transportation and Infrastructure Base Budget (Sen. Don Ipson, Rep. Doug Welton): Addresses the higher education and technical capital projects fund. Provides intent language for the Coliseum Restoration Project at Southern Utah University. This bill was signed by the Governor. 

HB 84, 2^nd Substitute – Higher Education Dangerous Weapons Amendments (Rep. Walt Brooks): Amends the offense of carrying a dangerous weapon at an institution of higher education by excluding from the offense individuals 21 years or older who may lawfully conceal a firearm without a concealed carry permit in other locations. This bill received a favorable recommendation from the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee on  Feb. 6. 

HB 88, 2^nd Substitute – Public Assistance Amendments (Rep. Trevor Lee): Amends provisions regarding exceptions to verification of lawful presence for the receipt of certain public assistance benefits. Prohibits 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. Strikes language in statute that currently states institutions do not have to verify a student’s lawful presence in the U.S. to exempt the student from paying the out-of-state portion of tuition under Utah Code 53H-11-203. Provides an exception to governmental immunity, allows a private right of action for an individual who is injured by a violation of this bill, and provides for criminal or civil penalties if a government or agency employee knowingly fails to comply with certain provisions of this bill. Requires agencies and departments under the bill to conduct quarterly audits of compliance with this section and provides that the Office of the Legislative Auditor General may conduct a biennial audit of each state agency or department to verify compliance with this section. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Feb. 9. 

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 Feb. 9. 

HB 204, 1^st Substitute – Higher Education Student Belief Accommodation (Rep. Michael Petersen, Sen. Brady Brammer): 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 and if providing the accommodation would not create a fundamental alteration of the course. Requires the institution to establish policies and articulate provisions that institutional policies must address. Requires an institution to establish a process by which an instructor must inform the institution of the instructor’s decision to deny a request for accommodation under this section and requires the institution to designate one or more neutral arbiters to review denials. Prohibits an instructor from compelling a student to publicly take or communicate a specified position on a matter of public concern as the student’s own. 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. Requires institutions to annually report to the Board on accommodation details under this section, including subsequent neutral arbiter reviews and decisions, and requires the Board to report certain information to the legislature upon request. This bill received a favorable recommendation from the House Education Standing Committee on Feb. 4 and is on the House third reading calendar as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Feb. 9. 

HB 219, 1^st Substitute – Higher Education Civics Amendments (Rep. Melissa Ballard, Sen. Lincoln Fillmore): Requires the Utah Board of Higher Education 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. This bill will be heard in the House Education Standing Committee in its 3:40 pm meeting on Feb. 9. 

HB 279, 2^nd  Substitute – Higher Education Code Amendments (Rep. Val Peterson, Sen. Ann Millner): Includes private postsecondary educational institutions in certain sections of code that apply to public institutions of higher education and modifies provisions related to institutions of higher education participating in public procurement bidding. This bill passed in the House and has been sent to the Senate as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

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 morning of Feb. 9.

HB 352 – Higher Education Alignment (Rep. Karen Peterson, Sen. Evan Vickers): 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 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 received a favorable recommendation from the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee on Jan. 30 and, as of the morning of Feb. 9, is on the House third reading calendar. 

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, reduce unnecessary course duplication, and improve communication to students regarding 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 received a favorable recommendation from the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee on Feb. 4 and is on the House Consent Calendar as of the publishing of this newsletter on the morning of Feb. 9.

HB 373, 1^st Substitute – Higher Education Innovation (Rep. Karen Peterson): Amends provisions regarding the Nucleus Institute. Allows the Commissioner of Higher Education to undertake the Board’s responsibility of annually determining First Credential, Opportunity, and Karen Mayne Public Safety Officer Scholarship amounts. Creates a pilot grant program for higher education research funding and requires the Board to administer and approve funding grants, potentially through the Nucleus Institute, Talent Ready Utah, or ad hoc committees. Requires the Board to report to the legislature on the research funding grant program. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

HB 508 – State Facilities Modifications (Rep. Walt Brooks): Establishes the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee as the subcommittee to hear and prioritize requests for state funding of capital facility projects within USHE. Addresses specific components a USHE institution must include in its proposal for a capital facility project funding request. Requires compliance with the dedicated and non-dedicated project approval process for higher education capital facility projects. Clarifies the process for requesting capital development appropriations by distinguishing between architectural programming and design-and-construction phases. Authorizes an agency to request funding for architectural programming without requiring the submission of a feasibility study. Requires an agency to complete architectural programming before requesting an appropriation for the design and construction of a capital development project. Increases the maximin project cost threshold (from $100,000 to $1,500,000) under which a state entity may directly supervise the design and construction of a state facility. Requires a state entity that elects to do so to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Division of Facilities and Construction Management that addresses compliance with division standards. See the bill for additional provisions and requirements. This bill is in the House Rules Committee as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

