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House advances revenue-bond bill; amendment debates University of Utah student fee increase
Summary
House members moved House Bill 473 to the third-reading calendar and spent floor time debating an amendment that would remove language authorizing University of Utah student fees tied to a revenue bond project; proponents cited student support for the facility, opponents warned of a fee hike from $13 to $60 per semester.
The Utah House on Feb. 23 voted to place House Bill 473, a revenue-bond package authorizing non-state-funded capital projects, on the House third-reading calendar. Representative Buxton, sponsor of the motion, described the bill as a revenue bond package that includes projects added in rules and cited a University of Utah student-life project among the items.
Representative Dunnigan offered an amendment to delete the language (identified on the pink-sheet amendment as lines 51 through 51R) that would allow the University of Utah to increase a recreation/student-fee component from $13 per semester to $60 per semester to pay for a proposed student life center. Dunnigan argued the increase would place an undue burden on students already facing tuition and fee pressures; he said students who do not use the proposed facility should not be required to pay the higher fee.
Representative Buxton opposed the amendment on the floor, noting that a university survey of students cited by the sponsor indicated roughly 62 percent of students supported the project and the associated fees. Buxton said the facility is a high priority for the university and that some financing is expected to be borne by student fees and private donations.
Representative Dunnigan asked the sponsor to delete the revenue regents provision; the amendment debate drew multiple members who questioned the equity of raising mandatory student fees. At the time the transcript excerpt ends, the amendment discussion was ongoing and the floor record did not yet show a final disposition of the amendment. The bill itself had been moved to the House third-reading calendar for immediate consideration.
Next procedural steps: the amendment remained under debate in the provided transcript excerpt; the bill, with or without the amendment depending on subsequent action, will proceed on the House third-reading calendar.
