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Tuesday, November 3, 2026

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Utah bill tracker

H.B. 256: School District Elections Amendments

2026 General Session · Originating chamber: House

Saved official records and Ledger coverage. The outcome below is from the Legislature’s own step list.

What the bill does

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

It would have made local school board seats partisan offices, with partisan primaries, adjusted vacancy rules and changed campaign and conflict-of-interest reporting. It never reached a floor vote: a committee sent it back to the Rules Committee, and it was filed on March 6, 2026.

This bill makes the office of local school board member an office that is elected via a partisan election.

  • Defines terms
  • Makes the office of local school board member an office that is elected via a partisan election
  • Modifies provisions relating to filling a midterm vacancy for the office of local school board member
  • Provides for the election of a local school board member using the partisan primary election nomination process
  • Modifies campaign reporting requirements and conflict of interest reporting requirements for a local school board office candidate or local school board officeholder
  • Provides for the transition from a nonpartisan local board of education to a partisan local board of education
  • Makes technical and conforming changes

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

Subjects: Election Law · Voting and Voter Registration · Education · K-12 Education · Boards and Committees · Government Operations (State Issues) · Election Administration · School Districts · Elected Official

How it moved

  1. · House1st reading (Introduced)Rules Committee
  2. · Houseto standing committeeGovernment Operations Committee
  3. · HouseHouse Comm - Recommends Returned to RulesGovernment Operations Committee
  4. · 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

The Legislative Fiscal Analyst's note on 1st Sub. H.B. 256 (Buff) found no material cost or revenue effect for the state, local governments or businesses.

Bill overview

Sponsor: Jason B. Kyle

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:

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.