Senate rejects floor amendment to expand school capital outlay; $10 million addition approved

A bill that would expand Utah's public education capital outlay program by $10 million passed the Senate on Jan. 23 after lawmakers rejected a floor amendment that would have increased that amount.

Sen. Wadipes, sponsor of Senate Bill 35, told colleagues the bill "expands the program by $10,000,000" and said it was a formula-based allocation recommended by the State Board of Education and the Education Funding Task Force to help fast-growing districts with construction needs. He said the measure would help address class-size and facility pressures in districts experiencing rapid growth.

Sen. Michael Petersen moved a floor amendment to add another $20 million to the measure, arguing that lifting additional surplus funds into capital projects would "help children" and reduce local bonding. "I would actually like to make the motion we move it to 58,000,000 on line 12 and 58,000,000 on line 69," Petersen said on the floor.

Opponents warned the larger amendment risked displacing operating and other education priorities. "If you spend it one way, you can't spend it another way," Sen. Hilliard said, urging caution and warning that the change could jeopardize ongoing program dollars and the bill's bipartisan committee support. Sen. Blackham and others said the subcommittee had not vetted such a larger target and urged the body to resist the amendment.

After debate the Senate voted the amendment down on a voice vote. The underlying SB35 then passed on roll call; the presiding officer recorded the result as 28 ayes with 1 absent on the initial count, and additional acknowledgement of another aye that increased the recorded ayes as the roll call closed. The bill will be referred to the House for further consideration.

Why it matters: The vote preserves the committee'recommended $10 million expansion of capital outlay funding that state education leaders and superintendents supported in committee, while a larger increase proposed on the floor was rejected amid concerns about trade-offs with operating budgets and the absence of committee vetting.

What happens next: SB35 was approved by the Senate and is scheduled to go to the House for further action. If the House passes the bill as sent, the additional $10 million would expand the state's capital outlay assistance to more districts under the statutory formula.

Sources: Floor debate and roll-call statements on Jan. 23, 2001, Utah State Senate session.