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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah directs Cybersecurity Commission to set school district standards and restricts student devices
Last action · March 6, 2026: House/ received from SenateSponsors: Ryan Wilcox and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill directs the State Board of Education to establish minimum cybersecurity standards for local education agencies.
School districts and charter schools must comply with new state cybersecurity rules, designate a primary cybersecurity contact, and report data breaches to the Utah Cyber Center within strict timelines, while students face broad restrictions on personal electronic devices during instructional time.
- The Utah Cyber Center operates within the Utah Department of Technology Services to coordinate cybersecurity defenses and incident responses across government entities. context
- The Cybersecurity Commission was originally established to identify cyber threats and vulnerabilities affecting Utah's critical infrastructure. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Local education agencies
Local education agencies must comply with new mandatory cybersecurity standards, designate a primary cybersecurity contact, adhere to phased implementation timelines, and follow strict data breach reporting procedures.
Students
Students face restrictions on using cellphones, smart watches, AI glasses, and emerging technology during classroom hours, with specific exceptions for emergencies, medical necessities, and educational accommodations.
Utah Cyber Center
The Utah Cyber Center receives mandatory data breach reports from local education agencies, investigates incidents, and provides cybersecurity assistance and information-sharing coordination.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must local education agencies do when a data breach occurs?
Who establishes the minimum cybersecurity standards for schools?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
40 actions- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Mar 6, 2026SenateSenate/ strike enacting clause
- Mar 4, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd Reading Calendar to Rules
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
- Feb 26, 2026SenateSenate/ committee report favorable
Show 34 earlier actions
- Feb 25, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 23, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 20, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 19, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 19, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 18, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0042S03
- Feb 18, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0042S03
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ held
- Feb 17, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ substituted
- Feb 17, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 13, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0042S03
- Feb 13, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0042S03
- Feb 11, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0042S02
- Feb 11, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0042S01
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHouse/ committee report favorable
- Feb 6, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0042S02
- Feb 5, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 5, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0042S01
- Feb 4, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0042
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Feb 4, 2026House Rules CommitteeBill Substituted by Sponsor in House Rules Comm
- Feb 4, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0042S02
- Feb 4, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0042S02
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0042S01
- Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0042S01
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 17, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0042
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Dec 18, 2025Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0042
- Dec 18, 2025Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0042
- Dec 18, 2025Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Dec 18, 2025Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Coordination with S.B. 69
The bill includes an explicit coordination clause to integrate changes regarding student device restrictions with S.B. 69, School Device Revisions.
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz55Current news / social attention level
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