CHECKING IN AT THE LEGISLATURE
August 2026 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Summer has come to a close, and school is back in session. As families settle into a new school year, it’s a good time to refocus on what matters most: supporting families and giving every child the opportunity to succeed. Utah has been hard at work delivering wins for families, I want to tell you all about it.

Warm regards,
Melissa 

QUICK LINKS

• Utah's Education Policy is Strengthening Classrooms Everywhere
• Public Education Funding Cheat Sheet
• Budget of the State of Utah (BOTSU) Cheat Sheet
• What the Landmark Meta Ruling Means for your Children
• Interim Legislative Study Items and Achievements
• UVU Names New President
• Request My Campaign Sign
• November Election Dates

Record Investment in Education

Over the past five years, we’ve increased state funding for public education by $1.8 billion, or more than 44%.Today, nearly half of Utah’s state budget supports public education. You can read all about it here.

PRIORITIZING STUDENTS

• We’re strengthening early literacy programs with an ambitious goal: 80% of Utah students reading on grade level by the end of third grade by 2030.
• We’ve put age-appropriate guardrails around classroom technology and screen time while preparing students to use emerging tools, including AI, responsibly.
• We're investing $100 million in career and technical education to give more students real-world skills and pathways to great careers.

• Great schools start with great teachers. The state provided teachers a $6,000 salary increase, and today Utah has the fourth-highest average starting teacher salary of any state in the nation.
• Teachers now receive 32 hours of paid planning time for lesson planning, collaboration, and professional development.
• They can also receive up to $500 for classroom supplies, helping ensure teachers aren’t expected to reach into their own pockets for everything their students need.
• 1,400 students are using the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship, a scholarship for children with special needs.

Landmark Meta Settlement

Big Tech giant Meta was dealt a major blow this month, agreeing to a settlement worth up to $18 billion and stronger child-safety measures for Facebook and Instagram. It is one of the largest settlements ever involving a technology company and a major step toward holding Big Tech accountable for the harm its platforms can cause children.

This settlement reinforces what many Utah families have been saying for years: social media companies must put children’s safety ahead of profits.

In the coming months, expect stronger age-verification measures, limits on teen social-media use, greater parental controls, and more protections from potentially harmful algorithms.

Interim Session Highlights

The Legislature's interim work has been in full swing since the General Session ended in March. The purpose of our interim meetings is to dive deep into the state's top issues so we can properly legislate them during the session. These meetings are open to the public and live-streamed, so you can be a part of the process if you choose. I am a part of the Business & Labor, and Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice interim committees. Here are some of the things we've been discussing this summer: 

Business & Labor

• Draft Legislation: Alarm System & Security Licensing Advisory Board Amendments
  • This legislation would extend the duration of the Alarm System & Security Licensing Advisory Board by 10 years. We adopted this legislation as a committee bill and recommended the bill for inclusion in a potential omnibus sunset bill.
• Draft Legislation: Workers' Compensation Advisory Council Amendments
  • Similar to the previous bill, this legislation would extend the sunset date. of the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council by 10 years. The Committee adopted and recommended this bill as well. 
• Employment Non-Competition Clauses
  • We received presentations on one of the most talked-about issues of this year's General Session: Non-compete Clauses. We learned about non-compete regulations around the country, heard employer and employee perspectives their effectiveness and merits, and discussed this year's bill on the subject.

Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice

• Childhood Trauma and The Juvenile System
  • Received presentations the Dept. of Criminal Justice on Utah's sentencing practices for the juvenile justice system, and from committee staff on practices regarding juvenile offenders who are also victims.
• Correctional Facility Drug Policies
  • Received a presentation from the Dept. of Corrections on drug testing policies for inmates and employees.
• Data Security
  • Committee was briefed on criminal justice data security.
• Dept fo Criminal Justice Report on State Agency Reviews
  • Received a detailed report and presentation summarizing each Utah agency's review of criminal statutes in their code.
• Draft Legislation: Public Safety Sunset Amendments
  • Approved a committee bill that would extend and remove sunsets for certain public safety statutes.