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House narrowly funds Heber Valley railroad authority, sets up new local agency
Summary
The House passed Substitute House Bill 283 to establish a Heber Valley railway authority and provide seed funding to preserve the historic railroad, 42–31. Supporters called the measure a tourism and rural-economy investment; critics warned of timing and ongoing costs amid tight budgets.
Substitute House Bill 283, which creates a Heber Valley Railway Authority and provides seed funding to acquire rolling stock and support a tourist railroad, passed the House after a lengthy floor debate, 42–31.
Representative Beverly Evans, the bill’s sponsor, described the measure as an economic-development and heritage-preservation effort: supporters said that rolling stock and equipment suitable for operation are available now and that neighboring states have appropriated far larger sums for comparable projects. Evans said the package includes one-time seed funding to acquire equipment and start operations and noted ongoing support plans from local stakeholders and in-kind contributions such as land exchanges.
Opponents questioned whether this was the right year to appropriate roughly $1.2 million in one-time money and flagged the potential for ongoing costs. Representative Atkinson and others said the state already owned key rights of way and asked whether the money needed to be spent immediately; Evans and backers said delaying the purchase could result in the assets being bought by other states.
The floor debate included a formal conflict disclosure: Representative Jensen declared a conflict of interest, saying he owned property adjacent to the railroad, and the disclosure was entered on the record.
Amendments corrected membership counts and other drafting errors; the bill’s final version requires the authority to be self-supporting and contains language restricting the authority from incurring state debt or liability on behalf of the state, sponsors said. Substitute House Bill 283 passed the House and will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.
