Utah’s Budget Process

Unlike other states, Utah’s budgeting process actively involves every legislator in a bipartisan/bicameral process. The budgeting process starts with 9 appropriation subcommittees. The membership of each subcommittee is comprised of Republicans and Democrats from the House and the Senate. The majority party (Republicans) directs the subccommittees, with House and Senate co-chairs.

Each subcommittee holds hearings to better understand the particular area of the budget it is shaping. Department and division heads are invited to explain, defend, and advocate the programs and spending they supervise.

Appropriation subcommittee meetings dominate the first part of a legislative session. Legislators are fond of saying that no bills have to pass other than the budget. Subcommittee work wraps up in the first half of the 45-day General Session. To pass out of a subcommittee, each recommendation must pass with separate supporting votes of House members and Senate members. From there, the budget process moves to the Executive Appropriations Committee.

The Executive Appropriations Committee (also a bipartisan/bicameral committee) is comprised of Republican and Democrat leadership from the House and the Senate. The subcommittee co-chairs appear before Executive Appropriations to explain, defend, and advocate the budget recommendations formulated by their subcommittee. Because the recommendations of the subcommittees dwarf available revenues, Executive Appropriations sorts through the subcommittee recommendation to put together a comprehensive budget bill.

The budget bill(s) crafted by Executive Appropriations must then separately pass the House and the Senate. Each body will move to reshape the budget in a way that meets the priorities of its members. As the House and the Senate (and the Republican and Democratic caucuses in each body) maneuver to reshape the budget, caucuses and leadership teams will meet often to strategize and craft compromises, while subcommittee chairs work to have their recommendations prioritized over those of other subcommittees.

Though there always are floor motions to amend parts of the budget bills, floor presentations usually are uncontroversial because of the significant amounts of time and negotiation that have been given to the matters before they reach the floor. However, rarely, rank and file membership will unravel the compromises and agreements made by Executive Appropriations when bills reach the floor, providing a harsh reminder that all committees—even the powerful Executive Appropriations Committee—do their work to assist the entire Senate and the entire House.

After legislative passage of budget bills, the Governor has the opportunity to sign or veto the bills. Giving the Utah Governor significant power to shape the budget as it progresses through the legislative process, the Governor has the authority to veto specific lines of the budget (as opposed to the entire budget). If the Governor believes that his priorities have not been adequately addressed, the Governor can strike out portions of the budget, thereby forcing the Legislature to address issues in a different (more Governor-friendly) way.