| Members Present: Sen. John D. Johnson, Chair Rep. R. Neil Walter, Chair Sen. Heidi Balderree Sen. Lincoln Fillmore Sen. Kathleen A. Riebe Sen. Chris H. Wilson Rep. Rob Bishop Rep. Ariel Defay Rep. Joseph Elison Rep. Sahara Hayes Rep. Karianne Lisonbee Rep. Carol S. Moss Rep. Clinton D. Okerlund | Rep. Karen M. Peterson Rep. Val L. Peterson Rep. Candice B. Pierucci Rep. Jason E. Thompson Rep. Doug Welton Members Absent: Rep. Tiara Auxier Staff Present: Finn Rose, Managing Policy Analyst Micah Ann Wixom, Policy Analyst Mike Curtis, Managing Associate General Counsel Jeff Van Hulten, Associate General Counsel Amy Hawkes, Administrative Assistant |
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| Chair Walter called the meeting to order at 1:38 p.m. |
| 1.Committee Business |
| MOTION:Sen. Balderree moved to approve the minutes of the November 19, 2025, meeting.The motion passed with a vote of 11-0-8. | |||
| Yeas - 11 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 8 | |
| Sen. H. Balderree Rep. R. Bishop Rep. A. Defay Sen. L. Fillmore Rep. S. Hayes Sen. J. Johnson Rep. C. Moss Rep. C. Okerlund Rep. V. Peterson Sen. K. Riebe Rep. R. Walter | Rep. T. Auxier Rep. J. Elison Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. K. Peterson Rep. C. Pierucci Rep. J. Thompson Rep. D. Welton Sen. C. Wilson |
| Committee members and staff introduced themselves. |
| 2.Education Interim Committee 2026 Study Items, Sunsets, and Audits |
| 2 - Study Items, Audits, and Sunsets 2026 (Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (OLRGC)) |
| 2- LMC Approved Study Items List - Education (OLRGC) |
| 2 - Reports due to the Committee (OLRGC) |
| Micah Wixom gave a brief overview of the committee's study item list, audits and sunset reviews, and reports due to the committee. |
| 2 - Sunset Reviews (OLRGC) |
| Finn Rose talked more about the audits that are anticipated to be released this year and the sunset items the committee will need to review. |
| 2 - Performance Funding Sunset Item (OLRGC) |
| Mike Curtis presented a potential technical change to one of the sunset codes to address an oversight made during the 2026 General Session. |
| 2 - Changes to Committee Bill Files (OLRGC) |
| Finn Rose updated the committee on a change in the number of committee bill files the committee may open each interim. |
| MOTION:Sen. Johnson moved to adopt the study items list as presented.The motion passed with a vote of 16-0-3. | |||
| Yeas - 16 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 3 | |
| Sen. H. Balderree Rep. R. Bishop Rep. A. Defay Rep. J. Elison Sen. L. Fillmore Rep. S. Hayes Sen. J. Johnson Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. C. Moss Rep. C. Okerlund Rep. K. Peterson Rep. V. Peterson Sen. K. Riebe Rep. J. Thompson Rep. R. Walter Rep. D. Welton | Rep. T. Auxier Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. C. Wilson |
| MOTION:Sen. Johnson moved to grant the chairs the authority to independently open bill files related to the study items list as adopted, including the sunset items and audit reports.The motion passed with a vote of 16-0-3. | |||
| Yeas - 16 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 3 | |
| Sen. H. Balderree Rep. R. Bishop Rep. A. Defay Rep. J. Elison Sen. L. Fillmore Rep. S. Hayes Sen. J. Johnson Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. C. Moss Rep. C. Okerlund Rep. K. Peterson Rep. V. Peterson Sen. K. Riebe Rep. J. Thompson Rep. R. Walter Rep. D. Welton | Rep. T. Auxier Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. C. Wilson |
| 3.Advanced Placement (AP) Credit vs. Concurrent Enrollment Alignment |
| Rep. Welton provided background information on the agenda item. |
| Geoff Landward, Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education, provided further information on AP credit classes and concurrent enrollment (CE) classes and brought up some of the inconsistencies with courses and credit provided at different institutions. |
| Molly Hart, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Utah State Board of Education, asked a question of the committee. |
| The committee discussed their experiences, questions and concerns with AP credit versus CE credit. |
| Geoff Landward made a few final comments on the committee discussion. |
| 4.Credit Hours |
| Chair Walter introduced the agenda item. |
| Molly Hart provided further information on credit hours for teacher licensing and the work being done between the State Board of Education (USBE) and the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) on this issue. |
| Geoff Landward provided further information on the issues being looked at with current credit hours for teacher licensing. |
| The committee discussed their questions and concerns. |
| 5.Teacher Licensing |
| Chair Walter introduced the agenda item. |
| Geoff Landward provided further information on different potential paths for teacher licensing. He also answered committee questions. |
| Molly Hart provided information on options for teacher licensing in other states that could be looked at for Utah. |
| 6.Other Items/Adjourn |
| MOTION:Rep. Hayes moved to adjourn.The motion passed with a vote of 18-0-1. | |||
| Yeas - 18 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 1 | |
| Sen. H. Balderree Rep. R. Bishop Rep. A. Defay Rep. J. Elison Sen. L. Fillmore Rep. S. Hayes Sen. J. Johnson Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. C. Moss Rep. C. Okerlund Rep. K. Peterson Rep. V. Peterson Rep. C. Pierucci Sen. K. Riebe Rep. J. Thompson Rep. R. Walter Rep. D. Welton Sen. C. Wilson | Rep. T. Auxier |
| Chair Walter adjourned the meeting at 3:02 p.m. |