H.B. 227: Student Journalist Amendments

What the bill does

Did not pass both chambers; the bill was filed on March 6, 2026.

This bill establishes standards for student expression in school-sponsored media and limits school liability for student-produced content.

• Establishes standards for student expression in school-sponsored media
• Specifies limitations on student expression and requirements for prior restraint
• Provides employment protections for student media advisers
• Requires school boards to adopt policies on school-sponsored media
• Limits school liability for student-produced content
• Makes technical changes

The description and list come from the bill's own long title as recorded by the Legislature. Read the official bill. The Ledger takes no position on it.

Subjects: Education · K-12 Education · Local Education Agencies (LEAs) · On-campus Speech

How it moved

1. January 20, 2026 · House1st reading (Introduced)Rules Committee
2. January 22, 2026 · Houseto standing committeeEducation Committee
3. March 6, 2026 · Housefiledfile for bills not passed

Steps as the Legislature recorded them; clerical and fiscal-staff entries are left out. Numbers such as 54-14-7 are yeas, nays and absent.

Fiscal note

From the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's note on H.B. 227, dated January 17, 2026. A fiscal note estimates direct costs and revenue; it is not an appropriation.

• State revenue: Enactment of this legislation likely will not materially impact state revenue.
• State expenditures: Enactment of this legislation likely will not materially impact state expenditures.
• Local government: To the extent that a local education agency has not already incorporated policy development into its school board’s regular administrative duties, enactment of this legislation could result in an estimated one-time cost of $1,500 to $4,000 in FY 2027 to develop and adopt the policies required by the bill.
• Individuals and businesses: Enactment of this legislation likely will not result in direct expenditures from tax or fee changes for Utah residents and businesses.

Bill overview

Sponsor: Carol S. Moss

Legislature passed-list status: Not available in the saved metadata.

Passed-list membership is not a finding that a bill was signed or took effect. A bill absent from that list is not necessarily pending or defeated.

Latest recorded action

filed
Action date: March 6, 2026

The full step list is above. Find the bill in the official session list for status, hearings and committee records.

Recorded floor votes

No floor-vote records for this bill and session are available here. This does not mean no vote occurred; consult the official bill record.

Ledger coverage

No Ledger stories with an explicit source link to this bill and session are listed here.