Rep. Tracy Miller

Maddy summaryHB 290 expands Utah's child tax credit by raising income thresholds where the credit begins to phase out. It increases the phaseout limits to $30,500 for married filing separately, $49,000 for single/head of household, and $61,000 for joint filers (up from $27,000, $43,000, and $54,000, respectively). This change directly affects Utah taxpayers with qualifying children who previously saw their credit reduced due to higher income. The bill maintains the $1,000-per-child credit amount but allows more families to claim the full credit, with retrospective effect for 2026 tax years. The change takes effect May 6, 2026, and requires no new state funding.

Maddy summaryHB 379 exempts licensed child care providers in Utah from standard food service establishment regulations. Instead, it authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to create specific food safety and sanitation rules for these providers, based on food volume and preparation type - not the number of children served. The bill directly affects licensed child care facilities operating under Utah’s child care licensing system, replacing general food safety requirements with tailored standards. It makes technical changes to relevant Utah Code sections without appropriating new funds.

Maddy summaryHB 144 amends Utah's school community council rules to remove outdated requirements, including digital citizenship standards, parent members who are school employees, and the development of safety principles. It adds new requirements for councils to receive annual reports on school safety practices and document specific votes. The bill directly affects school community councils in Utah public schools, which include parent and school employee members (like principals) who advise on school programs and resource use. These changes streamline council operations by eliminating certain duties while clarifying reporting and documentation processes.

Maddy summarySB 52 removes the requirement for a teaching license for long-term substitute teachers in Utah school districts. This change directly affects school districts hiring substitutes and non-licensed individuals seeking long-term substitute roles. The bill eliminates the previous restriction limiting non-licensed substitutes to 20 days per school year, while maintaining background checks and requiring districts to prioritize licensed educators when available. It amends Utah Code Section 53E-6-901 and takes effect May 6, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 463 reorganizes Utah's existing special education funding structure by creating distinct sections for programs like Self-Contained Services, Preschool Services, and Extended School Year. It clarifies definitions, requires the State Board of Education to establish accounting procedures, and specifies how local education agencies (LEAs) must use funds (e.g., allowing up to 25% of certain funds for general education costs). The bill does not appropriate new money but streamlines administrative processes for programs serving students with disabilities. It directly affects LEAs, school districts, and the State Board of Education in managing special education funding.

Maddy summaryHB 555 amends Utah's family law statutes to clarify how courts award attorney fees, costs, and witness fees in cases involving divorce, custody, child support, or property division. It requires courts to specifically assess each party's ability to pay before ordering fees and allows judges to reduce or deny fees if a party is indigent or if the case was filed to harass or unnecessarily increase costs. The bill also updates definitions related to alimony, custody, and child support enforcement. These changes directly affect anyone involved in Utah family court proceedings seeking financial support or custody arrangements.

Maddy summarySB 189 creates the High Growth District Grant Program to provide $15 million in state funding for school districts experiencing significant enrollment growth. It directly affects districts meeting a specific threshold: those with an average annual net enrollment increase equal to at least 10% of Utah’s total enrollment growth. The program funds land acquisition, facility construction/renovation, and transportation infrastructure expansion to address overcrowding. Eligibility is determined using a formula based on three years of enrollment data, with special rules for newly formed or reorganized districts. The State Board of Education will manage applications, distribution, and annual recalculations of qualifying districts.

Maddy summaryHB 344 removes a licensing requirement for individuals or businesses that only provide or offer lists of subcontractors or suppliers, without performing construction work themselves. This change directly affects referral services within the construction industry, such as consultants who connect clients with contractors but do not execute construction tasks. The bill modifies Utah's Construction Trades Licensing Act to exempt these limited referral activities from licensing mandates, while making minor technical adjustments to the law. No new funding or significant policy shifts are involved, as the bill focuses solely on streamlining licensing for this specific service type.

Maddy summarySB 224 amends Utah's vital records access law to allow a designated liaison for homeless youth or children (as defined under the federal McKinney-Vento Act) to obtain a minor's vital records on their behalf. This change adds homeless youth liaisons to the list of individuals permitted to access vital records, alongside immediate family members, guardians, and designated legal representatives. The bill directly affects homeless youth and children without stable housing, enabling their school or social service liaisons to help them access critical documents like birth certificates. The amendment does not alter existing rules about public access to records after specific time periods (e.g., 100 years for birth records) or other access categories.

Maddy summaryHB 268 modifies Utah's school funding rules for students attending nonresident districts, specifically exempting online schools from payment requirements. It directly affects school districts that enroll students from other districts in online programs, as resident districts will no longer be required to pay the usual per-student funding adjustments for these students. The bill amends Utah Code 53G-6-405 to explicitly exclude online schools from the payment formula (previously applied to nonresident enrollments) and makes technical adjustments to the existing rules. This change takes effect July 1, 2025, with no new state funding allocated.