House approves partial forgiveness of Washington County disaster loan

Representative David Clark, sponsor of the loan‑forgiveness measure (House Bill 176), asked the House to forgive a portion of a previously authorized $25 million loan made to Washington County after severe flooding. Clark recounted the disaster and the state's earlier response — including a previous $25 million authorization and FEMA matching rules — and asked lawmakers to forgive the remaining portion of the county loan based on precedent from earlier, large disasters.

Opponents questioned regional equity: Representative Hansen noted a recent Weber County flooding event where the state did not provide broad taxpayer-funded relief and argued that it would be problematic to selectively forgive one community's debt. Supporters, including Representative Bigelow, pointed to past precedent in which the state forgave part of local obligations under comparable disaster conditions and said the proposal was consistent with prior legislative actions.

Members asked technical questions about the bill's cutoff date (April 30, 2007) and whether additional promissory notes could be issued; the sponsor said the intent was not to draw additional funds and that the fiscal note — just under $6 million — represented the amount proposed for forgiveness. Representative Lockhart moved the previous question to cut off debate; the motion carried and the House passed the bill 54 yes, 11 no, 10 absent. The bill will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

Ending: With passage by the House, HB 176 proceeds to the Senate; supporters said the measure follows historical precedent for state assistance after large natural‑disaster impacts.