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Senate passes $23.5 billion capstone budget bill after floor amendments
Summary
The Utah Senate on the last night of the session passed Senate Bill 3, a $23.5 billion appropriations adjustment that funds K–12 and higher education growth, teacher bonuses, Medicaid fixes, mental-health funding and transportation projects. The bill passed by roll call under suspension of the rules.
The Utah Senate on Friday passed Senate Bill 3 — the session's so-called "bill of bills" — formally adjusting the state's fiscal 2022 appropriations and capping the budget at about $23.5 billion.
Senator Stevenson, sponsor of the measure, described the package as a capstone that funds public education growth and inflation, provides $1.121 billion in teacher bonuses and sets aside $127 million for future education commitments tied to Amendment G. The bill also includes a roughly 9% increase for higher education, nearly $200 million in new cash-funded building and land purchases, and more than $1 billion for roads and transit spread over multiple years while limiting new debt issuance.
Supporters highlighted other line items: a $56 million structural fix related to Medicaid expansion; $26 million in new ongoing funding for mental-health services; a $50 million tax-proceeds leverage that helped secure $730 million in combined public and private housing and homelessness financing; and more than $250 million for pandemic-related economic development, rural broadband, testing and vaccination efforts.
On the floor, senators adopted two amendments. Senator Bramble's amendment directed the state auditor to review certain state fees to determine whether they are cost-recovery or additional revenue; it was accepted and adopted as a friendly amendment. A technical Amendment 2 moved by Senator Stevenson removed duplicate language found in two places in the bill. After brief summations, the sponsor moved the bill under suspension of the rules.
The chamber recorded a roll-call vote; the clerk reported 29 "yay" votes and the president announced the bill passed and would be sent to the House for further consideration.
Senator Stevenson and other senators used personal-privilege time to thank legislative staff and agency partners who worked through late-night negotiations on the budget. The bill's passage closes a session marked by pandemic-response spending and multiple long-standing budget commitments the majority described as precautionary and forward-looking.
Next steps: The bill will be transmitted to the House for concurrence and signature procedures.
