Bill > HB0204

This bill expands protections for students' sincerely held religious and conscience beliefs within higher education institutions, defining terms like "conscience" and "fundamental alteration" to clarify what constitutes a significant change to academic requirements that would negatively impact a student's ability to succeed. Institutions are required to reasonably accommodate students' absences from exams or other academic requirements due to religious or conscience beliefs, or participation in organized religious activities, ensuring these accommodations do not harm academic opportunities. The bill also mandates that institutions reasonably accommodate objections to required assignments or activities if the objection stems from a sincerely held religious or conscience belief and the accommodation does not create a "fundamental alteration," meaning a change that significantly alters the core nature or objectives of a course or program. Instructors must respond to accommodation requests promptly and notify students and the institution if a request is denied, providing a reason, and are prohibited from compelling students to publicly express specific viewpoints on matters of public concern. Institutions must establish policies and procedures for these accommodations, including processes for instructors to handle requests, a timeframe for submissions and responses, and a system for designating neutral arbiters to review denied requests and determine if they constitute a fundamental alteration. The bill also requires institutions to publish their accommodation policies, contact points, and procedures online, and to report annually on arbiter decisions. The board overseeing higher education will establish overarching policies and provide guidelines for these institutional policies.

Education

https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/HB0204.html