House creates ARPA-funded local assistance matching grant program

House Bill 1,004 (first substitute) creates a Local Assistance Matching Grant Program within the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget (GOPB) to allocate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to match local investments on regional projects addressing housing affordability, homelessness, public-health-related costs and necessary water/sewer infrastructure.

Representative Schultz, sponsor, said the bill creates a portal for municipalities to apply and establishes a grant-application review committee with members appointed by GOPB, the House speaker, the Senate president, the Utah Association of Counties and the League of Cities and Towns. The committee will recommend allocations and the GOPB will report annually to the Executive Appropriations Committee to provide oversight and accountability.

Schultz said the program is designed to incentivize regional projects with long-term impact rather than one-off spending. He used a hypothetical example of a city that could leverage state match to complete a $2 million water project by combining direct ARPA allocations and a state match through the program.

The House adopted the substitute and passed HB1004 by a unanimous recorded vote, 74–0. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.