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House backs scholarship fund for low‑income students with temporary federal dollars
Summary
House passage of Senate Bill 40 would create a scholarship fund for students up to 200% of the federal poverty level, to be administered by the State Board of Education and supported by roughly $250,000 per year in federal funding for four years; the bill passed 67‑5.
The Utah House on May 17 passed Senate Bill 40, which sponsors described as establishing a scholarship fund aimed at students with family incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The sponsor said the program would be administered by the State Board of Education and that roughly $250,000 per year in federal funds were expected for the first four years.
Representative Bennion (appearing in the transcript) told colleagues the bill “establishes a scholarship fund that can be used for students who are within 200% of poverty” and said federal dollars of $250,000 per year are expected for four years. Members asked whether the bill contains a sunset date; Bennion said he did not believe the legislation included a sunset, and that if federal funds ended the program would revert to existing UCOPE scholarship procedures.
Representative King supported the bill on the floor, noting that the program is permissive and would not change current eligibility beyond providing a named subset of eligible students. The measure passed on the House floor by a vote of 67 yes to 5 no and will be forwarded to the Senate for further consideration.
Quotes in this article are taken directly from the House floor transcript.
