House approves FY2006 supplemental appropriations bill after minor amendment; $30,000 civic education request withdrawn

The Utah House on Feb. 28, 2006, passed House Bill 1, the current‑fiscal‑year supplemental appropriations act, after adopting a floor amendment and sending the measure to the Senate for further consideration.

Sponsor Representative Ron Bigelow moved under suspension of the rules to lift HB1 from the Rules Committee and place it at the top of the third‑reading calendar. On the floor, Bigelow offered Amendment No. 1 (dated 02/28/2006) to delete apparent leftover intent language on page 12 that he said was not germane to the bill; the House adopted that amendment by voice vote.

During general discussion, Representative Christiansen sought to amend the public education allocations to add $30,000 for the National Conference on Civic Education, describing it as "the $30,000 provision I've been looking for that would allow us from year to year to fulfill our commitment to the national conference on civic education." Bigelow cautioned that the Senate might remove such an addition and suggested alternative funding sources; Christiansen withdrew the motion.

With amendment No. 1 in place and no further floor amendments approved, the House opened and closed the final vote on the bill. The roll call recorded 70 yes votes and 1 no; HB1 was passed by the House and referred to the Senate for further consideration.

The sponsor said the bill is intended to allocate one‑time, supplemental funding for fiscal year 2006 and that a purple reference sheet listing each funded item and amount accompanied the bill for member review. The House did not provide additional details on specific line items during the floor debate; those funding specifics appear in the bill and its reference materials and will be before the Senate during its consideration.

The next procedural step is transmittal to the Senate, where members may accept, reject or request conference over any changes.