Senate swiftly approves House base budgets and routine measures under suspension of rules

The Utah State Senate on Day 10 moved quickly to approve multiple House-passed base budget bills and routine items, suspending ordinary reading requirements to expedite action.

Senator Fillmore, sponsor of first substitute House Bill 1, told the chamber the public education base budget raises the weighted pupil unit by 3.8% and appropriates more than $7.7 billion for fiscal 2025, including $4.8 billion from state funds. “This bill appropriates more than $7,700,000,000 in funding for 2025,” Fillmore said during his floor presentation. The Senate suspended rules and passed HB1 by roll call.

The Senate also passed other House base budgets under suspension: House Bill 5 (Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality), presented by Senator Sandler; House Bill 6 (Executive Offices and Criminal Justice), presented by Senator Owens; and House Bill 7 (Social Services and Workforce Services), presented by Senator Baldry. Sandler summarized HB5 as “appropriat[ing] $997,000,000 in 2025,” noting one-time and ongoing funding for multiple natural-resources agencies. Owens described HB6 as the package that “allows for the basic operation for the 2025 fiscal year” for several executive agencies. Baldry emphasized that Medicaid accounts for the largest federal funds use in HB7’s totals.

On the consent calendar, Senator Bramble presented House Bill 39 (Massage Therapy Practice Act Amendments) to extend the statute’s sunset date by 10 years; the Senate recorded a unanimous vote for passage and will return the bill to the House for enrollment.

Procedurally, the Senate used suspension motions and waivers of third-reading requirements to advance the budget bills in a single floor day. President Adams announced the recorded tallies after roll-call votes; the bills will be signed by the president and returned to the House for the speaker’s signature for enrollment.

The Senate took no substantive floor amendments to the base budget bills during these actions; sponsors said some program-level items were deferred for later study and separate appropriations bills.