Senate passes $30.8 billion appropriations-adjustment bill (Senate Bill 3) that finalizes budget actions

Senate Bill 3, the chamber's comprehensive appropriations-adjustment bill often called the "bill of bills," passed the Utah Senate on March 7.

Senator Stevenson, presenting the measure, described the bill as the capstone of the budget process and summarized key fiscal elements. On the floor he said the consolidated budget totals roughly $30.8 billion from all sources, and he described discretionary general and education funds referenced in the bill. Stevenson said the bill appropriated roughly $287 million from all sources for fiscal year 2026, including $92 million from the general and education funds to cover policy items. He said the bill reduced fiscal-year 2025 budgets in aggregate by roughly $93 million and contained targeted increases and priorities including direct teacher pay increases, state-employee raises and funding for specific capital and programmatic items.

Key floor highlights (sponsor summary): - Budget totals cited: roughly $30.8 billion all sources; discretionary general and education funds highlighted. - Appropriations tied to policy bills are individually itemized in the bill; the measure referred to both the governor's priorities and subcommittee chairs' items. - Noted priorities in sponsor comments included teacher salary add-ons, state-employee raises and capital purchases.

Roll call: Senate Bill 3 passed on the floor with a tally of 27 yea, 0 nay, 2 absent and will be sent to the House for concurrence/consideration.

What this means: SB 3 finalizes the fiscal impacts of policy bills and contains the adjustments and line items that implement the Legislature's fiscal decisions for the current and upcoming fiscal year. Sponsors urged collegiality in crafting the budget and thanked appropriations staff and colleagues for work on the bill.

Speakers quoted below are cited from the transcript.