Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and legislative leaders still haven't finalized an agenda for the upcoming special session but have agreed on a date — April 19, the day before lawmakers are scheduled to hold their monthly interim meetings.

That way, the session can stretch over two days if necessary, the governor's legislative liaison, Mike Mower, said. Huntsman has said he expects to put only seven or eight items before lawmakers during the special session.

"At this point, we're still reviewing a lot of things," Mower said.

The session was called by the governor even before the 2005 Legislature ended at midnight March 2 to settle the issue of how the state will deal with the federal government's controversial No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said the governor "has not committed to anything in the special session other than NCLB. But there are 10-12 items in play." Valentine, along with House Speaker Greg Curtis, met for more than an hour with the governor on Thursday.

The list of requests for Huntsman to add to the agenda includes two controversial items rejected in the waning hours of the 2005 Legislature — a drug-treatment program and a new veterans nursing home in Ogden.

Both the program, known as the Drug Offenders Reform Act or DORA, and the veterans home are still under consideration for inclusion on the agenda. The House and the Senate battled over funding them but couldn't reach agreement.

Valentine said he wants both items placed on the special session agenda. They have a lot of support now among lawmakers and so far, the governor is willing to consider giving both another chance during the special session.

"We're hopeful," Valentine said.

The price tag for DORA, supported by the Senate, started at $6 million, but by the end of the session, was reduced to a pilot program for $4.5 million in one-time money and $1.5 million for the next three years.

The latest version of DORA would cost even less, Valentine said. He said the pilot program now has been scaled back again, this time to $1.4 million over three years, money that would provide 250 beds in the 3rd Judicial District.

During the regular session of the Legislature, the House had wanted to spend $4.5 million on the veterans home. Given a choice between funding both it and the drug-treatment program, or scrapping them both, the House GOP caucus voted unanimously to fund neither.

A new proposal would authorize the state to bond for the $4.5 million but only if the federal government comes up with its $8.5 million share of the veterans home cost before Dec. 31, 2006, Valentine said.

Valentine also wants the special session agenda to include more money to cover a pay raise for the Utah Highway Patrol on top of the 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise troopers have already received.