House approves a slate of FY2027 base budgets, sending higher-education, transportation and other bills back to the Senate

The Utah House of Representatives on Thursday approved a package of Senate-originated base budget bills for fiscal year 2027, overwhelmingly supporting funding levels that largely maintain current appropriations.

Representative Karen Peterson, the House sponsor for Senate Bill 1, told colleagues SB 1 "appropriates the base budget to the system of higher education" and described the measure as about $1.9 billion from the general fund and $91.5 million from the income tax fund for operating and performance funding. SB 1 passed the House 71-0 and was signed by the speaker for transmission to the Senate.

Lawmakers followed with similar approvals for other agency clusters: SB 4 (economic and community development agencies), presented by Representative Watkins, which the sponsor said includes $303 million in state funds and about $1.14 billion in federal funds for workforce and related services; SB 5 (general government agencies), presented by Representative Thurston with about $149 million in state funds and $153.9 million in restricted accounts; SB 6 (transportation and infrastructure), presented by Representative Walton, with roughly $362.5 million in state funds and $1.3 billion from designated sales tax supporting the Department of Transportation; and SB 7 (National Guard, veterans affairs and the legislature), presented by Representative Val Peterson, accounting for $77.9 million in state funds for FY2027.

All five Senate-base bills were passed by voice or recorded vote and sent back to the Senate for enrollment and signature. Vote tallies recorded on the floor were: SB 1 (71-0), SB 4 (71-0), SB 5 (71-0), SB 6 (73-0) and SB 7 (74-0).

The bills are base budget measures, meaning they set agencies at the FY2026 ongoing appropriation levels as the Legislature continues work on adjustments for FY2027. Sponsors repeatedly noted that the Executive Appropriations Committee approved some one-time and ongoing adjustments in December and that further changes may be made during the session cycle.

What happens next: Each bill was signed by the speaker and transmitted to the Senate for the president’s signature and enrolling. Any changes the Legislature ultimately approves will be reflected in supplemental or final budget bills later in the session.

Votes at a glance: SB 1 — Higher education base budget, 71-0, sent to Senate. SB 4 — Economic and community development base budget, 71-0, sent to Senate. SB 5 — General government base budget, 71-0, sent to Senate. SB 6 — Transportation & infrastructure base budget, 73-0, sent to Senate. SB 7 — National Guard, Veterans Affairs & Legislature base budget, 74-0, sent to Senate.