House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, the only House Republican to meet with Huntsman Friday, said that they would prefer tax cuts to increased growth in government. Whether that comes in the form of a reduction in food tax, a lowered income tax or even one-time tax rebates, is up in the air.

The rebate possibility, in fact, is something that some legislative leaders have heard tentatively discussed, although no actual proposals have surfaced. For it to work, they say, it would need to be big enough to make a difference. A previous attempt to rebate a state surplus ended up costing almost as much as the checks were worth.

Housing new ideas

Last year a fledgling idea, USTAR, received $4 million in funding, primarily for a brain scan machine at the University of Utah. This year, the program is growing up significantly, at least in the governor's budget, with $68 million in new funding.

A major chunk of that money, $50 million, is one-time funding for USTAR research facilities at the U. and Utah State University. There is also $11 million in ongoing funding for the program, $1 million to capitalize on the commercial potential of USTAR innovations and smaller amounts for things such as development rebates and resource centers that are tied to the program.

Huntsman said the money is going toward boosting economic development — another major campaign issue for him — as much as it will improve higher education. The governor did scale back on the funding after lawmakers raised concerns that specific projects weren't targeted. He also proposed creating an independent oversight committee to keep an eye on how the funds are used.

University officials are understandably happy. "Clearly, it is a step in the right direction and an important step for the long-term future of Utah," said David W. Pershing, U. senior vice president for academic affairs.

Elsewhere for higher education, Huntsman is proposing $48 million to Utah Valley State College for a new digital learning center/library; $25 million for a classroom/chiller plant at Weber State University; and $10 million for a combined USU extension center and an Applied Technology Center in Vernal. He also proposed $10 million for a fund that would help higher education retain key employees.

"It looks like the governor has been very supportive of higher education," said Nolan Karras, chairman of the Regents. "It appears to be a very nice budget."

Greenbacks for blacktop

One of the largest proposals for new money is given to improving the state's transportation infrastructure. The appropriated money included a mix of finishing scheduled projects as quickly as possible, starting new projects sooner than later and anticipating future needs.