Legislative Bills

This bill creates the Services for People with Disabilities Perpetual Trust Fund to pay for services for people on the waiting list for services with the Division of Services for People with Disabilities.

This bill:
▸ provides that an actor is guilty of a class A misdemeanor when the actor commits driving under the influence while also operating a vehicle in the opposite direction of traffic on a one-way highway with more than one lane of traffic; reduces the blood alcohol concentration allowed for an individual to plea down to impaired driving;
▸ provides mandatory minimum sentences for certain individuals with prior convictions for driving under the influence who violate ignition interlock requirements;
▸ clarifies that an ignition interlock restriction period begins on the date of installation of the ignition interlock system;
▸ clarifies that the prohibition on operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock system installed on the vehicle begins on the date of conviction, not the date of installation of the ignition interlock system;
▸ amends penalties for subsequent offenses related to refusal of a chemical test or negligent operation of a vehicle that results in injury;
▸ amends sentencing requirements for certain offenses of negligent operation of a vehicle that results in injury when there is evidence that the individual was also driving under the influence;
▸ amends sentencing requirements for an offense of negligent operation of a vehicle that results in death;
▸ amends provisions related to pretrial detention of an individual arrested for driving under the influence with another case pending or while on probation for a previous offense of driving under the influence;
▸ requires pretrial detention or electronic monitoring for an individual that is arrested for driving under the influence while already on probation for or while another case is pending for driving under the influence;

This bill amends the formula for necessarily existent small schools funding.

This bill amends provisions related to the Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship
Program.
This bill:
14 ▸ modifies defined terms;
15 ▸ expands the expenses for which a scholarship recipient may use a scholarship
16 award;
17 ▸ amends the formula for calculating a scholarship amount for an eligible student;
18 ▸ allows a scholarship granting organization to prorate a scholarship award under
19 certain circumstances;
20 ▸ increases the amount of donations a scholarship granting organization may carry
21 forward in a fiscal year;

directs local education agencies to include certain evidence-based strategies for
13 children as part of their efforts to reduce student absenteeism;
14 ▸ requires local education agencies to provide professional learning opportunities for
15 educators to have the tools to address student behavior;
16 ▸ enacts new duties for the State Board of Education with respect to addressing
17 chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention; and
18 ▸ amends the responsibilities of the Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services
19 to require the use of evidence-informed and research-informed interventions

This bill: ▸provides kitchen standards for a nonresidential child care center; ▸provides that the time employed as a preschool teacher in a child care program is equivalent to the time employed in a public school or accredited private school for purposes of relicensing; ▸authorizes the use of housing and transit reinvestment zone funds to include expansion of child care facilities within the zone

Allows behavioral health support personnel to utilize scholarships to become a school social worker, school psychologist or other school-based mental health worker.

changes certain penalties for violating a regulation regarding tobacco products,
15 electronic cigarette products, or nicotine products;
16 ▸ adds a hazardous waste disposal fee for electronic cigarette products; and
17 ▸ enacts new requirements and restrictions on the sale of tobacco products, electronic
18 cigarette products, and nicotine products.

This bill provides a code of conduct for staff members of the public school system; requires reporting of violations of the code of conduct; requires all staff members to receive training on the code of conduct; prohibits retaliation against a staff member that reports a violation of the code of conduct; and provides a process for a staff member to seek review of an adverse employment action that is taken in retaliation for compliance with the code of conduct.

 Proposes to make complementary changes to the Utah Code to modify the percentage of revenue from trust lands that is distributed from the Land Grant Management Fund. They removed the sentence under 53F-2-404 that limits distribution to 3%, and changed Section 53F-9-201under Trust distribution by removing 4% and increasing it to 5%.

This bill:

▸ amends offenses related to a restricted person in possession of a dangerous weapon to include ammunition;

▸ makes possession of a firearm on which the identifying marks have been altered or removed a crime;

▸ amends provisions requiring the Bureau of Criminal Identification to inform local law enforcement when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm from a firearm dealer;

▸ requires a firearm dealer to distribute a firearm safety brochure at the time of the transfer of a firearm;

▸ requires a firearm dealer to post a written notice of potential liability for the negligent storage of a firearm and provides a penalty for failure to post the notice;

This bill: ▸defines terms; ▸when a child in the custody of the Division of Child and Family Services (division) is placed with the child's relative, requires the division to offer a one-time payment to the relative to help support the child prior to the relative becoming a licensed or certified kinship caregiver; ▸requires the division to report information regarding payments provided to kinship caregivers to the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee;

If a student does not have a current asthma action plan on file with the school, a qualified adult may administer stock albuterol to the student if the qualified adult reasonably believes the child is experiencing an asthma emergency.

15 ▸ clarifies that a school may share certain information regarding an incident of
16 bullying, cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, or retaliation with a parent upon
17 request;
18 ▸ requires a school to provide regular communication updates to a parent regarding
19 the implementation of an action plan to address an incident of bullying,
20 cyber-bullying, hazing, abusive conduct, or retaliation;
21 ▸ requires an LEA to designate an individual for bullying incident response and
22 outlines the individual's duties;
23 ▸ requires civil rights law training for LEA employees

sets a limit for nicotine content for an electronic cigarette product that may be sold
in the State at 3%

This bill addresses the mission, governance, and operation of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). It clarifies the mission and role of USDB; addresses the educational and financial relationship between USDB and a student's local education agency (LEA) of record; and clarifies provisions regarding the role of the State Board of Education (state board) in relation to USDB.

This bill amends provisions related to the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program.

"▸ requires local education agencies (LEAs) to:
• add vulgarity to the definition of sensitive materials.
• engage in certain review processes when a parent communicates an allegation that an instructional material is prohibited by state law; and
• publicly vote on and explain a determination to reinstate or preserve student access to challenged instructional material;
▸ establishes the precedential effect of LEA and state board determinations;
▸ requires the State Board of Education (state board) to:
• review LEA determinations regarding certain sensitive material; and
• make rules, including to establish an age-appropriateness rating system for instructional materials;
▸ establishes a private right of action for judicial review of LEA and state board determinations regarding challenged instructional material;"