Utah legislation · 2026 General Session
Utah HB278: School Board Election Amendments
Status: Failed, March 6, 2026
This bill amends provisions relating to the State Board of Education.
What the bill says
From the introduced text, January 16, 2026:
0 School Board Election Amendments 2026 GENERAL SESSION STATE OF UTAH Chief Sponsor: John Arthur Senate Sponsor: LONG TITLE General Description: This bill amends provisions relating to the State Board of Education. Highlighted Provisions: This bill: - makes the office of State Board of Education member a nonpartisan office; - repeals provisions making the office of State Board of Education member a partisan office; - requires the governor to fill a vacancy in the office of State Board of Education member by appointing, with the advice and consent of the Senate, an individual who meets the office's eligibility and residency requirements; - beginning with the 2028 election cycle, requires a candidate for an office on the State Board of Education to participate in a nonpartisan primary election to narrow the number of candidates who participate in a nonpartisan general election; and - makes technical and conforming changes. Money Appropriated in this Bill: None Other Special Clauses: This bill provides a special effective date. Utah Code Sections Affected: AMENDS: 20A-1-102 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, First Special Session, Chapter 6 20A-1-504 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 90 20A-8-401 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 448 20A-9-201 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Second Special Session, …
Sponsors
- Arthur, John (D, 41) · primary sponsor
- Dailey-Provost, Jennifer (D, 22)
- Fitisemanu, Jake (D, 30)
Latest actions
- : House/ filed
- : House/ strike enacting clause
- : House/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- : LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0278
- : LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0278
- : House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- : House/ received bill from Legislative Research
- : LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0278
- : LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0278
- : Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
Subjects: Government Operations (State Issues), State Board of Education, Education, Boards and Committees, Voting and Voter Registration, Election Law
Common questions
- What is HB278?
- HB278 is a bill in the Utah Legislature (2026 General Session): School Board Election Amendments.
- What does HB278 do?
- This bill amends provisions relating to the State Board of Education.
- What is the status of HB278?
- Failed as of March 6, 2026. Latest action: House/ filed (March 6, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB278?
- Arthur, John (D, 41), with 2 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB278?
- On the Utah Legislature website: https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/HB0278.html
Source: official Utah record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.