HB 521 Utah House · 2026 General Session

Public Education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account Amendments

HB 521 creates a new Public Education Economic Stabilization Trust Fund managed by the state treasurer, which must receive $350 million annually starting in 2027 from the existing Public Education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account. The bill requires this trust fund to be funded before other one-time appropriations for public education, ensuring priority for education funding during budget cycles. It also exempts the trust fund from standard state financial management laws and corrects how minimum funding levels apply. This directly affects Utah's public education system by mandating a dedicated funding stream for schools and specific programs like the Catalyst Center Grant Program.
Bill status passed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Governor
Introduced Feb 9, 2026 Last action Mar 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Substitute #1 · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to add a new Senate sponsor and include a new section that exempts the newly created Public Education Economic Stabilization Trust Fund from the state's Money Management Act. This change allows the state treasurer to manage the trust fund's assets with greater flexibility, focusing on stability and growth without being restricted by standard investment rules. The core funding mechanisms and account structures remain unchanged.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include an exemption from the Money Management Act for the new trust fund, altering the legal restrictions on how the fund's assets can be invested.
REQUIREMENT

Added a new section (51-7-2) that explicitly exempts the Public Education Economic Stabilization Trust Fund from the Money Management Act, allowing the state treasurer to invest assets as a prudent investor would, prioritizing stability and growth over strict compliance with standard investment chapters.

TECHNICAL

Updated the Senate Sponsor name from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Scott D. Sandall' and added a new section to the Utah Code Sections Affected list regarding the Money Management Act exemption.

Floor votes · House Feb 27, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
31
Key actions
6
Committee
7
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate/ comm rpt/ sent to Rules [Senate Rules Committee]
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Recommends Returned to Rules [Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee]
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate Comm - Held [Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee]
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Committee
Senate/ to standing committee [Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee]
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Introduced
Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
upper
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
House/ passed 3rd reading
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
House/ comm rpt/ substituted [House Education Committee]
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Education Committee]
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
House/ to standing committee [House Education Committee]
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Introduced
House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors