Utah House passes SB 2,001 to rebalance current fiscal-year budget; amendment wins and a Litvak proposal fails

The Utah House of Representatives on Sept. 26 passed Senate Bill 2,001, a set of current fiscal-year budget adjustments intended to bring the state budget back into balance, voting 56–15 after adopting an amendment to change specific line items.

Representative Ron Bigelow, the bill’s House sponsor, told members the measure was designed “to meet the new funding amounts, the $272,400,000 ongoing that we no longer have and the $83,000,000 that we no longer have 1 time.” He said the adjustments rely on agency reductions, one-time funds, non-lapsing balances and reduced projects to close the gaps and urged support.

The House first approved a floor amendment offered by the sponsor that reinserted the phrase “from General Fund 1 time” with $30,000 on one line, reduced a $127,500 line to $97,500, changed a rate from 3.70 to 3.40 on another line and replaced a line item with a $18,000 positive insertion. The chamber passed that amendment by voice vote and proceeded to debate the bill as amended.

During floor questions, Representative Janice Fisher asked whether the amendment removed funding from arts programs; Bigelow said the Haile (Health) Center Theater would be reduced from $100,000 ongoing to $40,000 ongoing plus a $30,000 one-time allocation and indicated that the Shakespeare Festival likely had no reduction but deferred to the subcommittee chair for confirmation. Representative Allen noted an across-the-board 3 percent reduction applied to some grants that had not yet been distributed.

Representative Litvak later offered Amendment No. 2 to transfer $150,000 from community health centers to partially restore House Bill 131, the Community-Based Self Sufficiency Program. Litvak argued that HB 131 provides direct services — helping underserved people access primary care and manage health needs — and said the amendment would strike a balance between two health programs as the state moves toward health-systems reform. She noted community health centers already receive substantial federal support, saying they receive about "$12,000,000 to $13,000,000" in federal dollars.

Representative Bigelow and other supporters of the bill opposed Amendment No. 2, arguing the House had negotiated changes with the Senate and the governor and that the community health center pilot needed the funding to produce useful evaluation data. Representative Erkhart said reallocating funds from direct services to outreach or education would be “wrong” and urged the body to finalize the budget.

The House voted on Amendment No. 2; the motion failed on a recorded vote, 24 yes to 44 no. After final remarks and thanks to staff and agency partners, the House then voted to approve SB 2,001 as amended, 56 yes to 15 no, and referred the bill back to the Senate for further action.

After passage, the House approved motions authorizing the speaker to appoint committees to notify the Senate and the governor that the House had completed its business and was prepared to adjourn sine die; appointed members included Representatives Urquhart, Monson and Chavez Howe on the House committee that would meet the Senate, and Representatives Snow, Newbold and Carl Duckworth on the delegation to notify the governor. Representative Snow reported the governor was not present but had left a note of thanks.

The bill’s passage adjusts multiple program allocations and uses a combination of ongoing and one-time funding changes to close the identified budget shortfalls. Where members raised specific questions about the allocation of arts and health grants, sponsors either supplied line-item clarifications or deferred to subcommittee chairs for detailed accounting. The House’s action sends the amended SB 2,001 back to the Senate for concurrence or further action.

The House adjourned its business for the day after completing these items; assuming the Senate concurs, the Legislature will proceed with whatever further conference or enrollment steps are necessary before final signatures and implementation.