Utah House leaders say base budgets passed, push child tax credit bills as affordability measure

Speaker 1 said the Utah Legislature has finished work on base budgets and that the governor signed those bills over the weekend, ensuring the state will not face a government shutdown. He said the caucus is asking agencies to ‘‘roll up our sleeves’’ and seek roughly 5% efficiencies in programs and administration while stressing that the legislature did not intend to cut education or essential social services.

The speaker signaled additional steps on tax policy this week. He identified HB 290 — described in the exchange as Tracy Miller’s child tax credit expansion — and a separate child tax credit proposal associated with Jason Thompson as measures the House will move ‘‘this week’’ to help families afford everyday costs. "Root House is really focused on families making life more affordable here in Utah," he said.

The speaker pushed back on reporting that said education funding was being reduced, saying, "That was never the intent," and noting that the recently passed base budget included a "huge increase" for education. He characterized the fiscal analysts' recommendations as ideas for agencies to consider, not final cuts: agencies were being asked to identify which programs are working and where administrative efficiencies can be found.

What’s next: the speaker said committees and agencies will continue to refine budget priorities and that the child tax credit bills will proceed through the normal committee and floor processes this week. Neither article texts nor votes on HB 290 or the Thompson proposal were recorded in this exchange; their movement was described as upcoming rather than completed.