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Senate adopts conference compromise on HB3001, splits $90 million ongoing transportation funds 35/55
Summary
After days of negotiation and a deadlocked conference committee, the Utah Senate accepted a conference committee report and adopted a second substitute to House Bill 3001 reallocating transportation funds, setting a compromise ongoing split of $35 million to STIP and $55 million to the Transportation Investment Fund (TIF). The measure passed the Senate and was sent back to the House.
The Utah Senate on the floor accepted a conference committee report and adopted a second substitute to House Bill 3001, resolving a deadlock over how to allocate $90 million in ongoing transportation funding.
Sponsor Senator Hilliard said the bill corrects a technical funding flow so appropriations go into the intended restricted accounts, and reiterated that the total appropriation remains $291,000,000—the same amount passed in the general session (‘‘201,000,000 is one time and 90,000,000 is ongoing,’’ he said). The conference committee recommendation set the ongoing split at $35,000,000 to the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and $55,000,000 to the Transportation Investment Fund (TIF).
The disagreement centered on which fund should receive the larger share of the ongoing $90 million. Sponsors and rural-area proponents urged allocations that would preserve funds for nonmetropolitan and safety projects; supporters of the TIF emphasized formula-driven investments and regional priorities. Senator Jenkins had proposed a first substitute earlier to split the $90 million 45/45; debate on the floor examined how each split would affect UDOT’s flexibility and rural project access.
After debate, the Senate voted to accept the conference report and adopt the second substitute to HB3001; the roll-call recorded 18 yes, 10 no, and 1 absent. The adopted second substitute was then transmitted to the House for its further action. Senate leaders also appointed a conference committee earlier in the day to try to negotiate the allocation when the House had refused to concur with Senate amendments.
What happens next: the bill returns to the House for its consideration of the conference report. If both chambers approve the conference-compromise language, the reallocation will be implemented in the Department of Transportation and related restricted funds as described in the substitute.
