House approves education task force to study school funding after amendments

The Utah House on March 13 approved Senate Bill 169 to create a temporary education task force charged with studying long‑term funding and policy for schools.

Representative Gibson, the bill sponsor on the House floor, said the panel would be "a 14 member committee" driven by the legislative leadership and composed of matching House and Senate delegations. "If you look in lines 29 through 47, it's a 14 member committee," Gibson said, describing membership as including appropriations and standing committee chairs and representatives from both parties.

Gibson successfully moved an amendment that removed a dedicated funding source for the task force, telling colleagues the House and Senate can fund two task forces from their normal budgets. Representative Last, supporting a second amendment, said the panel would also examine charter‑school funding and explained that the amendment reflects an agreement to freeze immediate changes and study phasing in ADM‑plus‑growth formulas over time.

Supporters said the task force is intended as a focused, one‑year effort to clarify policy options and funding mechanisms. "Representatives are hoping this task force can maybe bring some clarity and some understanding on how we make policy and how we fund certain items," Gibson said.

The House passed SB 169 as amended; the reading clerk recorded 72 yes votes and 0 no votes. The bill will be returned to the Senate for further consideration.

Next steps: SB 169, as amended, goes back to the Senate and the task force will begin its work per the bill language. No implementation timetable beyond the bill's 12‑month duration was provided on the floor.