Legislature Not Likely to Approve Federal $$ This Week

08.16.2010 by Jeff Robinson

(KCPW News) It’s now up to Utah Governor Gary Herbert and the state legislature to decide how quickly more than $100 million in federal emergency aid gets into Utah classrooms.  Although lawmakers are meeting this Wednesday at the state Capitol, Republican Senator Lyle Hillyard doesn’t think they’ll vote to approve the money right away.

“I think the governor, first of all, will want a feel from the legislative leaders where we really are on it,” he said.  “It would be really foolish, for example, for the governor to call a special session, and then not have the votes to pass it, because there are so many unanswered questions and concerns about it.”

Any federal appropriation of more than $10 million dollars requires the approval of the full legislature.  And there’s an effort brewing by conservative Republicans to reject the money.

Hillyard, who is co-chairman of the legislature’s top budget committee, is most concerned the money is just a one-time fix.

“If it’s spent for ongoing benefits or ongoing teacher salaries, those types of things, then you know in a year from now, the money’s gone,” said Hillyard.  “It’s not a good way to run an ongoing program.”

The bill the President signed last week also included $58 million for Utah’s Medicaid program, though lawmakers won’t have to tackle that issue until their next session begins in January 2011.