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Senate approves supplemental appropriations after debate over surplus priorities
Summary
Senate passed Senate Bill 217 (supplemental appropriations) after debate about house amendments that shift $50,000 to a community college center and insert intent language to use surplus funds for Heber Wells Building renovations; opponents argued the University of Utah’s $500,000 claim should rank higher.
The Utah Senate on March 1 debated and approved Senate Bill 217, a supplemental appropriations act amended by the House to add targeted funding and an intent provision for surplus use.
Senator Leray McAllister (speaking to the floor) outlined the House changes, saying the House inserted $50,000 for the Salt Lake Community College Small Business Development Center (an increase from $35,000) and added language that any surplus remaining in the 1994–95 period should be used to remodel the Heber Wells Building up to $5,100,000. McAllister said he was prepared to concur with the amendments.
Senator Steiner opposed concurrence, arguing that the University of Utah is owed $500,000 for an antitrust lawsuit and that the university’s claim should take priority over the Heber Wells remodeling. Steiner said, “I would not concur because I think the University of Utah is entitled to get $500,000 they’ve been waiting for years for, for their antitrust lawsuit.”
The Senate called the question and later voted to send the bill back to the House with concurrence (the transcript records the vote as the bill passing and returning to the House for final concurrence). The roll-call recorded 19 ayes and 10 nays in favor of the motion to pass with the House amendments.
The outcome sets the House-preferred priorities for the supplemental package but leaves unresolved the longer-term priority argument raised by senators who supported the University of Utah’s claim. The Senate also used a standing/division vote during the consideration as part of the procedural handling of the motion to concur.
