From Deseret News archives:
Day for vets: Utah budget nears completion
One major item that was formally funded Friday was almost $20 million for a second veterans nursing home, to be built in northern Utah. The funding was actually agreed to by legislative leaders and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. earlier in the session, but they delayed the final vote until Friday so that dozens of veterans could gather at the Capitol to watch.
Several smaller "fiscal note" bills will be debated in the remaining three days of the session next week, but the budget is "pretty well done," said Senate budget chairman Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan.
The Senate and House each released a list on Friday of funding requests and fiscal note bills that are anticipated to be approved next week. Each chamber had $2.5 million to spend, and members cast ballots to decide what items would get money.
Many of the fiscal note bills receiving funding are small expenditures with a big impact for the involved programs. They are often pet projects of legislators, either because of their location or topic.
But top on the House list were requests by Sen. DeMar "Bud" Bowman, R-Cedar City, to give money to the Utah Summer Games and a memorial in the Cedar City Veterans Park. Bowman recently underwent surgery to remove a tumor on his kidney and is not expected to return this session.
Another "wish list" item gives $150,000 to fund a study of a road over Utah Lake, as requested by Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, R-American Fork. Members of the transportation appropriations subcommittee declined to endorse this budget request, implying it would be a fruitless study because of environmental concerns with building a road over a lake, but the full House decided to support it.
In the Senate, funding bills will be debated that involve money for outreach for veterans and for meth decontamination of police officers. A Senate priority to get money for a judicial performance evaluation commission, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, was also on the Senate list.
The measure stands to get $349,000 the highest item funded by the Senate on its "wish list."
Buttars actually did quite well in the funding requests, as he also received $178,500 for a methamphetamine decontamination program.
Recent comments
You must have had a terrible time in school to come up with that...
To Education | March 1, 2008 at 7:21 p.m.
Utah is last in the nation in percentage of education dollars that go...
A few facts | March 1, 2008 at 6:59 p.m.
I think everyone should just back off Oldman and give him the right...
Re:Oldman | March 1, 2008 at 6:49 p.m.
- Suns slow to shine in daytime 5:55 p.m.
- Ching's goal lifts Dynamo 5:53 p.m.
- Talk of shorter hoops season 5:48 p.m.
- Falcons beat Redskins, 31-17 5:46 p.m.
- Jaguars rebound again 5:38 p.m.
- Bengals sweep Ravens 5:32 p.m.
- Moss overcomes Dolphins' wildcat 5:28 p.m.
- Utah man dies in Oregon crash 5:27 p.m.
- Cardinals shred Bears, 41-21 5:24 p.m.
- Rookie QB leads Bucs to 1st win 5:13 p.m.
- Gay advocates trek to LDS office
214 - Dirk does dirty work in Dallas
190 - House passes health care bill
188 - Lobo suspended
173 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
147 - Speed has never been BYU's game
136 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
116 - RSL rallies to advance
103 - Thousands protest health bill
102 - Provo company innovating engines
98
Why do so many people live so close to refineries in Utah and elsewhere?
NASA's Stardust probe continues to bring new knowledge about the nature...
Great job Broncos. South Sevier really played poorly. I couldn't believe...
Teams from automatic qualifying conferences should be scared to schedule BYU....
Beautifully written. The Glenn Becks of the world are frightening.
when someone makes the statement: "the government will take over your health...
"looser" the "critism," the more I love it. Of course the Utes deserve to...
The real scam of this is that we have 3 undefeated non-BCS teams in the top...
The area near the Blues Mountains and over the passes are always a slippery...
Both BYU and Utah are overrated. BYU should not be ranked and (for the moment...
And the problem starts with the supposed leader named Deron Williams. When...
unfortunately Jason, the republicans did not make a genuine effort to produce...


