SALT LAKE CITY — As soon as the spending sheets were plopped down on a table, advocates and lobbyists rushed to grab them.
It told them whether their programs or ideas got money or were left out in the cold for another year. The powerful Executive Appropriations Committee voted on a $31 billion budget in a Friday night meeting.
"This has been a very tough year. Revenues were down," Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, the Senate's budget chief, told FOX 13 News.
Not everyone got what they wanted. Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, objected to an $18.3 million cut to a digital teaching and learning tool for teachers.
"This is a teaching program that we train over 8,000 teachers every year to use the technology we adopt," she said.
Her colleagues were unmoved by the request to restore funding.
"Overall what was the total increase to public education?" asked House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper.
He was told an increase to public ed funding of 5.1%.
A controversial homeless campus that critics have branded a "mega-shelter" planned for Salt Lake City's Northpointe neighborhood did not get funded.
"the camp idea has kind of drifted to the wayside," Sen. Stevenson told FOX 13 News. "We’ll have to look at that another year. It’s maybe too much too fast."
Nick Coleman, the state's interim homelessness coordinator, said he was still pleased with what homeless services were funded.
"What’s represented here tonight are high utilizers, emergency shelter and housing, and mental and behavioral health," he told reporters.
Lawmakers did invest a few million more into water conservation and saving the Great Salt Lake. Money was also set aside for pending Colorado River legal fights.
"For the first time ever, victims who've had any kind of strangulation happen...they will have their exams covered," said Erin Jemison of the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, who was happy with what she saw funded for victim services.
House and Senate Democrats told FOX 13 News they were happy it wasn't worse than it was.
"There are some really critical things that got funded and some things I’d still like to be funded," said House Minority Whip Jennifer Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City.
A big priority of House Republican leadership saw funding. Lawmakers will advance another small income tax cut and some tax credits for children and child care.
Friday night's spending requests get wrapped into what's called "The Bill of Bills," which is the state budget. The $31 billion package will be voted on by the entire Utah State Legislature on the final night of the legislative session.
See what spending items got funded here. Note, parenthesis either means a cut or income coming into the state:
