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MINUTES OF HOUSE EDUCATION
STANDING COMMITTEE
Room 30, House Building
February 5, 2013

MEMBERS PRESENT:    Rep. Francis Gibson, Chair
        Rep. Lowry Snow, Vice Chair
        Rep. Rich Cunningham
        Rep. Steve Eliason
        Rep. Greg H. Hughes
        Rep. Bradley G. Last
        Rep. David Lifferth
        Rep. Carol Spackman Moss
        Rep. Jim Nielson
        Rep. Val Peterson
        Rep. Marie H. Poulson
        Rep. Kraig Powell
        Rep. Dean T. Sanpai
        Rep. Keven Stratton
        
MEMBERS ABSENT:    Rep. Patrice Arent
        Rep. Dan McCay
                                
STAFF PRESENT:    Constance C. Steffen, Policy Analyst
        Linda Service, Committee Secretary



        
Note: List of visitors and copy of handouts are filed with committee minutes.


Vice Chair Snow called the meeting to order at 2:06 p.m.

MOTION:    Rep. Gibson moved to approve the minutes of January 30, 2013. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Eliason, Rep. Hughes, Rep. Last, Rep. Moss, Rep. Peterson, and Rep. Stratton absent for the vote.

H.B. 275    Health Insurance for Schools (Rep. J. Bird)

MOTION:    Rep. Gibson moved to replace H.B. 275 with 2nd Substitute H.B. 275. The motion passed with Rep. Nielson voting in opposition and Rep. Hughes, Rep. Moss, Rep. Peterson, and Rep. Stratton absent for the vote.

Rep. Bird introduced the bill which amends the duties of local school boards, relating to health insurance, in the State System of Public Education Code.



Mr. Burke Jolley, Business Manager, Jordan School District, commented on the bill.

The following spoke in opposition to the bill:
Ms. Patti Harrington, Utah School Superintendent's Association
Ms. Peggy Jo Kennett, Utah School Boards Association
Mr. Zane Woolstenhume, Business Manager, Logan School District

Mr. Mike Sonntag, Utah Association of Health Underwriters, spoke in support of the bill.

MOTION:    Rep. Hughes moved to pass out 2nd Substitute H.B. 275 with a favorable recommendation. The motion failed with Rep. Cunningham, Rep. Eliason, Rep. Gibson, Rep. Hughes, Rep. Peterson, Rep. Sanpei, and Rep. Stratton voting in support of the motion.
    
H.B. 285    Modification of Education-related Reporting Requirements (Rep. F. Gibson)

Rep. Gibson introduced the bill which eliminates various education-related reports.

Dr. Martell Menlove, State School Superintendent, spoke in support of the bill.

MOTION:    Rep. Poulson moved to pass the bill out with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed unanimously.

MOTION:    Rep. Nielson moved to place the bill on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously.

H.B. 298    Parent Seminar on Youth Protection (Rep. S. Eliason)

MOTION:    Rep. Eliason moved to amend the bill as follows:

1.    Page 1, Lines 18 through 20 :    

             18              .    report on the program to the Education Interim Committee;
{   and   }

             19          .    requires a school district to notify charter schools located within the school district's
             20      boundaries of the parent seminar
{   .   }        ; and

    . allows a school district to opt out of providing the parent seminar if the local school board determines the seminar is not needed in its district.  


2.    Page 2, Line 33 :    

             33          (1) (a)
{   A   }        Except as provided in Subsection (5), a       school district shall

offer a seminar for parents of students in the school



3.    Page 2, Line 56 through Page 3, Line 63 :    

             56          (3) The State Board of Education shall report to the Legislature's Education Interim
             57      Committee, by the November 2013 meeting, on the progress of implementation of the parent
             58      seminar
  , including if a local school board has opted out of providing the parent seminar, as described in Subsection (5), and the reasons why a local school board opted out       .

             59          (4) The State Board of Education shall report to the Legislature's Education Interim
             60      Committee by the November 2014 meeting on
{   the   } :

             61          (a)
  the       progress of implementation of the parent seminar;

             62          (b)
  the       estimated attendance reported by each school district;      {   and   }

             63          (c)
  a       recommendation of whether to continue the parent seminar program      {   .   }        ; and

    (d) if a local school board has opted out of providing the parent seminar, as described in Subsection (5), and the reasons why a local school board opted out.
    (5)(a) A school district is not required to offer the parent seminar if the local school board determines that the topics described in Subsection (2) are not of significant interest or value to families in the school district.
    (b) If a local school board chooses not to offer the parent seminar, the local school board shall notify the State Board of Education and provide the reasons why the local school board chose not to offer the parent seminar.  

The motion passed unanimously.

Rep. Eliason introduced the bill which requires a school district to implement a parent seminar on various issues.

The following spoke in support of the bill:
Dr. David Doty, Superintendent, Canyons School District
Ms. Pamela Atkinson, Chair of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography

Dr. Martell Menlove, State School Superintendent, commented on the bill.

MOTION:    Rep. Cunningham moved to pass the bill out as amended with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed with Rep. Nielson, Rep. Peterson, and Rep. Stratton voting in opposition to the motion.



MOTION: Rep. Nielson moved to adjourn. The vote was unanimous. Vice Chair Snow adjourned the meeting at 3:58. p.m.



            ___________________________________
            Rep. Francis Gibson, Chair