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Senate advances 1999 bond bill after floor amendments; senators ask about bonding capacity and UTAX funding
Summary
Senate sponsor outlined a capital bond bill funding higher‑education buildings, UTAX and other state projects; senators questioned statutory and constitutional bonding limits and whether the UTAX project would be impeded; the Senate approved a procedural suspension to read the bill fully and recorded a roll call.
Senator Beverly Evans guided the body through Senate Bill 2, the 1999 capital facilities and bond bill, outlining a slate of projects and the funding mechanisms the measure relies on.
The bond package, as described on the floor, would fund campus projects including Utah Valley State College ($29,000,000), Southern Utah University (roughly $2,000,493), University of Utah renovations (Kohl Building, $7,268,500) and a Salt Lake Community College education center ($47,501,200). The bill also proposed $7,000,000 in bonding for the UTAX tax‑administration project and identified other projects to be supported by user fees, gifts or third‑party participation.
Senators pressed sponsor Beverly Evans on how the bill affects Utah's bonding capacity. Floor discussion cited two levels of limits — a constitutional limit and a statutory limit — with figures discussed on the floor (the sponsor cited a constitutional cap of about $1,885,576,000 and a statutory cap of about $705,912,000). Senators noted that the state is retiring roughly $73,000,000 in bonds this year, which affects available capacity.
There was particular attention on whether the $7,000,000 appropriation for UTAX would delay or otherwise impede that multi‑year IT project. Senator Evans said committees had vetted the UTAX budget and that appropriating $7,000,000 would keep UTAX on schedule and would not impede the project's progress.
After debate and placement of agreed amendments (including clarifications on revenue sources and the UTAX definition), the sponsor moved to suspend the rules to allow the bill to be read for first, second and third readings. The Senate adopted the suspension and then recorded a roll call for the motion; the clerk reported 26 ayes, 2 nays and 1 absent on the procedural action to move the bill under suspension. The bill was placed on the third‑reading calendar for final consideration the following day.
The sponsor said further floor and committee work would continue and that the House would receive the bill for consideration if the Senate gives final passage.
