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Senate extends COVID-19 emergency and approves emergency response funding
Summary
The Utah Senate extended the governor—s COVID-19 state of emergency through June 30, 2020, and passed a substituted emergency funding bill giving administrative flexibility to direct appropriated emergency dollars to agencies and institutions responding to the outbreak.
The Utah Senate on March 12, 2020, voted to extend the governor—s state of emergency for COVID-19 to June 30, 2020, and approved a first-substitute emergency funding bill that allows administrative transfers of previously appropriated contingency dollars to agencies most in need.
Senator Milner, sponsor of House Joint Resolution 24, said the extension recognizes the governor—s March 6 proclamation and keeps emergency authorities in place through the end of June "to protect the health and welfare of the citizens of the state." The resolution passed the Senate under suspension of the rules, 24 yeas, 0 nays, 5 absent.
Separately, Senator Milner presented House Bill 494, the Emergency Disease Response Funding Amendments, describing the measure as a flexibility tool: money already appropriated in the budget may be transferred to the department, division, or institution that most needs resources to respond (examples cited included the Department of Health, emergency services, and university testing programs). The sponsor said the appropriation itself is in the budget; HB494 authorizes administrative transfers so funds quickly reach the agencies doing response work. Senators asked where in the budget lines the appropriation was made; the sponsor reiterated the funds were included in the budget and HB494 simply permits transfers to meet response needs.
After initial passage and a subsequent motion to reconsider and substitute, the Senate approved the first substitute of House Bill 494 on third reading by voice and roll call (final substituted measure passed unanimously in the recorded vote). The substituted bill coordinates an earlier passed measure and carried no recorded fiscal note at final passage.
What happens next: the substituted HB494 and HJR24 will be returned to the House for its signature and enrolling; the funding authority takes effect subject to the usual enrolling and signature process. Staff and sponsors said the change is aimed at speeding flexible spending to the agencies handling testing, health services, and emergency operations.
Speakers quoted: "This extension is necessary to make sure we're protecting the health and the welfare of the citizens of the state," Senator Milner said when introducing HJR24. On HB494, Milner said the authority allows transfers "to the appropriate department, division, or institution, where we need to be able to spend the money to best support our state response to the coronavirus."
