House rejects amendment to shift road funds to aging waivers, birth-defects network and drug courts

Representative Jones introduced Amendment No. 25 on March 1, 2006, asking the House to reallocate a small portion of transportation (road) one-time funds to three human-services priorities: an aging waivers and alternatives program, the Utah Birth Defects Network and an additional $500,000 for drug courts. The amendment was defeated after floor debate and a voice vote.

Jones said the alternatives program helps low-income people — many seniors — remain in their homes rather than move into institutional care, calling it preventive and cost-saving. She described the program’s annual per-person expense as about $4,000, compared with institutional care costs she cited as "at least 26,000 a year for the state" and, in broader terms, "about $50,000 per year per person" in total cost. On the Birth Defects Network, Jones said the program had been unfunded and that "there have been 30 to 40 little babies who were born with birth defects that probably would not have been had this been funded." She also proposed adding $500,000 to drug courts and described them as "an absolute success story," asserting an 80 percent success rate for participants compared with about 20 percent without drug courts. The transcript also notes that, "by statute," part of drug-court funding goes to court administration and the larger portion to treatment; the statute is not specified in the transcript.

Opponents warned about using one-time transportation funds for ongoing programs. Representative Bigelow, the bill sponsor, urged defeat of the motion, saying the budget already included $300,000 for aging-waiver services and that "we shouldn't be putting one-time money into ongoing programs such as the drug courts." Bigelow added that wholesale rewrites make it harder to finish the budget.

Other lawmakers voiced support for the amendment’s priorities. Representative Hutchings said that, given roughly $1.1 billion in transportation spending that year, finding a modest one-time amount was reasonable and urged the chamber to "buy them a year" while searching for a more permanent solution. Representative Mascara and others cited Department of Health priorities and argued preventive human-services spending reduces later, larger costs to the state.

Representative Figueroa asked for clarification about funding sources; Jones responded that she targeted one-time transportation funds because those appeared to have more availability and that the proposal could be revisited next year. Representative Frank called the question to end debate; the procedural motion to cut off debate passed by more than two-thirds. After summation by Jones, a division was requested before the final vote and Jones asked whether the three parts could be voted on separately; the chair indicated splitting the vote would be "problematic." A voice vote followed (recorded as "Aye" and "No") and the presiding officer declared, "The motion fails." The transcript does not record a roll-call tally.

Because the transcript records assertions about program costs and success rates but does not cite a specific statute or provide roll-call numbers, the article limits itself to the statements as made on the floor and notes when details (statute citation, vote tally) were not specified in the transcript. The amendment did not pass, and no further action on the item is recorded in the provided transcript.