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Wednesday, November 4, 2026

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Utah bill tracker

H.B. 497: Public Education Funding 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.

This bill provides additional funding for the Minimum School Program in certain fiscal years with enrollment decline.

  • Provides additional funding for the Minimum School Program in certain fiscal years with enrollment decline
  • 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 · School Finance

How it moved

  1. · House1st reading (Introduced)Rules Committee
  2. · 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. 497, dated February 9, 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 bill may result in foregone savings to the Uniform School Fund beginning in FY 2028. Under provisions in the bill, savings to the state from student enrollment decline is redirected to increase the value of the weighted pupil unit (WPU) in the Minimum School Program.
  • Local government: Local education agencies in the future may avoid reductions in state funding related to enrollment declines via an increase in the value of the weighted pupil unit. Had this language been in effect for the 2026 General Session, the estimated increase would have been approximately $40/WPU, for a total of $37,755,900 statewide.
  • 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: John Arthur

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.