# Utah S.B. 241: Early Literacy Utah S.B. 241, Early Literacy, is a 2026 General Session Senate bill sponsored by Ann Millner (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-03-18 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-SB241-2026GS - As of: 2026-10-14 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Utah S.B. 241 - State: Utah - Session: 2026 General Session - Title: Early Literacy - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-03 - Last action: 2026-03-18, Governor Signed - Sponsor: Ann Millner (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Education, K-12 Education, Higher Education, School Personnel, State Board of Education, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), Standards and Curriculum, Student Assessment, Utah System of Higher Education - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 10 (152 yes, 13 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 12 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Struggling readers get individual support plans: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, schools must notify parents when kindergarten through grade 3 students score below or well below benchmark. Reading plans are required for kindergarteners well below benchmark at midyear or year-end, and grades 1–3 students below benchmark. Plans also cover grade 4 students… - Students get reading help matching needs: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah school agencies must provide targeted reading support under the law's intervention framework. Schools must provide individualized help or tutoring when assessments show reading gaps, signs of dyslexia, or lagging reading skills. Literacy teams must choose research-backe… - Parents get regular reading test results: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah districts and charter schools must test reading in kindergarten through grade 3. Tests occur at the beginning, middle, and end of each school year. Schools must share each child's results with a parent. Based on a potential kindergartener's reading and number skills ass… - Future teachers get stronger reading preparation: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah State University's Center for the School of the Future must develop a reading-preparation plan. It must work with Utah's higher education and state education boards to improve new elementary teachers' and administrators' knowledge and practice. The plan covers graduates… - School funding targets reading staff support: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, these funding rules depend on legislative appropriations; the law itself appropriates no money. Each regional education service agency and district outside a regional agency must receive at least $75,000 for literacy coaching and training. Remaining coaching funds follow ave… - Schools target higher third-grade reading goals: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah's goal is 80% of third-graders reading at grade level by July 1, 2030. This replaces the 70% goal for July 1, 2027; grade level means meeting the year-end reading benchmark. The state board must align resources and support local literacy planning. District boards, chart… - Teachers get reading coaches and training: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, regional education service agencies and districts outside them must provide, train, and assign K–3 literacy coaches. Each must also maintain at least one early-literacy staff position; these duties depend on legislative appropriations. They must offer formal science-of-readi… - Universities lose required reading faculty match: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah's higher education board no longer must provide matching funds for additional science-of-reading faculty hires. The former requirement covered 75% of a hire's cost when a state institution with a university teacher-preparation program paid 25%. That requirement depended… - Schools discuss early retention with parents: mixed, medium. Beginning July 1, 2026, schools must consider retention and discuss its value with parents of children meeting these criteria. Kindergarteners qualify when well below benchmark at midyear or year-end. First-graders qualify when well below benchmark at year-end, with a prior reading plan and no abov… - Third-grade retention includes exemptions and appeals: mixed, medium. Starting with the 2029–2030 year-end reading test, third-graders below benchmark must repeat the grade unless a good-cause exemption applies. Exemptions cover listed assessment, intervention, English-learner, disability-plan, portfolio, prior-retention, and transfer circumstances. The literacy team… - Schools adopt reading programs with limits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Utah school agencies must adopt science-of-reading curricula and intervention programs advised by the state's reading panel. Schools cannot use the three-cueing model in curricula or teaching. An exception applies only when a child's Individualized Education Program or Secti… - Teacher reviews add reading rules, safeguards: mixed, low. From July 1, 2026, until repeal on July 1, 2029, local boards must use annual evaluations with multiple evidence sources and state professional standards. K–3 teacher reviews must consider knowledge and use of the science of reading. Principals of schools serving K–3 must be reviewed on effective i… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Ann Millner (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Karen M. Peterson (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-04 | Senate | Senate/ concurs with House amendment | pass | 24 | 1 | | | 2026-03-04 | House | House/ floor amendment | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-03-04 | House | House/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 62 | 7 | | | 2026-02-27 | House | House Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 9 | 2 | | | 2026-02-24 | Senate | Senate/ passed 3rd reading | pass | 24 | 1 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Senate/ passed 2nd reading | pass | 27 | 1 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Senate/ uncircled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Senate/ substituted | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-20 | Senate | Senate/ circled | fail | 0 | 0 | | | 2026-02-06 | Senate | Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation | pass | 6 | 1 | | ## Actions (44) - 2026-03-18: Governor Signed - 2026-03-13: Senate/ to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing (Senate) - 2026-03-11: Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate - 2026-03-06: Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared - 2026-03-06: Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling - 2026-03-05: Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-04: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ concurs with House amendment (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ placed on Concurrence Calendar (Senate) - 2026-03-04: Senate/ received from House (Senate) - 2026-03-04: House/ to Senate (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ passed 3rd reading (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ floor amendment (House) - 2026-03-04: House/ 3rd reading (House) - 2026-03-03: House/ 2nd reading (House) - 2026-03-03: House/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar (House) - 2026-03-02: House/ return to Rules due to fiscal impact (House) - 2026-03-02: House/ committee report favorable (House) - 2026-02-27: House Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-25: House/ to standing committee (House) - 2026-02-24: House/ 1st reading (Introduced) (House) - 2026-02-24: House/ received from Senate (House) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ to House (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ passed 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate/ 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ passed 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ substituted (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Senate/ uncircled (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ circled (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate/ 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar (Senate) - 2026-02-09: Senate/ committee report favorable (Senate) - 2026-02-06: Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation - 2026-02-06: Senate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst (Senate) - 2026-02-04: Senate/ to standing committee (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced) (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2026-03-11: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0241.pdf) - Amended 3/5/2026 16:03:189, 2026-03-05: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_SB0241S01_2026-03-05_16-32-55.pdf) - Substitute #1, 2026-02-17: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0241S01.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-02-03: [PDF](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0241.pdf) ## Related bills - H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments (signed) - H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments (signed) - H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments (signed) - H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments (signed) - H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments (signed) - H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments (signed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/enrolled/SB0241.pdf) - [Amended 3/5/2026 16:03:189 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/amended/AV_SB0241S01_2026-03-05_16-32-55.pdf) - [Substitute #1 (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0241S01.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://le.utah.gov/Session/2026/bills/introduced/SB0241.pdf) ## Related - [H.B. 94: Criminal Accounts Receivable Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB94-2026GS) - [H.B. 101: Firearm Background Check Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB101-2026GS) - [H.B. 178: School Zone Speeding Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB178-2026GS) - [H.B. 134: Offender Transfer Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB134-2026GS) - [H.B. 136: Unlicensed Driver Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB136-2026GS) - [H.B. 220: Public Safety Data Amendments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/UT-HB220-2026GS) - [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-SB241-2026GS (as of 2026-10-14).