SB 43 Utah Senate · 2026 General Session

Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office Amendments

This bill amends the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office by updating the list of state agencies and institutions that must be represented on its board. It clarifies which entities, such as universities, hospitals, and public facilities, are included and specifies who represents each one. The update also reaffirms the rights of trust beneficiaries under existing state law. This change ensures the office continues to include relevant state stakeholders in its governance structure.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Mar 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Amended Excerpts 1/20/2026 16:01:293 → Amended 1/20/2026 16:01:293 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill updates the definitions and roles within Utah's school and institutional trust lands framework, specifically clarifying the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office as the primary representative for trust beneficiaries. It restructures the composition of the nominating committee for the Board of Trustees and renumbers several existing statutes to align with recent legislative changes.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the administration of school and institutional trust lands, but it expands the clarity of the Advocacy Office's authority and modifies the appointment process for the Board of Trustees.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions to explicitly include the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office as the 'primary beneficiary representative' and clarified terms like 'Administration' and 'Mineral'.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the size of the Board of Trustees nominating committee from 11 members to 9 members and updated the appointment procedures.

TECHNICAL

Renumbered several statutes (e.g., 53D-2-601) to reflect changes made in previous legislative sessions.

Introduced → Enrolled · 5 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MODERATE

This bill reorganizes and clarifies Utah's School and Institutional Trust Lands system by renaming the 'Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office' to the 'School and Institutional Trust Beneficiaries' Advocacy Office' and renaming its committee to the 'School and Institutional Trust Beneficiaries' Advocacy Council.' It establishes a new governance structure where the State Treasurer appoints the office director, while an Advocacy Council (composed of trustee board members and other stakeholders) oversees the office's activities and sets the director's compensation. The bill also reduces the size of the nominating committee for trustee boards from 11 to 9 members and introduces new accountability requirements for institutional beneficiaries receiving trust fund distributions.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the advocacy office's oversight to explicitly include institutional beneficiaries (like universities and hospitals) alongside public schools, and clarifies that the office acts as the primary representative for all trust beneficiaries.

DEFINITION

Renamed the 'Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office' to the 'School and Institutional Trust Beneficiaries' Advocacy Office' and the associated committee to the 'School and Institutional Trust Beneficiaries' Advocacy Council' to better reflect its role.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new governance structure where the State Treasurer appoints the advocacy director, while an independent Advocacy Council oversees the office, sets its budget, and reviews the director's performance.

Reduced the number of members on the nominating committee for trustee boards from 11 to 9 and updated the appointment process to include representatives from the new Advocacy Council.

Established new accountability rules requiring institutional beneficiaries to maintain clear records of trust fund distributions, create annual spending plans, and participate in compliance reviews.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the bill to July 1, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 20, 2026 · House Feb 5, 2026

How they voted

26–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 29

Jan 20, 2026

D Democratic6

6 Yea

100% Yea

N Forward1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican22

19 Yea 3

86% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 19, 2026

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

House/ committee report favorable [House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation [House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Committee

House/ to standing committee [House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee]

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (26-0-3)

senate

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ floor amendment

upper

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor