Proposal to expand peer-support mental-health programs prompts debate over existing vendor models

Senate Bill 118, presented Feb. 12 in first-substitute form, would task the Utah Board of Higher Education with administering a peer-coaching mental-health grant across the state’s public institutions and reallocate an existing $1,500,000 appropriation from the 2022 session for that purpose.

Sponsor Senator Plumb said the change is intended to give every campus flexibility to adopt peer-coaching models that fit their student body and to provide funding for campuses where current programs are not meeting demand. She described peer coaches as trained students who offer upstream support and early triage and said campuses could continue to contract with existing providers if desired.

Speakers presented conflicting views. Trula Foundation (Rick Akin) urged caution, saying the bill could fragment a widely integrated and successful existing program that already runs at scale on many campuses, provides scholarships for student coaches and delivers tens of thousands of peer-support interactions annually. Representatives of the Utah System of Higher Education clarified the $1.5 million would be a reallocation of existing funding rather than a new appropriation.

Several student coaches and campus representatives described direct benefits—training, internships and scholarship funding—while committee members asked for stakeholder conversations. The committee did not record a final vote on SB 118 in the hearing; senators agreed to continue stakeholder outreach and revisit details before floor action.

Next steps: Sponsor committed to working with institutions and vendors to address concerns and to consider implementation options and timing before further action.