House fast-tracks Senate Bill 1 to set base budget; lawmakers debate AR&I funding sources

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House on Thursday considered Senate Bill 1, the base appropriations measure for state agencies and higher education, and approved the measure under suspension of the rules to permit final passage.

Senate Bill 1, introduced on the House floor by Representative Bigelow, lists additions to the prior base budget including $10,484,000 for FMAP adjustments, $10,252,700 for Medicaid inflation, $10,000,000 for Medicaid utilization, and $6,759,700 for AR&I (capital improvement) funds. "This bill simply puts in place our base budget," Bigelow said in his summation, and he told colleagues the measure aligns formula funding between education and noneducation buildings.

During floor questions Representative Becker pressed the sponsor about the source and split of AR&I funds between education and noneducation buildings and whether surplus funds should be apportioned differently. Bigelow said staff had analyzed building funding and that the bill "helps bring it closer into alignment," explaining that AR&I funds traditionally come from education funds for education facilities and from the general fund for noneducation buildings.

Because the bill had only been read once, Representative Bigelow moved under suspension of the rules to consider SB 1 for second and third readings and final passage. The motion passed and the House voted to pass Senate Bill 1; the reading clerk reported the vote as 65 yes and 3 no (the Speaker signed the bill for transmittal back to the Senate).

The sponsor said further budget issues, including the School Finance Act, will be handled in Senate Bill 3 and other future budget bills. The House then moved on to other calendar business.