House adopts spending lid nearly along party lines

The House adopted a new spending limitation bill Tuesday nearly along party lines. HB66 is one of the House GOP caucuses "priority bills" this session.

Utah has had a spending limitation bill since 1987's tax protest movement, but it has been amended several times to increase the ceiling. Transportation spending was temporarily removed from limits in the mid-1990s so Utah could spend billions of dollars in rebuilding I-15 in Salt Lake County.

Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said his bill would take personal income growth out of the current formula. "We should remove that," said Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, "Because personal income has as much" to do with keeping state spending down "as does my personal weight."

Several Democrats said HB66 should be defeated because it could harm Utah's perfect AAA bond rating. And if the bond rating drops, then the state would spend a lot more money on its borrowing.

But Hughes said safeguards in his bill would allow the Legislature to temporary lift the spending cap, exempt spending on public education completely, and allow for more growth in the state's Rainy Day surplus funds.

The bill passed 51-18 and now goes to the Senate.