Utah Senate fast-tracks base budgets for education, natural resources, criminal justice and social services

The Utah Senate on Day 10 passed a package of base budget bills by suspending standard rules and the constitutional third-reading requirement, approving funding measures for public education, natural resources, executive offices and criminal justice, and social services.

Senator Derek Fillmore presented first substitute House Bill 1, explaining a textual correction to a decimal error and detailing the bill’s funding: "the bill appropriates $6,300,000,000 in total funding for fiscal year '23, $3.9 billion from state funds, $565,000,000 from state fund transfers, and $2.4 billion from other sources," and set the weighted pupil unit at 3,908, a 2.6% increase. Fillmore said the substitute corrects a mistaken decimal that would otherwise have implied a $164,000,000 tax increase and incorporates flexibility passed last year.

The Senate then moved under suspension of rules to consider and pass the education base budget; HB1 passed on a roll-call vote, 26 yeas, 0 nays, 3 absent.

Senator Hinkins described House Bill 5, the natural resources, agriculture and environmental quality base budget, which includes a $50 million one-time general-fund appropriation for last year’s fire suppression costs, a $10 million one-time acquisition of Cinnamon Creek property for wildlife resources, and ARPA reallocations for priorities including secondary metering and Great Salt Lake salinity work. He said the bill appropriates about $569 million with roughly 30% from fees and other revenues. The Senate passed HB5 under suspension, 27-0 (2 absent).

Senator Owens presented House Bill 6 for executive offices and criminal justice, which serves as the operating budget for corrections, courts, public safety and related agencies. Owens summarized that the bill appropriates roughly $1.03 billion in total funds, of which $769 million is from the general fund, and includes one-time additions for law-enforcement retention and litigation support. HB6 passed 26-0 (3 absent).

Senator Anderegg described House Bill 7, the social services base budget, noting it consolidates Health and Human Services line items and appropriates about $8 billion for FY23 with approximately $1.3 billion from general fund sources; it includes a continued 5% rate increase for home- and community-based providers and supplemental FY22 adjustments. The Senate approved HB7 under suspension, 26-0 (3 absent).

Each bill was read for second and third times under suspension of the rules and returned to the House with the president’s signature for final processing. Senators set a time-certain for some items so guests and stakeholders could observe floor action. The bills now move forward in the legislative process as enacted by their passage in the Senate.

Funding totals, specific line-item transfers and performance-measure language remain in the bill texts submitted to the House and the Legislature’s fiscal staff.

The Senate adjourned after routine announcements.