UTAH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
 LEGISLATION OF INTEREST TO HIGHER EDUCATION
 1999 GENERAL SESSION
 BILLS PASSED 

H.B. 7  Center for the School of the Future - Lloyd W. Frandsen 
     Establishes the Center for the School of the Future at Utah State University to promote "best practices" in the state's public education system and encourage cooperative and research development relationships between public and higher education; provides for a $250,000 appropriation.

H.B. 16  Collegiate License Plates - Afton B. Bradshaw
      Provides a simplified process for purchasing collegiate license plates and contributing to institutional scholarship funds. The applicant for a new or renewal of a collegiate plate goes directly to the Motor Vehicle Division which issues the plates, collects the money and deposits net funds with the named institution's scholarship fund, after deducting actual production and administrative costs associated with making and issuing the collegiate plates.

H.B. 30  Appropriation for Center for Landscape Water Management - Judy Ann Buffmire
      Appropriates $100,000 to USU Extension for a landscape water management program.  The Center will "gather information, conduct research, and, through extension offices, disseminate information and conduct training on the efficient use of water on lawns, gardens, parks, golf courses, highway landscaping, and other similar areas."

H.B. 32  Dixie College Name Change - John W. Hickman
      The Board, as part of its master planning responsibilities, and in consultation with the Dixie College President and Board of Trustees, shall establish three baccalaureate programs at the college for the 2000 semester and authorize a delivery method for the programs.  The Board shall review the role and mission of Dixie College for possible offering of baccalaureate programs by the College as well as consideration of a possible name change to reflect consistency within the system.  The Board shall report its findings to the Legislature's Education Interim Committee and Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee by November 15, 1999.

H.B. 34 Applied Technology Education - A. Lamont Tyler
     Designates the state's applied technology centers to "include the Wasatch Front South Applied Technology Center" and divides the current funding for the Service Region between the new Center and Salt Lake Community College. The "primary" role of the new ATC would be to "meet the ATE training needs of secondary students in Salt Lake and Tooele Counties."  The higher education portion of the funds will be used by SLCC to provide ATE training to adult students.  In the future, the appropriations will be made in two separate line items.

H.B. 54  Appropriation for Environmental Literacy Curriculum - Dennis H. Iverson
      Appropriates $60,000 one-time to SUU to establish a center to: (a) coordinate the development of an upper elementary and middle school environmental education strategy that broadens the scope and quality of state education; (b) provide a professional development program for teachers; (c) offer and evaluate pilot programs at middle schools; and (d) pilot a residential science summer camp for students.  SUU shall report findings and needs for funding to the Legislative Education Committee prior to November 30, 1999.

H.B. 63  Reading Skills Development Center - Karen W. Morgan
     Appropriates $250,000 (one-time) to the U of U to establish a Reading Skills Development Center. Assessment and intervention programs shall focus primarily on grades one through three, but the services shall be available to public education students of all ages.  The training of teachers will be facilitated by technology as well as on-site instruction.

H.B. 96  Mineral Lease Amendments - Thomas V. Hatch
      Provides for the allocation of monies attributable to royalties from the extraction of minerals on certain lands located within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 40% of the monies goes to local special service districts. 40% goes to local school districts. 20% is deposited into the Mineral Lease Account. This could impact those higher education institutions which receive a portion of the funds in the Mineral Lease Account.

H.B. 109  Educator Licensing and Professional Practices Act - Sheryl L. Allen
      Reformats and restructures statutory provisions on licensing of public school (K-12) educators; provides for professional development; establishes criteria for using substitute teachers; and provides for a hearing process regarding complaints against educators.

H.B. 119 Quality Growth Act of 1999 - Kevin S. Garn
      State agencies, including System institutions, will be directed by a "State Building Energy Efficiency Program" to be developed by the Governor to institute certain energy savings practices. Up to 50% of the savings from these practices will be transferred to the LeRay McAllister Critical Land Conservation Fund.  The Fund is capped at $6,000,000.  The money in the fund will be used for preserving or restoring open land and agricultural land. Also, use of  50% of any increases in the private activity bond volume cap for the same purposes may have some minor future impact on the student loan distribution parameters.

