Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 278 (2023GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Wilcox, R.

Final action

House/ to Governor 3/13/2023

Outcome

House/ to Governor

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• creates the First Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program to be administered by the Utah Board of Higher Education to provide grants for specific Ŝ→ [ retirees ] individuals ←Ŝ who are studying at certain educational institutions to become mental 16a health therapists.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Feb 9, 2023 at 9:59 AM by lpoole.
FIRST RESPONDER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES GRANT
PROGRAM
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Ryan D. Wilcox
Senate Sponsor: 
 Don L. Ipson
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill creates the First Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program to be
administered by the Utah Board of Higher Education.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ creates the First Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program to be
administered by the Utah Board of Higher Education to provide grants for specific
Ŝ→ [
retirees
] 
 individuals
 ←Ŝ
 who are studying at certain educational institutions to become mental
16a health
therapists.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
ENACTS:
53B-8-117
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53B-8-117
 is enacted to read:
 53B-8-117.
First Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program.
(1) This section creates the First Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program.
(2) Subject to legislative appropriations and Subsection (6), the board shall award a
grant to an applicant who:
(a) is a
Ŝ→ 
full-time employee or a
 ←Ŝ
retiree, as that term is defined in
32a 
Section 
49-11-102
, who
Ŝ→ 
is an active member of or
 ←Ŝ
has qualified for an
allowance under the requirements of:
(i) Title 49, Chapter 14, Public Safety Contributory Retirement Act;
(ii) Title 49, Chapter 15, Public Safety Noncontributory Retirement Act;
(iii) Title 49, Chapter 16, Firefighters' Retirement Act; or
(iv) Title 49, Chapter 23, New Public Safety and Firefighter Tier II Contributory
Retirement Act; and
(b) is seeking a post-secondary degree or certification to become a mental health
therapist, as that term is defined in Section 
58-60-102
, within the state system of higher
education, described in Section 
53B-1-102
.
(3) (a) Subject to Subsection (3)(b), the board may award a qualified applicant up to
the cost of tuition and fees.
(b) A grant award under Subsection (3)(a) is limited to:
(i) a maximum of $6,000 each academic year; and
(ii) a maximum of four academic years.
(4) The board shall design the program to ensure that institutions combine loans,
grants, employment, and family and individual contributions toward financing the cost of
attendance.
(5) (a) The board shall make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
Administrative Rulemaking Act, to:
(i) set deadlines for receiving grant applications and supporting documentation; and
(ii) establish the application process and an appeal process for the First Responder
Mental Health Services Grant Program.
(b) The board shall include a disclosure on all applications and related materials that
the amount of the awarded grants may be subject to funding or be reduced, in accordance with
Subsection (6).
(6) (a) Subject to future budget constraints, the Legislature shall make an annual
appropriation from the Income Tax Fund to the board for the costs associated with the First
Responder Mental Health Services Grant Program authorized under this section.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, if the appropriation under this
section is insufficient to cover the costs associated with the First Responder Mental Health
Services Grant Program, the board may:
(i) reduce the amount of a grant; or
(ii) distribute grants on a pro rata basis to all eligible applicants who submitted a
complete application before the application deadline.
Section 2. 
Effective date.
This bill takes effect on July 1, 2023.