Education

Ensuring that every Utahn has access to quality education is central to my legislative efforts. Education is the foundation of opportunity for families and the key to our community’s future economic strength. By attracting, training, and retaining dedicated teachers, we can ensure the success of our children and the growth of Utah’s workforce. Programs that support early childhood literacy, K-12 innovation, and higher education are essential for building lifelong learners and reducing dropout rates, which will lower incarceration and create more opportunities for all.

As Chair of Higher Education Appropriations and and Chair of Education and Mental Health, I championed initiatives that improved education at every level. Our investment of $16 billion over the past four years has supported teachers, students, and programs that make a difference, including bills like HB192, which expanded parental leave for teachers. As part of the Legislative Education Standing Committee, I remain committed to keeping Utah’s education system strong and preparing students to excel in today’s competitive economy.

Some of the legislation I have sponsored and co-sponsored focused on improving education includes:

  • HB248 2024 - Inmate Amendments [PASSED]

  • HB1 2o23 - Higher Education Base Budget [PASSED]

  • HB102 2o23 - Higher Education Residency Amendments (co-sponsored with Rep. Teuscher) [PASSED]

  • HB163 2023 - Protecting Student Religious and Moral Beliefs Regarding Athletic Uniform Requirements (co-sponsored with Rep. Pierucci) [PASSED]

  • HB190 2023 - Local Education Agency Personnel Amendments [PASSED]

  • SB55 2023 - Public School Instructional Material Requirements (floor-sponsored with Rep. Fillmore) [PASSED]

  • HB193 2022 - Full-day Kindergarten (co-sponsored with Rep. Waldrip) [PASSED]

  • HB194 2022 - Department of Correction Education Services [PASSED]

  • HB396 2022 - Paid Professional Hours for Educators (co-sponsored with Rep. Moss) [PASSED]

  • HB420 2022 - Title IX Reporting (co-sponsored with Rep. Birkeland) [PASSED]

  • HB279 2021 - Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth (co-sponsored with Rep. Snow) [PASSED]

  • HB318 2021 - Higher Education Amendments [PASSED]

  • HCR22 2021 - Concurrent Resolution Celebrating the Contributions of Multilingual and Multicultural Families to Utah Schools (co-sponsored with Rep. Johnson) [PASSED]

  • HB256 2020 - Student Aid Amendments (co-sponsored with Rep. Kwan) [PASSED]

  • HB6005 2020 - Cosmetology and Associated Professions Amendments [PASSED]

  • SB162 2020 - Educational Financial Aid for Students with a Criminal Record (floor-sponsored with Rep. Weiler) [PASSED]

  • HB67 2020 - Local Education Agency Financial Information Systems [PASSED]

  • HB118 2019 - Incentives for Statewide Assessment Performance (co-sponsored with Rep. Winder) [PASSED]

  • HB227 2019 - Utah Computer Science Grant Act (co-sponsored with Rep. Knotwell) [PASSED]

  • HB213 2019 - Promotion of Student Loan Forgiveness (co-sponsored with Rep. Duckworth) [PASSED]

  • HB84 2024 - School Safety Amendments (co-sponsored with Rep. Wilcox)

  • HB278 2024 - Inmate Education Amendments

  • HB514 2024 - School Chaplain Amendments (co-sponsored with Rep. Stratton)

  • HB82 2023 - School Assembly Notice Requirements

  • HB138 2023 - Digital Instructional Material Requirements

  • HB203 2023 - Inmate Education Amendments

  • HB229 2023 - Local Education Agency Employee Paid Leave

  • HB400 2023 - School Absenteeism Amendments (co-sponsored with Rep. Johnson)

  • HB11 2o22 - Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Activities (co-sponsored with Rep. Birkeland)

  • HB79 2022 - State School Board Governance Amendments

  • HJR1 2022 - Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - State Board of Education

  • HB236 2020 - Safe School Route Evaluations

  • HB251 2020 - School Construction Projects Amendments

  • HB470 2020 - State Board of Education Amendments

  • HCR12 2020 - Concurrent Resolution on Holocaust Education (co-sponsored with Rep. Arent)

  • HJR13 2020 - Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - State Board of Education

  • HB198 2019 - Education Accountability Amendments (co-sponsored with Rep. Poulson)

  • HJR13 2019 - Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution — State Board of Education

  • HB483 2019 - School Construction Projects Amendments

  • HB454 2019 - Higher Education Study

  • HB454 2019 - Tuition Waiver and Scholarship Study

  • HB363 2019 - School Transportation Amendments

  • HB327 2019 - School information Systems Amendments

  • HB242 2019 - State Board of Education Revisions