The 2012 Session of the Utah State Legislature got underway last Monday the 23rd, and will conclude on Thursday, March 8th. There will be a number of bills considered impacting the Utah System of Higher Education, all of which will be carefully tracked by the Commissioner’s Office and institutions.

For the first time since 2008, the Legislature convened with significant revenue growth. According to December revenue estimates, the state will have an on-going increase of $280 million for the General Fund and Education Funds, an increase of approximately 6%. The revenue estimate also includes surplus funds of $128 million. Thus for the first time in four years the session opened without the threat of base-budget cuts.