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Committee clears bill to allow upfront grants for small-county off‑highway vehicle projects
Summary
The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee unanimously recommended House Bill 439 (substitute), allowing small counties and nonprofits to receive up‑front funding for off‑highway vehicle facility construction and maintenance instead of only post‑completion reimbursement.
The Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Standing Committee on Friday unanimously recommended House Bill 439 (first substitute), which would allow certain small counties and nonprofit organizations to receive up‑front grant payments for off‑highway vehicle (OHV) facility construction and maintenance.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Welton, told the committee the legislation would change current practice that provides reimbursement only after project completion. “A lot of our little counties don't have enough money to do a project, but they have some real worthy projects,” Welton said, adding that the change would not affect larger counties currently able to front project costs.
Brett Stewart of Utah OHV Advocates told the committee the reimbursement schedule has created a barrier for small counties. “Once you get approved for a grant, you can get 25% increments all the way up until the final 25%, and that's where the small counties are struggling because they don't have that final 25% to lay out of pocket,” Stewart said. He urged passage and said an effective‑date change in the substitute would allow the current grant cycle to use the new rules.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about whether projects must still follow the division approval process; Welton said the existing approval process would remain in place. After public comment and brief discussion, a committee member moved to recommend the bill favorably and the committee voted to pass the substitute out unanimously.
The committee recorded no amendments to the substitute during the hearing. The bill now moves to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation from the committee.
The committee hearing included brief general remarks about the importance of outdoor recreation funding and a reminder that projects such as improved amenities at the Butch Cassidy boyhood home in Circleville were cited as potential beneficiaries of the change.
