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Senate approves $335 million in adjustments; HB3 adds funding for education, public health and reserves
Summary
Senate passed House Bill 3, an appropriations adjustments bill that moves tens and hundreds of millions into FY2020 and FY2021 priorities including education, higher education, public health emergency response, rainy-day funds, mental health, affordable housing and air quality.
The Utah Senate on March 12 approved House Bill 3, the appropriations adjustments bill that supplements fiscal year 2020 and 2021 appropriations. Sponsor Senator Stevenson described HB3 as a package of funding items that reflect executive appropriations committee actions, implementation costs of bills passed this session, and technical fixes.
Stevenson said HB3 appropriates approximately $53 million for FY2020 and $282 million for FY2021 from all funding sources, and listed highlights including an increase to the weighted pupil unit, $100 million for higher education, $24 million for public health emergency management, $26 million to replenish rainy-day funds, $28 million ongoing for mental health services, $24 million for affordable housing and $12 million-plus for air quality initiatives. He characterized the bill as a "bill of bills" that consolidates adjustments required after other legislation and tax reform activity earlier in the session.
Senators on the floor praised staff and committee work; the bill passed under suspension of the rules by recorded vote (27 yeas, 0 nays, 2 absent) and will be returned to the House for signature.
What happens next: HB3 will be enrolled and returned to the House for the Speaker's signature; the appropriations adjustments take effect according to normal budget implementation rules and coordinating legislation.
Speakers quoted: "The bill appropriates $53,000,000 from all funding sources to 2020 and appropriates $282,000,000 from all funding sources into 2021," Senator Stevenson said, summarizing the bill—s scope and major priorities.