H.B. 197  Cedar Mountain Initiative Appropriation - Thomas V. Hatch
      Appropriates $200,000 (ongoing) from the General Fund in FY 1999 to the Utah State University Agricultural Experiment Station to conduct research, in cooperation with SUU, on rangelands and forest lands in the Cedar Mountain Area "to determine how rangeland may be managed to support both livestock and wildlife and to investigate the replacement of aspen by conifers."

H.B. 229 State Olympic Coordination Amendments - Jordan Tanner
     The act requires that the Governor's written approval of the SLOC financial plan shall provide for the payment of all SLOC obligations including that to "the University of Utah, for use of the university's stadium for opening and closing ceremonies in accordance with the requirements of the Ceremonies Agreement dated July 1997."

H.B. 261 Higher Education Savings Incentive Program Amendments -Keele Johnson
      Modifies provisions in the Higher Education Savings and Supplemental Savings Incentive Programs to authorize the Board to establish parameters for the amounts participants may invest in the programs; and provides for savings amounts in addition to the amount which qualifies for state income tax deductibility.

H.B. 321 Prison Education - Loraine T. Pace
      Appropriates $35,000 ongoing monies to the Board to establish higher education extension programs at the Beaver, Duchesne, San Juan, and Washington County jails.  The Board is required to report on the program to the Legislative Education Interim Committee by November 30, 1999.  The bill takes effect July 1, 1999.

H.B. 334 Mapping and Documentation of R. S. 2477 Rights-of-Way and Other Structures - Bradley T. Johnson
      Appropriates $450,000 to the Automated Geographic Reference Center to inventory and map R.S. 2477 rights-of-way using global positioning system technology and to photograph roads, evidence of valid existing rights, and other structures on federal lands. The College of Natural Resources at Utah State University will facilitate the study.

S.B. 2 1999 Bond Bill and Capital Facilities Expenditures - Beverly Ann Evans
      Authorizes the issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds for capital facilities, computer software, computer hardware, computer system development, buildings, and related facilities. This includes SUU Physical Education Building ($2,493,200 The remaining $17,452,000 is funded from the General Fund and the Uniform School Fund.); UVSC Information Sciences Building ($29,000,000); U of U Cowles Building Renovation ($7,268,500); and SLCC Applied Education Center ($4,200,000).

S.B. 8 Research Tax Credits Modifications - Howard C. Nielson
      Provides tax incentives to encourage research and technology transfer in the state.  Much of the qualifying research will be conducted on higher education campuses. This legislation was promoted by the Utah Partnership.

S.B. 90 Higher Education New Century Scholarships - Robert F. Montgomery
      Provides $13,200 ongoing to the Regents for the awarding of two-year scholarships to students who complete the requirements for an associate degree by September 1 of the year they graduate from high school.

S.B. 114 Strategic Planning for Educational Excellence Amendments - Lyle W. Hillyard
      The SBR and SBE are charged with the "ongoing strategic planning" for their respective systems.  They submit a plan to the legislature every three years.  The higher education plan in due September 1, 1999.  The strategic planning task force, reconstituted as the Strategic Planning for Public and Higher Education Committee, will receive the reports and forward them to the legislature.  A $29,000 appropriation is to pay per diem for the Committee and for the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to staff the Committee.

S.B. 122 Amendments for Dangerous Weapons - Michael G. Waddoups
      The Olympic law enforcement commander is authorized to adopt rules designating the locations of secure areas within Olympic venues where a firearm, ammunition, dangerous weapon, or explosive, chemical, or incendiary device is prohibited between January 25, 2002, and April 1, 2002.  The U of U stadium and athlete housing facilities could qualify for this designation.

S.B. 133 Appropriation for Apprenticeship Training - Michael G. Waddoups
      Appropriates $500,000 (one-time) to the Board to coordinate and enhance articulated curricula in essential apprenticeship training programs to provide highly skilled workers needed by the crafts and trades industry and by consumers.  Particular emphasis is to be placed on developing distance learning programs for this purpose.

S.B. 187 Disposition of Revenue from Certain School and Institutional Trust Lands - Leonard M. Blackham
      Creates a Rural Development Fund and Board and a Rural Electronic Commerce Communications System Fund and Board. Diverts moneys from programs traditionally funded by the Mineral Lease accounts to these new "rural development" entities. State revenues remain unchanged, but the USU based Water Research Laboratory will lose some Mineral Lease Account funding over time.