The gavel came down on the 2024 Utah Legislature on the evening of Friday, March 1, ending a lawmaking session that will significantly impact higher education in the state.
From bills reshaping how equity and diversity efforts proceed on Utah’s campuses, to guidelines for student-athlete endorsement deals, to tenure and shared government changes, state lawmakers dedicated significant time this year to weighty debates about policy and curriculum.
At the same time, legislators approved more than $110 million in funding for capital projects—including Huntsman Cancer Institute’s expansion into Vineyard in Utah County, a remodel of the Redwood Health Center and $23 million for other projects like the Price Computing Building—as well as approving $400 million in additional bonding authority for the West Valley Hospital project.
Legislators also approved a 3% compensation bump for higher education workers plus 7.2% for health and 0.9% for dental insurance cost increases. Lawmakers signed off on an initial $2.5 million in funding for the U to host one of the 2024 Presidential Debates.
Below is an overview of some of the legislation passed this year and how it will impact the University of Utah.
This bill updates guidelines for the endorsement deals college student-athletes can sign in for the use of their “name, image and likeness,” or NIL. The legislation prohibits athletes from endorsing things like tobacco products, drugs, strip clubs, gambling, alcohol, or firearms “that the student-athlete cannot legally purchase.”
Agreements for over $600 in value must be reviewed by the athlete's school to ensure they align with this legislation and the institution's guidelines. Schools may not use appropriated funds for purposes related to student-athlete agreements. These agreements and materials related to agreements are exempt from Utah’s Open Records Act.
This legislation restricts which “changing rooms” people can use in public buildings, including on the University of Utah campus. A changing room is a space designated for multiple individuals to dress or undress in the same space, such as a dressing room, fitting room, locker room, or shower room. It does not include a restroom unless the restroom is within or attached to a changing room.
While the prohibitions went into effect with Gov. Spencer Cox’s signature on Jan. 30, the enforcement provisions do not take effect until May 1, 2024.
Though most of the law’s guidelines and restrictions apply to K-12 public schools, it will likely impact changing room use on the university’s campus. Find more information here.
This bill prohibits state higher education from relying on certain individual characteristics in decisions regarding aspects of employment or education. It also eliminates central offices dedicated to equity, diversity and inclusion, and prohibits policies, procedures, practices, programs or initiatives that are referred to as diversity, equity and inclusion. The law prohibits the use of diversity statements or commitments in hiring or admission processes and requires that dedicated resource centers serve all students.
Lawmakers carved out protections for classroom instruction, research and accreditation. Federally funded grants approved by the Board of Trustees or the Board of Higher Education that include certain diversity expectations are allowed. Lawmakers also created an exception for an institution to establish or maintain eligibility for a federal program and meet accreditation requirements. They also updated the legislation to allow the University of Utah to maintain its memorandum of understanding with the Ute Tribe.
The legislation will go into effect on July 1, 2024. More information about how the bill impacts the U can be found here.
Guidance about how this bill impacts hiring practices at the U can be found here.
The so-called “Tenure Bill,” H.B. 438, requires the presidents of degree-granting institutions to make policies regarding tenure and annual post-tenure review and sets minimum requirements for those policies. Under this legislation, presidents are also required to make an annual report to the Utah Board of Education by Oct. 1 that includes information regarding post-tenure reviews from the previous year.
According to this legislation, the terms and conditions of tenured employment must be stated in writing and provide protections for academic freedom in teaching, research and an individual's personal life. The bill also outlines the circumstances when a tenured faculty member’s employment may be terminated, including professional incompetence, serious misconduct, unethical behavior, legal misconduct related to their duties, falsified credentials, plagiarism, or an inability or unwillingness to meet institutional expectations. A full list of reasons can be found in the bill’s text.
Dubbed the “Presidential Powers Act”, this bill clarifies and streamlines the responsibilities of presidents of higher education institutions in the state. It identifies which responsibilities leaders of technical colleges and degree-granting institutions share and it identifies areas that may differ. It also allows Talent Ready Utah to create talent advisory councils for talent initiatives and it amends requirements related to operations and maintenance funding requests.
This bill creates the One Utah Service Fellowship program, which will provide a living stipend and tuition award to Utah high school graduates who participate in an approved year-long service opportunity. Students will also receive apprenticeship opportunities, certification, and guidance on education. The legislature appropriated $1.3 million in ongoing funds and $2 million in one-time funds for this initiative.
“This is a wonderful opportunity not only to grow professional skills and maturity but also for students to see the community in a larger frame or larger context and then be able to apply that as they continue their careers,” said Sen. Anne Miller (R-Ogden), the sponsor of S.B. 206.
If passed, this legislation would have created an Independent School of General Education at the University of Utah as a pilot program for the state. This bill failed in committee. It is anticipated similar legislation may emerge in future sessions.
Appropriations
Though funds were tight in the state budget this year—many lawmakers referred to it as a “socks and underwear” session—university leadership secured several exciting appropriations asks.
Here are some of the big-ticket items lawmakers approved:
The legislature approved a 3% compensation increase for higher education employees. The state will fund 75% of this increase and higher education institutions will fund the other 25% for their employees. The state also allocated $3,404,600 for performance funding and $5,465,300 for internal service funds.
The legislature allocated $2.5 million to support the U in hosting a presidential debate on Oct. 9, 2024.
To increase the state’s life sciences workforce, the legislature put $2 million in one-time funding and $2 million in on-going funding to support a joint effort between the U and Utah State University. This new partnership between the state of Utah, higher education, and life sciences industry leaders aims to keep Utah competitive globally by training and supporting students entering the workforce with highly technical skills.
This multi-institutional effort will bring cutting-edge cancer research and treatment closer to thousands of Utahns, as well as create invaluable opportunities for Utah students. With $75 million in one-time funding and $662,700 in ongoing support for operations and management, the legislature has made a significant investment in this life-saving project.
The legislature approved an additional $400 million in bonding capacity for the West Valley Hospital project. This new medical campus will include a multi-specialty outpatient health center, an emergency department and a hospital. The project will be built in phases and is slated to open in 2027.
This one-time, $12.5 million appropriation will support the remodel of the U’s Redwood Health Center.