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Senate panel sends student‑housing study bill to the floor after hearing university‑town data
Summary
A Senate committee unanimously recommended HB 520, a study of student and faculty housing in college towns; Representative Thompson cited Logan/USU data showing local owner‑occupancy and student housing pressures and the governor’s office said it is working on funding for the study.
Representative Thompson described HB 520 as a data‑driven study of student and faculty housing pressures in college towns. Citing figures from Logan City and Utah State University, he told the committee there are roughly 20,000 students at USU, about 3,500 in on‑campus housing and another 3,500 living with families, leaving an estimated 13,000 students competing for an available housing stock he cited as roughly 18,570 units in Logan.
"We need to know what occupancy rates are, what this looks like in surrounding communities, and what mitigation factors might exist," Rep. Thompson said, urging the committee to approve a neutral, inventory‑based study.
Representatives of the governor’s office and municipal associations said they support the study and are working to find funding so it will not create a state budget impact for the current session. Committee members asked about methodology and impartiality; Sen. Johnson said he would like stronger guardrails around study methodology but indicated support for data‑driven analysis.
The committee voted unanimously to pass HB 520 favorably to the Senate floor (transcript records a 3–0 vote). Sponsors said they will work with stakeholders to ensure towns and university leaders are included in the inventory and analysis.
