# Utah H.B. 2: Public Education Budget Amendments Utah H.B. 2, Public Education Budget Amendments, is a 2025 General Session House bill sponsored by Stephen L. Whyte (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-03-25 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB2-2025GS - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah H.B. 2 - State: Utah - Session: 2025 General Session - Title: Public Education Budget Amendments - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-03-02 - Last action: 2025-03-25, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Stephen L. Whyte (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Public Budgeting, Education, K-12 Education, Government Operations (State Issues), Appropriations - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 12 (95 yes, 2 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 27 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Higher educator pay with salary protections: benefit, high. Beginning July 1, 2025, the FY2026 salary adjustment is $10,350 per full-time educator when Utah Fits All is funded and active. Otherwise, the adjustment is $5,175; part-time amounts are prorated by hours worked. Educators with an unsatisfactory rating on any of their three latest evaluations do no… - One-time stipends for school support workers: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law establishes a one-time $1,000 stipend plus employer-paid benefits, subject to legislative appropriations. Workers must be directly employed and paid by a local education agency or regional education service agency on September 1, 2025. They must work in a school sett… - Deaf and blind schools gain funding: benefit, low. Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $993,000 in one-time FY2025 funding for Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind administration. The money supports administrative operations, not direct household payments. - More education and leadership program funding: benefit, low. Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $30 million in one-time FY2025 funding for Excellence in Education and Leadership. The money supports education programs rather than direct payments to households. - More funding for small schools: benefit, low. Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $3.2635 million in one-time FY2025 funding for Necessary Existent Small Schools. Beginning July 1, 2025, it provides $12.5 million in one-time FY2026 grants for small-district capital projects. The State Board awards multiple grants through the Capital Projects E… - More funding for school assessment systems: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $4.3 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for Assessment and Accountability. This supports Utah's education assessment and accountability systems. The provision does not specify how the money is divided or provide a direct household payment. - More funding for school learning initiatives: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $8.31 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for education contracts and grants. It directs the State Board of Education to award Scrible, Inc. $900,000 for an online tool documenting student work's authenticity. It also directs a $225,000 award to Utah St… - More funding for students' career training: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $275,000 for Career and Technical Education in fiscal year 2026. The money supports Utah schools and students. The provision does not specify an individual student benefit or a direct household payment. - More scholarship funding for Utah families: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $20 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for Utah Fits All scholarships. It also adds $4 million for Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship administration in fiscal year 2026. Legislative intent gives priority for additional scholarship funding to applica… - School student data system gets funding: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $10 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for the Student Information System. Legislative intent calls for a State Board of Education implementation plan before any of this money is spent. The plan covers problems, proposed fixes, planned spending, partic… - Volunteer emergency medical workers lose coverage: cost, medium. The Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Health Insurance Program ends July 1, 2027. Eligible volunteers lose access to this state program after that date. The supplied provisions do not identify replacement coverage or state the value of the lost coverage. - Education savings incentive ends in 2028: cost, medium. The law ends Utah’s Education Savings Incentive Program on July 1, 2028. Eligible participants lose access to the program after that date. The supplied provisions do not specify incentive amounts or how existing accounts and awards are treated. - Schools lose one-time funding for 2025: cost, medium. Effective May 7, 2025, the law cuts one-time FY2025 Flexible Allocation funding by $82.5103 million. It also cuts $19.101 million from the Enrollment Growth Contingency. Further one-time cuts are $266,600 for elementary arts, $461,600 for digital teaching, and $108,700 for student health and counse… - School drinking water provision ends: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2027, the law repeals a state provision concerning drinking water quality in schools. Schools are no longer subject to that provision's requirements. The supplied text does not describe those requirements or identify replacement protections; it does not establish that all water sa… - Districts lose extra levy funding protections: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, guarantee protection after property-value-driven certified tax rate changes lasts one year instead of five. Qualifying districts retain 100% of their FY2025 excess guarantee in FY2026, 66% in FY2027, 33% in FY2028, and none in FY2029. Their total state guarantee cannot excee… - Education oversight and administration funding falls: cost, low. Effective May 7, 2025, the law cuts FY2025 Assessment and Accountability funding by $3.9809 million. It also cuts $2.2387 million in one-time State Board of Education board and administration funding. These reductions affect state education operations, not direct household payments. - Less funding certainty for disability scholarships: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law cuts FY2026 Carson Smith Scholarship funding by $400,000. It also removes automatic scholarship funding growth based on average awards, statewide public-school individualized education program enrollment, and a 0.0007 factor. Annual scholarship appropriations remain… - Less funding for reading and interventions: cost, low. Effective May 7, 2025, FY2025 cuts include $3.8999 million for early literacy software and $85,000 for reading-difficulty interventions. The law also cuts $77,900 for intergenerational poverty interventions and $70,900 for Supplemental Educational Improvement Matching Grants. Beginning July 1, 2025… - School civics and outreach support shrink: cost, low. The Local Innovations Civics Education Pilot Program ends July 1, 2025. Effective May 7, 2025, the law also cuts $58,300 in one-time FY2025 Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools