This bill addresses roles and responsibilities of a higher education institution's board of trustees and president.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Governance of Utah's public colleges, universities, and technical colleges would be restructured to more clearly divide responsibilities between each institution's board of trustees and its president: boards would gain explicit authority over strategic planning, tuition and budget approval, program approvals, internal audits (serving as or creating an audit committee), and annual presidential performance evaluations, while presidents would retain day-to-day control over hiring, organizational structure, and budget management, generally in consultation with or subject to approval by the board. The bill would also require the Board of Higher Education to write rules defining the scope of authority for institutional legal counsel, would bar these attorneys from serving in administrative roles outside legal work, and would prohibit university presidents from hiring outside litigation counsel without the attorney general's written consent. Separately, it would change the general rule for how any state agency (not just universities) hires outside legal counsel, allowing the attorney general to authorize an agency to hire and pay for its own outside counsel rather than the attorney general's office handling and initially paying those costs. Technical college boards serving more than four school districts would be required to adopt a rotation system for local school board representation instead of guaranteeing every district a seat, and colleges and boards would need to report more detailed information on how they calculate and spend money on employee compensation.
Current version: SB0240S01 (Substitute)
Introduction
Feb 3
Senate Rules
Senate Committee
Feb 6
Senate 2nd Reading
Feb 23
Senate 3rd Reading
Feb 24
House Rules
Mar 2
House Committee
Feb 27
House Floor Vote
Mar 4
Governor Signed
Mar 19
IntroductionFeb 3
Senate Rules
Senate CommitteeFeb 6
Senate 2nd ReadingFeb 23
Senate 3rd ReadingFeb 24
House RulesMar 2
House CommitteeFeb 27
House Floor VoteMar 4
Governor SignedMar 19
This bill addresses roles and responsibilities of a higher education institution's board of trustees and president.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Governance of Utah's public colleges, universities, and technical colleges would be restructured to more clearly divide responsibilities between each institution's board of trustees and its president: boards would gain explicit authority over strategic planning, tuition and budget approval, program approvals, internal audits (serving as or creating an audit committee), and annual presidential performance evaluations, while presidents would retain day-to-day control over hiring, organizational structure, and budget management, generally in consultation with or subject to approval by the board. The bill would also require the Board of Higher Education to write rules defining the scope of authority for institutional legal counsel, would bar these attorneys from serving in administrative roles outside legal work, and would prohibit university presidents from hiring outside litigation counsel without the attorney general's written consent. Separately, it would change the general rule for how any state agency (not just universities) hires outside legal counsel, allowing the attorney general to authorize an agency to hire and pay for its own outside counsel rather than the attorney general's office handling and initially paying those costs. Technical college boards serving more than four school districts would be required to adopt a rotation system for local school board representation instead of guaranteeing every district a seat, and colleges and boards would need to report more detailed information on how they calculate and spend money on employee compensation.
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Governor Signed
Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
Senate/ to Governor
Executive Branch - Governor
Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
Senate Secretary
Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing
Senate Secretary
Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
Senate Secretary
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM