Last-minute debate over vets home stalls funds bill

Funding for a veterans nursing home in Ogden continues to hold up a $150 million appropriations bill.

House and Senate leaders were meeting Tuesday night in an attempt to sort out a quickly-burgeoning dispute over a last-minute, $4.5 million appropriation by the House for the nursing home. That appropriation, which would come out of a scheduled $10 million transfer to the Rainy Day Fund, was made Monday evening as one of three amendments to SB1.

Senate members refused to accept the $4.5 million funding, however, and the bill went to a conference committee Tuesday morning. Made up of two Republicans and one Democrat from each chamber, SB1's conference committee was unusual because of the inclusion of Senate and House leaders.

Despite the presence of those leaders, no compromise was found on the bill — Senate members said that to fund the home, they would want the Drug Offenders Reform Act funded as well — which prompted the involvement of Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, and House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy.

The lack of a budget agreement is a disappointment to leaders, who last week touted an almost-unheard-of early compromise on the budget which would eliminate last-minute wrangling. Although much of the $9 billion budget has been approved — two of the bills appropriating $8.6 billion, HB1 and HB3, have even been signed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. — SB1 contains one-time funding for fiscal year 2005, which ends June 30.

"We had thought the budget was negotiated and done, and then it changed on the House floor," Valentine said. "I do think that they only had the lustrous part, the part about helping the veterans."

What the House members did not understand, Valentine said, was that there may be hidden costs for operation and maintenance. Additionally, there is almost a 30 percent vacancy rate in private nursing homes in northern Utah, which he said veterans can utilize.

Rep. Gregg Buxton, R-Roy, who sponsored the amendment, said the Senate's arguments are not accurate because most veterans cannot receive the federal matching funds if they stay in a private home. Additionally, the Veterans' Administration has actually authorized up to 300 beds for Utah, but the state only has 80 at one home in Salt Lake City.

"The misconception is that there are all of these private beds available," Buxton said. "But it doesn't work that way."