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Committee holds proposal to dedicate portion of alcohol profits to Olin Walker housing fund; vote 7-3 to hold
Summary
Lawmakers debated a plan to allocate a share of alcohol profits to the Olin Walker Housing Loan Fund. After extended testimony and exchange, the committee voted 7–3 to hold the bill for further coordination with housing agencies.
A House committee voted to hold House Bill 286, an amendment to the Olin Walker Housing Loan Fund that proposed dedicating a share of alcohol sales profits to the fund, after extended testimony and debate about coordination and oversight.
Sponsor Rep. Moss said the bill would direct a portion of profits from alcohol sales to the Olin Walker Housing Loan Fund, a program created in 1987 to provide low-interest loans and grants for affordable housing projects. "This fund has really varied once it had a total fund value exceeding $139,000,000 in 2017," Moss said, and she argued dedicating a revenue stream would help create long-term, scalable funding for deeply affordable housing.
Advocates urged the committee to support the bill. Corey Holdaway of Habitat for Humanity affiliates called the fund an important financing tool for multifamily and deeply affordable projects. Tara Rollins of the Utah Housing Coalition said funding the loan fund would "create jobs, stabilize people in their housing" and help meet state housing goals.
Opponents and some committee members urged caution. Representative Shelley described attempts to contact the fund and said constituents had trouble getting phone callbacks, arguing the committee should first verify the program’s current operations and responsiveness. Representative Cutler and others said they wanted alignment among the Commission on Housing Affordability, homelessness planners and the governor’s office before committing the revenue change.
Representative Owens moved a favorable recommendation to the House floor; Representative FiFi (moved a substitute motion) moved to hold the bill. The committee took a roll call and the motion to hold the bill passed 7–3. Committee members who spoke in opposition to holding included Representatives Miller, Mauna and Owens; the chair announced the hold passed 7 to 3. The transcript records the final roll call and vote count as 7–3.
Ending: The committee held HB 286 for further work; sponsors and stakeholders were encouraged to coordinate with executive agencies and the Commission on Housing Affordability before reintroduction or reconsideration.
