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Senate amends Regents scholarship bill, removes International Baccalaureate after equity debate
Summary
The Utah Senate on Feb. 14 amended and passed Senate Bill 100, a Regents scholarship measure, removing language naming the International Baccalaureate program after floor debate that lawmakers said could unfairly advantage students in districts where IB is available.
Senate Bill 100, a package of changes to Regents and Centennial scholarship verification and credit recognition, was amended on the Senate floor Feb. 14 to remove explicit references to the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
Sponsor Senator Stevenson presented the bill, saying it clarifies verification processes for students and aligns scholarship weighting with Advanced Placement (AP) and concurrent-enrollment classes. Several senators raised concerns that naming IB in statute could effectively favor students in districts that offer that program while excluding students from schools without IB.
Senator Dayton argued that the Legislature traditionally avoids placing private or external organizations in statute and urged caution: "We don't normally put a particular entity or a particular organization in our statutes." Senator Dain and other members echoed concerns that listing IB by name could violate the chamber's norms for code language and create an unfair advantage for students from districts that offer IB courses.
Senator Bramble said a code search showed the phrase "International Baccalaureate" already appears in Utah law, but that did not quell concerns about equity. Senator Valentine moved to delete the lines of the bill referencing IB; the motion passed after a division. Senator Davis, explaining his vote, warned that removing the IB language "we've damaged children who are being challenged to step to the front of the class" but said he supported the amended bill to move it forward to the House.
The Senate recorded passage of SB 100 as amended (27 yea, 1 nay, 1 absent) and later made a procedural motion to reconsider and place the bill at the top of the third-reading calendar for further action.
Why it matters: The amendment reflects a tension between recognizing diverse advanced-course pathways (AP, concurrent enrollment, IB) and ensuring scholarship eligibility rules do not advantage students based on district offerings. Lawmakers framed the change as an effort to keep statutory language neutral and equitable while leaving program-specific decisions to the Board of Regents and local education authorities.
What comes next: SB 100, as amended, will be transmitted to the House for consideration; the Senate also moved to reconsider and place the bill at the top of the third-reading calendar to address technical issues before final enrollment.
