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Senate amends education bill to fund long-distance learning in nine counties
Summary
The Senate amended and passed Senate Bill 124 to expand the Utah Education Network's higher-education offerings to nine underserved counties, approving $441,000 in one-time downlink funding and $302,000 in ongoing support and moving the amended bill to third reading after changing the funding source to the Uniform School Fund.
The Utah State Senate on Monday amended and passed Senate Bill 124 to enable the Utah Education Network to offer higher-education classes in nine counties that lack long-distance learning links.
Sponsor Senator Evans told the chamber the bill requests $441,000 in one-time money to install downlink equipment and $302,000 for ongoing program costs to provide post-secondary education in Beaver, Daggett, Garfield, Juab, Kane, Morgan, Piute, Rich and Wayne counties. "The bill asked for $441,000 for the 1 time money that is used to do the downlinks that are needed to offer long distance learning and then the $302,000 to provide ongoing programs," Evans said on the floor.
Senator Wright moved an amendment to change the appropriation source on line 84 from the General Fund to the Uniform School Fund, saying the education program would be more appropriately funded from the Uniform School Fund. "This is an educational initiative that I support, and I think it would be more appropriate to come out of the Uniform School Fund," Wright said. After discussion, the Senate approved the amendment by voice vote.
With the amendment adopted, Senator Evans called for passage of the bill as amended. The Senate recorded 26 ayes, no nays and three absences and passed SB 124 to the third-reading calendar. Sponsor remarks said the one-time money would fund electronic downlinks and that counties that agree to establish local training facilities would host the programming.
The amended bill now proceeds toward final consideration by the full Senate and, if passed, will return to the House as amended for concurrence.
The Senate did not debate specific vendor arrangements or implementation timelines on the floor; those operational details were not specified in the recorded remarks.
