Tribal Accountability

The Same Sponsors, Written the Other Way

In the same session that H.B. 61 closed off records on the Navajo Trust Fund, the same two sponsors passed an education bill that requires the state to consult tribal leaders and share data with them.

Sources: le.utah.gov Method: Public records only, no comment requested

Start Here — the 60-second version

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1
H.B. 75 (2026), “American Indian and Alaska Native Education Amendments,” was carried by Rep. Christine F. Watkins and Sen. Ronald M. Winterton, the same pair behind H.B. 61.
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It requires the State Board of Education to adopt an American Indian and Alaska Native education state plan by Jan. 1, 2027, after “meaningful consultation with stakeholders and tribal leaders.”
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The plan must include “a process for sharing data with tribal education leaders” and ongoing reports to the Legislature’s Native American Legislative Liaison Committee.
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The state’s tribal education liaison must now report each year on which schools get the program’s grants and how well the money works.
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Every floor and committee vote was unanimous except one House committee vote, 10–1. Gov. Cox signed it Feb. 27, 2026.

Quick glossary — click a term

State plan

The American Indian and Alaska Native education state plan. Before H.B. 75 it existed under a 2015 session law; H.B. 75 puts it in code and requires the State Board of Education to adopt it by rule.

Concentrated school

A school where at least 29% of students are American Indian or Alaska Native. Grant priority goes to these schools in rural counties with significant Native populations.

Liaison Committee

The Native American Legislative Liaison Committee, co-chaired by Watkins and Winterton. It recommended both H.B. 61 and H.B. 75.

H.B. 61 and H.B. 75 came from the same two legislators, the same committee and the same session. H.B. 61 closed public records on the Navajo Trust Fund’s investments and gave the Navajo Nation a less detailed report. H.B. 75 goes the other way: it writes tribal consultation and data sharing into state education law.

What The Bill Does

H.B. 75, “American Indian and Alaska Native Education Amendments,” 2026 General Session. Primary sponsor Rep. Christine F. Watkins; Senate sponsor Sen. Ronald M. Winterton. The Native American Legislative Liaison Committee recommended the bill, 9–0–2. Signed by Gov. Cox Feb. 27, 2026; effective May 6, 2026.

Requires the State Board of Education to adopt the state plan by rule by Jan. 1, 2027, and to present it to the Native American Legislative Liaison Committee first.
The plan must identify students’ most critical academic needs, rely on “the best available evidence and most recent data,” list existing programs, include a plan to hire and keep qualified teachers, and include “a process for sharing data with tribal education leaders.”
In writing the plan, the board “shall engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders and tribal leaders within the state in a manner consistent with the Every Student Succeeds Act.”
The tribal education liaison’s yearly report must now include which entities receive grants and “the effectiveness of the expenditures of grant money.”
Added by amendment on Jan. 30: local plans must reflect the state education vision and mission in Section 53E-2-301.

Side by Side With H.B. 61

Records closed, reports less detailed

H.B. 61, Navajo Trust Fund

↔

Consultation and data sharing required

H.B. 75, tribal education

Worth stating plainly: both bills came out of the committee Watkins and Winterton co-chair. Reporting both is not a contradiction; it is the record. H.B. 75 sets requirements for a plan that doesn’t exist yet, so whether the consultation and data sharing happen won’t be known until the state board acts.

Vote Record

10–1–4

House Education Cmte, Jan 22

72–0–3

House, Jan 30

6–0–1

Senate Education Cmte, Feb 6

22–0–7

Senate consent calendar, Feb 12

Interim: Native American Legislative Liaison Committee recommendation, 9–0–2.
Jan. 22, House Education Committee, 10–1–4: Rep. Nicholeen Peck voted no; Reps. Lisonbee, MacPherson, V. Peterson and Pierucci absent.
Jan. 30, House, amended bill, 72–0–3: Reps. Gricius, Hollins and Thurston absent. Peck voted yes.
Feb. 6, Senate Education Committee, 6–0–1: Sen. Fillmore absent.
Feb. 12, Senate consent calendar, 22–0–7: Winterton voted yes; Sens. Adams, Hinkins, McCay, McKell, Plumb, Stevenson and Vickers absent.
Feb. 27: Signed by Gov. Cox. The enrolled text matches the Jan. 30 amended version word for word.

Still Open

What isn’t known yet: whether the State Board of Education adopts the plan by Jan. 1, 2027, who it consults, and what the data-sharing process looks like. The grant program’s funding amount was not checked for this page.