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Senate advances bill to reorganize UCAT governance after months of task-force work
Summary
Senate supporters said House Bill 15 reflects months of task-force compromise to give the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT) more autonomy, clarify trustee roles and prevent a cascade of mergers; the bill advanced to the third-reading calendar after floor debate.
Senator Dayton told the Senate that House Bill 15 grew from an intensive task force and interim work to address governance of career and technical education in Utah. "The bill that we have before us today is not a consensus bill, but it is an agreed to bill," Dayton said, describing compromises on autonomy for UCAT and governance changes affecting the Salt Lake/Tooele ATC arrangements.
The bill would increase UCATs autonomy, permit UCAT trustees to select institutional presidents and ensure representation on the Board of Regents (nonvoting) and the State Board of Education. Sponsor Dayton and supporters emphasized the bill balances institutional autonomy with safeguards to preserve applied-technology colleges across the state. Senator Bramble, who supported the interim work, described the measure as a product of "intense dialogue" and urged colleagues to support the compromise without amendment. Senator Greiner and others questioned specific prohibitions on mergers; Bramble said those restrictions were intended as a temporary "speed bump" to prevent a domino effect of consolidations that could erode vocational institutions.
After extended discussion and repeated assurances that the measure was the product of months of negotiation, the Senate voted to place HB15 at the bottom of the third-reading calendar. The bill was recorded as having received 24 yea votes, 0 nay votes, with 5 senators absent.
