Senate approves five base‑budget House bills under suspension of rules

The Utah Senate on Jan. 16 suspended its usual rules to consider and approve a package of first‑substitute House base‑budget bills that provide the baseline appropriations agencies will use during the 2017 session.

House Bill 1 (higher education base budget), presented by Senator Vickers, appropriates a mix of funds the sponsor described as “a little over $300 million from the general fund, over $600 million from the education fund, and $766 million from dedicated credits,” which the sponsor said is largely tuition. The committee included a 2 percent reduction in the proposed base to allow reallocation consideration next week.

House Bill 4 (business, economic development and labor base budget), presented by Senator Shiozawa, totals $313,157,300 in operating and capital for fiscal year 2018, including $100,415,600 from the general fund and $21,507,600 from the education fund. The bill also added performance measures for some line items.

House Bill 5 (retirement and independent entities), presented by Senator Hemmert, leaves certain base amounts unchanged (for example the career services review office at $272,000 and the Utah Education and Telehealth Network at $45,000,000) and reduces a small general‑fund appropriation for the Department of Human Resource Management. The substitute includes intent language requiring agencies to report performance measures by Oct. 31.

House Bill 6 (infrastructure and general government), presented by Senator Harper, covers capital and debt service appropriations (the sponsor cited approximately $1.9 billion for FY2018). The substitute reduced debt service by roughly $12.5 million (general fund), $3.9 million (education fund) and $73.2 million (transportation fund) compared with previous projections.

House Bill 7 (National Guard, Veterans Affairs and Legislature base budget), presented by Senator Jerry Stevenson, sets the base budgets for four agencies totaling about $132 million and directs about two‑thirds of appropriations to the Utah National Guard; the Department of Veterans Affairs funding is predominantly federal to support veterans nursing homes.

Each bill was read under suspension of the rules, moved for final passage and received recorded or voice approval on the Senate floor; the bills will be transmitted to the House as part of the ongoing budget process. Sponsors and committee chairs emphasized that these base budgets form the foundation of appropriations and that further changes and prioritization would occur before final appropriation decisions.