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Senate approves supplemental spending bill after hours of floor amendments
Summary
After extended debate and dozens of floor amendments, the Utah Senate passed Senate Bill 4, the 2006 new fiscal year supplemental appropriations act, by a 21–5 vote. Amendments on higher education, Medicaid services and conservation were considered and mostly defeated.
The Utah Senate passed Senate Bill 4, the new fiscal year supplemental appropriations act, after several hours of floor debate and multiple roll‑call votes. The bill, which reallocates and adds one‑time and ongoing funding across state agencies and higher education, passed 21–5 and was referred to the House for further action.
Senate Appropriations Chair Senator Hilliard defended the package as a balanced response to competing priorities, saying the amendments largely reflected technical fixes and higher‑education reallocations agreed by committees. "We really tried hard to give you a handout so you can see where the item in the bill is," Hilliard said while explaining amendment No. 3, adding higher education recommendations had been negotiated by the appropriate committees.
Floor amendments sought to add or restore funding for a range of programs. Senator Aaron proposed an amendment to restore $352,900 for the Utah Birth Defect Network, warning the Legislature could lose federal research dollars without the state match; the amendment failed on the floor. Senator McCoy unsuccessfully sought $1 million for The Leonardo museum, arguing the project would yield statewide educational benefits.
Medicaid and human services spending drew repeated floor offers. Senator Five and others urged caution against funding ongoing programs with one‑time money. Senator Maine pressed for larger support to reduce the DSPD (Division of Services for People with Disabilities) waiting list; that amendment also failed on a roll call.
Conservation and land‑use items were debated as well. Senator Hale proposed increasing the Leeroy McAllister Critical Land Conservation Fund by $4 million; the motion failed after debate about committee priorities.
Several amendments were adopted as technical corrections, including agency name fixes and fee clarifications. The final roll call on SB 4 recorded 21 yes votes and 5 no votes, with three senators absent. The bill now goes to the House for its action.
The Senate adjourned to reconvene at 8 a.m. the following morning.
What happens next: SB 4 will be transmitted to the House for concurrence or further action, where House members will have the opportunity to accept the Senate changes or request conference committee work.
