Maddy summarySB 312 modifies Utah's educator license discipline rules to better protect students. It creates a tiered system where public schools must automatically restrict employment or volunteering for educators found ineligible due to serious misconduct involving actual harm, credible risk of harm, or sexual misconduct with minors. For less severe cases (like administrative errors or technical violations), restrictions require written findings proving specific risk to student safety, not automatic bans. This directly affects educators whose licenses are denied, suspended, or revoked, as well as school districts enforcing these restrictions. The bill ensures only conduct posing real danger triggers automatic employment bans, while technical errors or minor mistakes do not.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHB 448 amends the governance, operations, and relationships of Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB). It clarifies USDB's mission, requires standardized student counting, mandates data reporting to the State Board of Education, and establishes procedures for when USDB replaces a student's local school district as their primary education provider. The bill affects USDB students, local education agencies (LEAs), the State Board of Education, and USDB's advisory council by defining operational responsibilities and data transparency requirements. It makes no new funding commitments but updates administrative processes for USDB's educational and financial coordination with school districts.
Maddy summarySB 295 requires Utah public schools and higher education institutions to promote intellectual diversity by hosting public policy events featuring diverse perspectives, including debates and discussions on differing viewpoints. It mandates that institutions organize these events, maintain public event calendars, and record sessions for transparency, while clarifying that existing anti-discrimination rules do not restrict invited guest lectures or speakers. The bill directly affects public schools, universities, and state government entities by modifying reporting requirements and curricular club policies. It makes no new funding allocations and focuses on procedural changes to encourage open discourse within educational settings.
Maddy summarySB 319 requires Utah health insurance companies to increase transparency around preauthorization processes. It mandates insurers to post detailed preauthorization requirements and statistics on their websites, disclose if they use artificial intelligence in reviews, and make decisions within seven days. The bill also sets minimum validity periods for authorizations covering chronic or long-term care conditions and requires independent medical judgment for denials. These changes directly affect insurers, healthcare providers submitting requests, and patients seeking covered services.
Maddy summaryHB 194 establishes new ethics standards and complaint procedures for Utah's State Board of Education members. The bill creates a code of conduct requiring members to disclose conflicts of interest, avoid using official positions for personal gain, and follow specific rules about outside employment. It also sets up an independent ethics commission - appointed by board leadership - to investigate complaints, hold hearings with due process protections, and recommend disciplinary actions for violations. These rules directly affect elected members of the State Board of Education, who serve part-time while maintaining other careers. The bill does not appropriate new funding or change existing laws beyond the specified ethics provisions.
Maddy summaryHB 163 amends Utah's Grow Your Own Educator Pipeline Program to expand scholarship eligibility. It specifically allows currently licensed teachers pursuing special education endorsements to receive program scholarships, which previously covered only paraprofessionals and students in training. The bill updates the program's eligibility rules to include these teachers while maintaining existing requirements for school districts, such as requiring candidates to be state residents and employed by the same district. The program uses existing funds to support scholarships covering tuition, fees, and certification costs, with no new money appropriated.
Maddy summaryHB 426 establishes accountability rules for Utah's "learner validated programs," which are competency-based online learning programs where students progress by mastering content rather than attending class. It directly affects local school districts (LEAs) operating these programs and third-party providers they contract with. Key requirements include mandating a licensed teacher of record for every student, setting student-to-teacher ratios, requiring documented pacing and proctored assessments, ensuring courses align with state standards, and demanding written policies covering progress monitoring and equivalent rigor to traditional courses. The bill also allows limited waivers for advanced students who demonstrate mastery through state-approved assessments. These changes aim to ensure quality and accountability in online learning while maintaining state educational standards.
Maddy summarySB 34 amends Utah's public education system to clarify leadership roles and safety protocols. It allows the State Board of Education to appoint the state superintendent as superintendent of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB), with delegation authority for duties. The bill also updates juvenile justice reintegration rules to apply uniformly across all school districts (not just school districts), requiring coordinated safety assessments with the state security chief instead of county officials. These changes affect USDB operations, school districts, and students involved in juvenile justice reintegration processes, with no new funding or major cost impacts.
Maddy summaryThis bill updates Utah election laws to clarify how voter registration information is classified and shared. It allows voters who previously had private registration records to reclassify them as public unless they take steps to maintain privacy, and requires election officials to notify affected voters about this change. The legislation also adds new protections against unauthorized access to voter lists, requires the lieutenant governor to publish data on at-risk voters, and modifies how ballot titles are prepared for constitutional amendments. These changes affect all Utah voters, election officials, and political organizations that handle voter registration data.
Maddy summaryHB 249 modifies Utah's process for managing federal funds by requiring the Legislative Fiscal Analyst to share federal fund portions of budget stress tests with the Federalism Commission. The bill mandates Utah State University's Huntsman School of Business to create a public dashboard tracking state reliance on federal funds and model economic scenarios for contingency planning. It also establishes new review requirements for medium-impact federal funds requests approved by the governor or state boards, directing the Commission to evaluate and recommend on these requests. The bill appropriates $650,000 from the Income Tax Fund for implementation, affecting state agencies, the Commission, and Utah State University.