Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 223 First Substitute (2017GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Eliason, S.

Final action

House/ filed 3/9/2017

Outcome

Failed / filed without passage

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines terms;
• creates the Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program;
• authorizes the State Board of Education to award grants to qualified local education agencies to employ licensed school counselors;
• requires a local education agency that receives a grant to make an annual report to the State Board of Education; and
• provides a repeal date.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELOR PILOT PROGRAM
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Steve Eliason
Senate Sponsor: 
 Howard A. Stephenson
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill creates the Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ defines terms;
▸ creates the Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program;
▸ authorizes the State Board of Education to award grants to qualified local education
agencies to employ licensed school counselors;
▸ requires a local education agency that receives a grant to make an annual report to
the State Board of Education; and
▸ provides a repeal date.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
This bill appropriates:
▸ to the State Board of Education -- Minimum School Program -- Related to Basic
School Program, as a one-time appropriation:
• from the Education Fund, $1,500,000.
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
63I-1-253
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapters 41, 63, and 169
ENACTS:
53A-1-415
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53A-1-415
 is enacted to read:
 53A-1-415.
Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Board" means the State Board of Education.
(b) "College and career counseling" means the same as that term is defined in Section
53A-15-1601
.
(c) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means a school district or charter school.
(d) "Program" means the Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program created in this
section.
(e) "Qualified LEA" means an LEA that:
(i) serves students in any one or all of grades kindergarten through grade 6; and
(ii) (A) does not employ a licensed school counselor at the school for which the LEA
plans to employ the licensed school counselor at the time of application for a grant to the
board; or
(B) already employs at the time of grant application a licensed school counselor at the
school for which the LEA plans to employ an additional licensed counselor through grant
funds, the already employed licensed counselor serves two or more schools within the LEA,
and the LEA intends through grant funds to hire an additional licensed counselor to reduce
workload.
(2) There is created the Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program, a grant program
for LEAs to improve student emotional and social support through access to licensed school
counselors.
(3) The board shall:
(a) subject to legislative appropriations and Subsection (4), award a grant to a qualified
LEA to employ a licensed school counselor; and
(b) in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act,
make rules specifying:
(i) procedures for applying for and awarding grants under this section;
(ii) qualifying professional licenses for a school counselor employed in whole or in part
by a grant; and
(iii) annual reporting requirements for grantees in accordance with Subsection (7).
(4) The board shall award grants to each qualified LEA that applies under this section
to qualified LEAs by first awarding one grant each and, with any remaining money, awarding a
second grant to a qualified LEA based on the size of the student population served by the
qualified LEA, giving priority to a qualified LEA with a larger student population served.
(5) A qualified LEA may provide local funds in addition to grant funds received under
this section to supplement a licensed school counselor's salary.
(6) A licensed school counselor employed in whole or in part through a grant described
in this section:
(a) shall provide emotional and social support to students;
(b) may provide college and career readiness counseling; and
(c) may not at any one time serve more than two schools in a school district.
(7) A qualified LEA that receives a grant under this section shall include in an annual
report to the board:
(a) (i) measurable goals on improving student emotional and social support;
(ii) how the qualified LEA, through employment of a licensed school counselor and
other means, intends to meet those goals; and
(iii) whether the qualified LEA, after employing a licensed school counselor, has met
those goals; and
(b) if the qualified LEA decides to discontinue the licensed school counselor position,
the qualified LEA's reason for discontinuing the position.
Section 2. Section 
63I-1-253
 is amended to read:
63I-1-253.
Repeal dates, Titles 53, 53A, and 53B.
The following provisions are repealed on the following dates:
(1) Subsection 
53-10-202
(18) is repealed July 1, 2018.
(2) Section 
53-10-202.1
 is repealed July 1, 2018.
(3) Section 53A-1-415 is repealed July 1, 2019.
[
(3)
] 
(4)
 Title 53A, Chapter 1a, Part 6, Public Education Job Enhancement Program is
repealed July 1, 2020.
[
(4)
] 
(5)
 Section 
53A-13-106.5
 is repealed July 1, 2019.
[
(5)
] 
(6)
 Section 
53A-15-106
 is repealed July 1, 2019.
[
(6)
] 
(7)
 Subsections 
53A-16-113
(3) and (4) are repealed December 31, 2016.
[
(7)
] 
(8)
 Section 
53A-16-114
 is repealed December 31, 2016.
[
(8)
] 
(9)
 Section 
53A-17a-163
, Performance-based Compensation Pilot Program, is
repealed July 1, 2016.
[
(9)
] 
(10)
 Title 53A, Chapter 31, Part 4, American Indian and Alaskan Native
Education State Plan Pilot Program, is repealed July 1, 2022.
[
(10)
] 
(11)
 Section 
53B-24-402
, Rural residency training program, is repealed July 1,
2020.
[
(11)
] 
(12)
 Subsection 
53C-3-203
(4)(b)(vii), which provides for the distribution of
money from the Land Exchange Distribution Account to the Geological Survey for test wells,
other hydrologic studies, and air quality monitoring in the West Desert, is repealed July 1,
2020.
Section 3. 
Appropriation.
The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
2017, and ending June 30, 2018. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
fiscal year 2018. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures
Act, the Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts
indicated for the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
To State Board of Education -- Minimum School Program -- Related to Basic Program
From Education Fund, One-time
$1,500,000
Schedule of Programs:
Elementary School Counselor Pilot Program $1,500,000
The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education:
(1) use the appropriation to the State Board of Education under this section to award at
least 25 grants to qualified LEAs as part of the grant program described in Section 
53A-1-415
;
and
(2) may award the money in this appropriation to LEAs in fiscal years 2017-18 and
2018-19.
Section 4. 
Effective date.
This bill takes effect on July 1, 2017.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel