Joint Rules Resolution - Appropriations Subcommittee Amendments

6
JR3-2-402
JR3-2-706
0
Joint Rules Resolution - Appropriations Subcommittee Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Matt MacPherson
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This joint rules resolution modifies the process related to appropriations bills.
Highlighted Provisions:
This resolution:
requires the Executive Appropriations Committee to report to each joint appropriations
subcommittee final appropriations decisions affecting the subcommittee's budget
prioritization list;
authorizes a joint appropriations subcommittee to convene to vote on whether to support
the Executive Appropriations Committee's final appropriations decisions;
modifies provisions related to additional appropriations committee meetings; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Legislative Rules Affected:
AMENDS:
JR3-2-402
JR3-2-706
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1.
JR3-2-402
is amended to read:
JR3-2-402
. Executive appropriations -- Duties -- Base budgets.
(1)
(a)
The Executive Appropriations Committee shall meet no later than the third
Wednesday in December to:
(i)
direct staff as to what revenue estimate to use in preparing budget
recommendations, to include a forecast for federal fund receipts;
(ii)
consider treating above-trend revenue growth as one-time revenue for major tax
types and for federal funds;
(iii)
hear a report on the historical, current, and anticipated status of the following:
(A)
debt;
(B)
long term liabilities;
(C)
contingent liabilities;
(D)
General Fund borrowing;
(E)
reserves;
(F)
fund balances;
(G)
nonlapsing appropriation balances;
(H)
cash funded infrastructure investment; and
(I)
changes in federal funds paid to the state;
(iv)
hear a report on:
(A)
the next fiscal year base budget appropriation for Medicaid accountable care
organizations according to Utah Code Section
26B-3-203
;
(B)
an explanation of program funding needs;
(C)
estimates of overall medical inflation in the state; and
(D)
mandated program changes and their estimated cost impact on Medicaid
accountable care organizations;
(v)
decide whether to set aside special allocations for the end of the session, including
allocations:
(A)
to address any anticipated reduction in the amount of federal funds paid to the
state; and
(B)
of one-time revenue to pay down debt and other liabilities;
(vi)
(A)
hear a report on construction inflation and the ongoing operation and
maintenance costs of any capital development project requested by an
institution under Utah Code Section
53B-2a-117
53H-9-504
or
53B-22-204
53H-9-605
; and
(B)
in response to the report described in Subsection
(1)(a)(vi)(A)
, decide whether
to adjust the next fiscal year base budget or set aside special allocations for the
end of the session;
(vii)
decide whether to set aside special allocations for legislation that will reduce
taxes, including legislation that will reduce one or more tax rates;
(viii)
subject to Subsection
(1)(c)
, unless waived by majority vote, if the amortization
rate as defined in Utah Code Section
49-11-102
for the new fiscal year is less than
the amortization rate for the preceding fiscal year, set aside an amount equal to the
value of the reduction in the amortization rate;
(ix)
approve the appropriate amount for each subcommittee to use in preparing its
budget;
(x)
set a budget figure; and
(xi)
adopt a base budget in accordance with Subsection
(1)(b)
and direct the
legislative fiscal analyst to prepare one or more appropriations acts appropriating
one or more base budgets for the next fiscal year.
(b)
In a base budget adopted under Subsection
(1)(a)
, the Executive Appropriations
Committee shall set appropriations from the General Fund, the Income Tax Fund,
and the Uniform School Fund as follows:
(i)
if the next fiscal year ongoing revenue estimates set under Subsection
(1)(a)(i)
are
equal to or greater than the current fiscal year ongoing appropriations, the new
fiscal year base budget is not changed;
(ii)
if the next fiscal year ongoing revenue estimates set under Subsection
(1)(a)(i)
are
less than the current fiscal year ongoing appropriations, the new fiscal year base
budget is reduced by the same percentage that projected next fiscal year ongoing
revenue estimates are lower than the total of current fiscal year ongoing
appropriations;
(iii)
in making a reduction under Subsection
(1)(b)(ii)
, appropriated debt service shall
not be reduced, and other ongoing appropriations shall be reduced, in an amount
sufficient to make the total ongoing appropriations, including the unadjusted debt
service, equal to the percentage calculated under Subsection
(1)(b)(ii)
; and
(iv)
the new fiscal year base budget shall include an appropriation to the Department
of Health and Human Services for Medicaid accountable care organizations in the
amount required by Utah Code Section
26B-3-203
.
(c)
(i)
The Executive Appropriations Committee shall:
(A)
comply with the set aside requirement described in Subsection
(1)(a)(vii)
(1)(a)(viii)
using money from the General Fund, Income Tax Fund, and
Uniform School Fund;
(B)
accumulate money set aside under Subsection
(1)(a)(vii)
(1)(a)(viii)
across
fiscal years; and
(C)
when the total amount set aside under Subsection
(1)(a)(vii),
(1)(a)(viii),
including any amount to be set aside in the new fiscal year, equals or exceeds
the cost of a 0.50% increase in benefited state employee salaries for the new
fiscal year, include in the base budget an increase in benefited state employee
salaries equal to the total set aside amount.
(ii)
The Executive Appropriations Committee may waive or modify a requirement
described in Subsection
(1)(c)(i)
by majority vote.
(d)
The chairs of each joint appropriations subcommittee are invited to attend the
meeting described in this Subsection
(1)
.
(2)
All proposed budget items shall be submitted to one of the subcommittees named in
JR3-2-302
for consideration and recommendation.
(3)
(a)
After receiving and reviewing subcommittee reports, the Executive
Appropriations Committee may refer the report back to a joint appropriations
subcommittee with any guidelines the Executive Appropriations Committee
considers necessary to assist the subcommittee in producing a balanced budget.
(b)
The subcommittee shall meet to review the new guidelines and report the
adjustments to the chairs of the Executive Appropriations Committee as soon as
possible.
(4)
(a)
After receiving the reports, the Executive Appropriations Committee chairs will
report them to the Executive Appropriations Committee.
(b)
The Executive Appropriations Committee shall:
(i)
make any further adjustments necessary to balance the budget; and
(ii)
complete all decisions necessary to draft the final appropriations bills no later
than the last Friday before the 45th day of the annual general session
(ii)
no later than the last Friday before the 45th day of the annual general session:
(A)
complete all decisions necessary to draft the final appropriations bills; and
(B)
report to each joint appropriations subcommittee the decisions under
Subsection
(4)(b)(ii)(A)
that affect the subcommittee's adopted budget
prioritization list
.
(c)
After receipt of the Executive Appropriations Committee's report under Subsection
(4)(b)(ii)(B)
, the chairs of a joint appropriations subcommittee may convene a
subcommittee meeting to vote on whether to support the Executive Appropriations
Committee's final appropriations decisions.
(5)
No later than December 1 of each calendar year, the Executive Appropriations
Committee shall:
(a)
review the budget for the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, the Office of
Legislative Research and General Counsel, the Office of the Legislative Auditor
General, and the Office of Legislative Services; and
(b)
certify the Legislature's budget to the governor in accordance with Utah Code
Section
63J-1-201
.
Section 2.
JR3-2-706
is amended to read:
JR3-2-706
. Additional committee meetings.
(1)
With
Except as provided in Subsection
(2)
, with
permission from the president of
the Senate and the speaker of the House, a chair may hold an appropriations committee
meeting independent of the regularly scheduled committee meetings.
(2)
The chairs of a joint appropriations subcommittee may hold an additional subcommittee
meeting under
JR3-2-402(4)(c)
without obtaining permission from the president of the
Senate and the speaker of the House.
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This resolution takes effect upon a successful vote for final passage.
2-12-26 10:22 AM