funding. The supplied provisions do not identify changes to individual school services. - School CPR training grants lose funding: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law cuts FY2026 CPR Training Grant Program funding by $270,000. Less money is available for grants. The supplied provisions do not identify which grants or training activities are reduced. - Special education aid falls with protections: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, FY2026 Special Education Impact Aid falls by $3.4417 million, removing 736 weighted pupil units. The State Board directs the reduction to school agencies enrolling more than 1% of Utah’s special education population. Agencies below 1%, or where special education students exc… - Teacher training grants and support shrink: cost, low. On July 1, 2025, the law ends the professional learning grant provision and the Elementary Teacher Preparation Grant provision. The supplied provisions do not explain whether existing teacher preparation awards continue. Effective May 7, 2025, the law also cuts $1.0217 million in one-time FY2025 Sc… - School funding shifts toward flexible spending: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law repeals the professional staff funding formula, removing $269.2693 million and 57,610 weighted pupil units for FY2026. It adds $265.0642 million for Flexible Allocation, distributed by each school agency’s share of Basic School Program weighted pupil units. Flexible… - School budget funding source changes: mixed, medium. For FY2026, the law directs $842.1018 million in existing education funding to come from the Uniform School Fund instead of Local Revenue. This source change does not change the appropriation amount. Its July 1, 2025 effectiveness is contingent on related S.B. 37 law changes. - Career training funds get different rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Technology-Life-Careers loses its exception allowing restricted career-training funds to support programs below grade nine. The related allocation follows student membership hours in grades nine through 12. Separately, school agencies receiving the general career-training al… - Career training gains then loses funding: mixed, low. Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $275,000 for Career and Technical Education in FY2025. Beginning July 1, 2025, it cuts FY2026 career-training add-on funding by $4.2082 million. That reduction removes 900 weighted pupil units from the add-on allocation. These are school program funds, not paymen… - School construction and levy support shift: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, the Minimum Basic Growth Account’s Foundation Program share rises from 20% to 25%. The voted local levy guarantee keeps 75%, while the enrollment-growth capital program’s 5% share ends. The law repeals that enrollment-growth program and cuts its FY2026 funding by $5.6388 mil… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Stephen L. Whyte (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Heidi Balderree (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-05 | Senate | Senate/ uncircled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2025-03-05 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension | pass | 23 | 0 | | | 2025-03-04 | House | House/ uncircled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2025-03-04 | House | House/ circled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2025-03-04 | House | House/ floor amendment | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2025-03-04 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 72 | 2 | | | 2025-03-04 | Senate | Senate/ circled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | | House | House/ uncircled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | | Senate | Senate/ circled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | | Senate | Senate/ uncircled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | | House | House/ floor amendment | fail | 0 | 0 | | | | House | House/ circled | fail | 0 | 0 | | ## Actions (29) - 2025-03-25: Governor Signed - 2025-03-12: House/ to Governor (House) - 2025-03-12: House/ received enrolled bill from Printing (House) - 2025-03-12: House/ enrolled bill to Printing (House) - 2025-03-12: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2025-03-05: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2025-03-05: Bill Received from House for Enrolling - 2025-03-05: House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling (House) - 2025-03-05: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2025-03-05: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Senate/ uncircled (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Senate/ circled (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Senate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2025-03-04: House/ to Senate (House) - 2025-03-04: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2025-03-04: House/ floor amendment (House) - 2025-03-04: House/ uncircled (House) - 2025-03-04: House/ circled (House) - 2025-03-04: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2025-03-03: House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (House) - 2025-03-03: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2025-03-03: House/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar (House) - 2025-03-03: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2025-03-03: House/ received bill from Legislative Research (House) - 2025-03-02: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-03-12: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2025/bills/enrolled/HB0002.pdf) - Amended 3/4/2025 13:03:107, 2025-03-04: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2025/bills/amended/AV_HB0002_2025-03-04_13-05-50.pdf) - Introduced, 2025-03-02: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2025/bills/introduced/HB0002.pdf) ## Related bills - S.B. 199: Guardianship Amendments (signed) - H.B. 562: Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Amendments (signed) - H.B. 493: Medical Examiner Amendments (signed) - H.B. 482: Health and Human Services Reporting Requirements (signed) - S.B. 197: Property Tax Amendments (vetoed) - S.B. 3: Appropriations Adjustments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2025/bills/enrolled/HB0002.pdf) - [Amended 3/4/2025 13:03:107 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2025/bills/amended/AV_HB0002_2025-03-04_13-05-50.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2025/bills/introduced/HB0002.pdf) ## Related - [S.B. 199: Guardianship Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB199-2025GS) - [H.B. 562: Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB562-2025GS) - [H.B. 493: Medical Examiner Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB493-2025GS) - [H.B. 482: Health and Human Services Reporting Requirements](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB482-2025GS) - [S.B. 197: Property Tax Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB197-2025GS) - [S.B. 3: Appropriations Adjustments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB3-2025GS) - [Utah bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah/bills) - [Utah state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/utah) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB2-2025GS (as of 2026-10-17).