Lawmakers raised new questions Tuesday about spending $152,000 to secure the archaeological finds on a state-owned ranch in Range Creek, a day before the proposal will be considered in a special session of the Legislature.

"We are spending a lot of money to do what one man with a shotgun did for 40 years," Assistant House Majority Whip Michael Styler, R-Delta, told members of the Joint Executive Appropriations Committee. "I'm concerned it's overkill."

Some committee members suggested taking about half the money from the University of Utah, which received $200,000 toward the project from the 2004 Legislature. The rest of the money would come from the state's surplus.

At issue was that the state Division of Natural Resources, not the U., should be responsible for security at the site. House Speaker Marty Stephens, R-Farr West, said the university was spending its money on the project, including hiring an on-site cook, rather than on security.

The divided committee barely endorsed coming up with the entire cost of patrolling the site, which is located about 130 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, behind the Book Cliffs near the Carbon-Emery county border.

That was enough to convince the bill's sponsor, Rep. Ron Bigelow, R-Salt Lake City, to promise to come up with a new funding proposal in time for today's 2 p.m. special session.

Bigelow said the U. appropriation last session should have been more specific about security needs. The reason it was vague, he said, was that the state was anxious to keep the archeological archaeological finds secret as long as possible.

"I guess good government is always better when it's fully disclosed," Bigelow said. The site did not become public until last June. It had been purchased from its longtime owner by a conservation group before being acquired by the state.

Nancy Lyon, the U.'s assistant vice president for government affairs, said security has been handled by area sheriffs as well as by an on-site manager. She said the remaining $125,000 or so from the earlier appropriation would be used to catalog artifacts.

The committee endorsed another bill Tuesday that will be before lawmakers in special session, this time without debate. That bill would allow the state prison in Draper to use $1.5 million in federal funds to improve security and make room for more female inmates.

Lawmakers will also be asked to consider giving a tax break to members of the Utah National Guard and Army Reserve Reserves who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Exempting them from paying state income tax on their military earnings will cost the state about $5.5 million.

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