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Lawmakers preview $4.5 billion General Appropriations Act and clash over emergency-work funding
Summary
Representative Valentine introduced HB387, outlining an almost $4.5 billion budget (including nearly $2 billion federal funds) and subcommittee chairs summarized allocations; a contentious floor fight followed over restoring Emergency Work Program funding and reallocating Medicaid dollars, with motions to restore the program failing on the floor.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House formally introduced the General Appropriations Act (HB387) on March 1 and spent significant time on floor summaries and contested amendments.
Representative Valentine told the chamber the budget totals “a 4.496, almost a $4,500,000,000 state budget,” and that the overall increase including federal funds was roughly 5.27 percent. Subcommittee chairs then gave brief reports on priorities, ranging from wildlife and natural resources funding to higher-education requests and corrections and juvenile programs.
Debate shifted quickly from overview to contested floor amendments. Representative Davis moved a set of reallocations intended to restore the Emergency Work Program (EWP), return modest sums to the Utah State Developmental Center and reinstate a domestic-violence line item. Supporters argued EWP helps low-income residents gain work skills and reduces reliance on long-term assistance; opponents warned that moving money out of Medicaid-based lines would reduce state match and impede the governor’s proposed Medicaid expansion.
Multiple substitute motions and calls for the previous question followed. The House considered and defeated the reallocations proposed by Davis and others; floor debate emphasized that committee prioritization and the potential loss of federal matching funds weighed heavily in members’ votes.
As the House moved through the calendar, members said they would continue to press for targeted funding in committee and at subsequent conference meetings. The appropriation’s subcommittee summaries and the budget totals will guide further floor amendments and conference negotiation going into the final hours of the session.
