Budget elicits smiles
Surplus paves way to fund projects without bonding
While transportation received the most attention for its continually escalating funding during the session eventually reaching $120 million on practically equal footing was the almost $150 million provided for building projects. Even more important to legislative leaders was that the money was budgeted without floating any new bonds.
While $50 million of that new money will go to the already started renovation of the State Capitol, the rest will go to new buildings and much-needed renovations, especially on college campuses. Those include $48 million for the renovation of the Marriott Library at the University of Utah, $15.7 million for a new health and sciences building at Dixie College, and $10 million for a teacher education building at Southern Utah University.
Public education received a 5-percent boost in funding, and at least some of that was making up for the miniscule boosts given in previous years. All told, schools got $126 million in new money, including $28.5 million for enrollment growth and $76.4 million for a 4.5 percent hike in the weighted pupil unit.
But lawmakers declined State Board of Education requests for $6 million to help kids pass the graduation test and $16 million to prepare youngsters for higher math standards, even though the fiscal analyst had identified money for them.
House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, said that despite the unfunded requests, he felt that education was treated very well this year. He also said that a variety of educational priorities for senators, representatives and the governor were funded, something that happened because they all worked well together.
"There's been a lot of good things funded," he said. "That comes from cooperation, not fighting."
In health and human services, the budget saw a restoration of funding for adult dental and vision benefits in the Medicaid program, $1 million to boost the number of people the state assists who have disabilities and funding to put 12,000 additional children in the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Another $400,000 was directed to community health clinics to help low-income people meet their medical needs, and $2 million will be funneled to mental-health centers to shore up a federal funding gap.
Comments
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