EAC hears House Bill 7 budget overview; staff recommends cuts and targeted additions for Capitol Preservation, Guard and veterans services

The Executive Appropriations Committee received an overview of House Bill 7 (the base budget bill for the committee) and heard presentations from the Capitol Preservation Board, the Utah National Guard and the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs. Committee staff outlined recommended one‑time reductions and reallocated funding options while agency directors described operations, recent performance measures and service demand.

Steve Allred, committee staff, told members House Bill 7 carries the base appropriations for the committee’s agencies and that the committee’s portion of the bill totals roughly $79.7 million in general and income‑tax funds after December adjustments. "The base budget bill by motion of this committee in December is essentially the ongoing appropriations made for the current fiscal year that carry forward to the next fiscal year," Allred said, describing the bill’s purpose and timelines for passing the base budgets under legislative rule.

Staff recommendations and highlights: Allred identified recommended changes that include a $691,300 one‑time reduction in the Capitol Preservation Board budget (funds tied to North Capitol building maintenance not yet needed), a proposed one‑time $200,000 reduction for a Utah National Guard public information officer position (with a planned reallocation back the following year for IT staffing and infrastructure), elimination of a $9,500 annual deposit to a Guard death benefit account (to be funded from interest going forward), and reductions in the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs pass‑through funding with proposed reinvestment in cemetery operations and a $135,000 ongoing increase for a veteran suicide‑prevention program coordinator.

Agency briefings: - Capitol Preservation Board: Director Dana Jones reported visitor and event metrics during construction, saying tours reached nearly 57,000 guests and bus funding brought delegations from 25 counties; the board is managing phased construction with the North Capitol building expected to come online in mid‑FY26. Jones highlighted new multilingual self‑guided brochures and conservation work on displays and artwork. - Utah National Guard: Adjutant General Daniel Boyack and Dan Schornfeld discussed continued high recruiting and retention rates and mission growth. Staff showed a total budget of about $80.9 million, of which roughly $62.8 million is federal funds (about 78%). Boyack said Utah is currently a top state in recruiting on both the Army and Air sides and noted a new infantry battalion and two cyber squadrons as examples of mission growth. - Department of Veterans and Military Affairs: Director Gary Harder reported a total department budget near $52.2 million with about $6.6 million in general fund and roughly $44.8 million in the veteran nursing home fund (mostly federal). Harder said the department connects thousands of veterans to federal benefits — presenters cited about $935 million in compensation and pension benefits received for Utah veterans in the latest published numbers — and outlined cemetery and nursing home operations and plans for a future northern Utah cemetery.

Committee procedure and timing: Allred reminded members the House should debate base budget bills and the other chamber should pass them by the legislative rule deadline (the staff referenced a noon Thursday deadline in the packet). Staff characterized many recommendations as reallocation choices rather than new ongoing spending, noting that prior December decisions exhausted many available ongoing funds.

No final committee votes on House Bill 7 or the staff recommendations were recorded during this hearing. The committee did conduct two procedural voice votes earlier and at adjournment: approval of the April 9, 2024 minutes (voice vote; no recorded roll call names provided) and a motion to adjourn (voice vote).