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House adopts fifth substitute of SB 48 to equalize school capital outlay funding, approves $15 million one-time appropriation
Summary
After extended floor debate the Utah House adopted the fifth substitute of Senate Bill 48 to provide countywide equalization of school capital outlay funding, including a $15 million one-time appropriation split between the growth program and the capital outlay foundation; the bill passed the House 52–21 and will be sent to the Senate.
The Utah House on Feb. 29 debated Senate Bill 48, a measure addressing equalization of school capital outlay funding, and ultimately adopted the fifth substitute version before approving the bill on final passage.
Representative Tilton, the House sponsor, framed the bill as a countywide equalization approach (in contrast to an earlier sixth substitute that proposed statewide equalization). He said the measure has two components: an equalization of a component of property tax in a first-class county, pooled and redistributed by growth and enrollment; and a one-time appropriation of $15,000,000 split evenly between the growth program and the capital outlay foundation program.
The chamber first voted on a motion to substitute in a sixth substitute; that motion lost on a roll call (29 yes, 38 no). The House then substituted the fifth substitute and opened debate. Representative McKiff moved an amendment (Amendment No. 1) that would create a base allocation for districts ($200,000 for a first group, $100,000 for another, $50,000 for another) to spread the $15 million more broadly; the amendment passed after debate. A second amendment (technical code citation change) was also adopted. Opponents warned the measure could shift costs onto some districts and described it as effectively a tax increase for certain constituents; supporters said it would protect growing districts from dramatic property-tax spikes and represented a first step toward broader equalization.
Following a motion for previous question and waived summations, the House voted on the fifth substitute of SB 48. The clerk announced that fifth substitute SB 48 received 52 yes votes and 21 no votes; the bill passed the House and was referred to the Senate for further action.
Actions in the floor debate included multiple substitute motions, a successful Representative McKiff amendment to allocate a base amount to many districts, and recorded roll-call tallies for substitute motions and final passage. The record shows the bill’s one-time appropriation (total $15,000,000) and the distribution plan described on the floor; detailed distribution tables were passed out to members but are not printed here.
