In a move that surprised even the budget chairmen, the Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee approved spending $70 million in new, ongoing money for transportation Wednesday evening.

The money for road projects is included in an appropriations bill that will go to the full House and Senate as early as Friday, although that measure is no longer as noncontroversial as legislative leaders, who make up the committee, intended. Instead, it brings what has been a brewing, back-room fight between legislators and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who proposed only $33 million in one-time money in his budget, to the forefront.

"It's still an ongoing process, and it's relatively early," said Tammy Kikuchi, the governor's communications director. "We'll still work with the Legislature to try to come to a number that works for everybody, but the governor is still sticking to his budget proposal."

The real test for the $70 million, which is not earmarked for any specific projects, is whether it can hold up in the Senate, where members of the Republican caucus have not agreed on a firm number they support for new transportation funding. Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said that they would take the approved new funding to the Republican caucus today to gauge their response.

"We have not approved this with our caucus, but we feel in leadership it is a good number to begin discussions," Valentine said.

The House Republican caucus has maintained since before the session started that they wanted $85 million in new, ongoing funding for transportation. After the vote, House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, said that while they were pleased with the funding, they would still try to get their entire desired amount.

"We're not capitulating on our $85 million, but this is a good start," Curtis said.

The stumbling block in the Senate could be the amount of new funding requests submitted by other appropriations subcommittees, which total more than $300 million, said Executive Appropriations co-chairman Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan. Because of other components of the bill, such as $80 million for enrollment growth in public education and $117 million to cover 2.5 percent increases in salaries and about 2 percent in benefits for state employees, only about $65 million of the $324 million in new, ongoing money is available. There is also about $237 million in additional one-time funding to spend.

It would take seven Republican senators to stop the bill, assuming that Democratic senators, whose leaders all voted against the bill, vote against it on the floor.