SB 77, 1^st Substitute – 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. This bill also requires a USHE institution that offers an upper-division course under the Utah Language Bridge Program to ensure the course counts toward the institution’s related foreign language degree. This bill received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Standing Committee on Jan. 27 and is on the Senate second reading calendar as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

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 morning of Feb. 9. 

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 is in the Senate Rules Committee as of the morning of Feb. 9.

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 was assigned to the Senate Education Standing Committee but has not yet been heard by the committee as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

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 received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Standing Committee on Jan. 26 and is on the Senate second reading calendar as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

SB 195 – Workforce Development (Sen. Ann Millner, Rep. Karen Peterson): Authorizes the Governor to delegate to the Board the authority to approve eligible USHE programs to submit to the Secretary of Education for consideration regarding participation in the federal Workforce Pell Grant program. Authorizes the Department of Workforce Services to provide wage record data to the Board. Authorizes the Utah Data Research Center to maintain a program to support data collection, analysis, and exchange with participating state agencies. Establishes the Statewide Youth Apprenticeship Governance Council to coordinate youth apprenticeship programs across the state agencies and education providers. This bill received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee on Jan. 28 and is on the Senate second reading calendar as of the publishing of this newsletter on Feb. 9. 

SB 207 – Protection from Unfair Treatment Based on Religious or Other Irrelevant Characteristics (Sen. Brady Brammer, Rep. Jordan Teuscher): Requires a USHE institution to reasonably accommodate an individual’s beliefs, faith, or conscience in relation to the institution’s admissions process, a student’s attendance in class, the scheduling of an exam or academic requirement, and participation in specific academic requirements. This bill was assigned to the Senate Education Committee but was not considered during the committee’s Jan. 29 meeting. 

SB 216 – Higher Education Performance and Enrollment Funding (Sen. Ann Millner, Rep. Karen Peterson): Establishes a process and formula for determining certain enrollment-based funding for USHE institutions. Establishes new performance metrics and goals for performance-based funding specific to institutional roles and missions. This bill received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 3 and is on the Senate second reading calendar as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

SB 240, 1^st Substitute – Higher Education Institutional Governance (Sen. Chris Wilson, Rep. Karen Peterson): Consolidates and reorganizes general duties of boards of trustees for institutions of higher education. Clarifies the relationship between trustees and institutional president, including requirements that the president consult with the board of trustees in executing authority to control and manage the budget and finances of the institution, and that the board of trustees perform an annual performance review of the president in consultation with the Utah Board of Higher Education. Defines the authority of the board of trustees over institutional internal audits. This bill amends the membership of a technical college board of trustees for a service region that contains four or more school districts. Enacts provisions regarding the duties of an institution’s legal counsel, including requiring the Board of Higher Education to make rules regarding the scope of the role of an institution’s legal counsel. Prohibits the president from hiring outside counsel for the purpose of prosecuting or defending litigation and requires that, if outside counsel is hired, the attorney general shall approve the costs and services before the outside counsel incurs the cost. This bill also requires reporting of certain institutional compensation information, including information that demonstrates an institution is meeting the Board’s faculty teaching and instructional workload metrics. See the bill language for additional provisions and requirements. This bill received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 6. 

SB 260 – Dangerous Weapons at Institutions of Higher Education (Sen. Nate Blouin): Authorizes an institution of higher education to make rules and regulations regarding the carrying or possession of firearms at the higher education institution. Expands the offense of carrying a dangerous weapon at an institution to include carrying, possessing, or storing a dangerous weapon in a dormitory located on higher education grounds. This bill is in the Senate Rules Committee as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

SB 268 – Religious Curriculum in Schools (Sen. Todd Weiler): Adds to existing statutory language requiring that a student shall demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States before receiving a bachelor’s degree or teaching credential by additionally requiring that the student demonstrate a reasonable understanding of “the role of religion in United States history and the primacy of religious liberty to American constitutional government.” This bill is in the Senate Rules Committee as of the morning of Feb. 9. 

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 received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Standing Committee on Jan. 30 and is on the Senate second reading calendar as of the morning of Feb 9.