SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah State Legislature is not expecting to divert education funding this year to pay for social programs that benefit children and people with disabilities, despite a voter-approved amendment allowing them to do so, officials said.
The amendment allows the state to use income tax revenue, which used to be earmarked for education to pay for some programs usually covered by sales tax money.
Executive Appropriations Committee Chair state Sen. Jerry Stevenson, a Republican, said lawmakers do not need to use the financial flexibility this year, KUER-FM reported.
“When we pass that tipping point, then we’ll probably be able to use some for some of the social programs,” he said. “But … that’s certainly not this coming year.”
The amendment was passed with a companion law that creates an education stabilization fund and requires the Legislature to adjust per-student funding for inflation each year. The Legislature is scheduled to finalize the state budget during its general session, which starts this month.
Democratic state Rep. Joel Briscoe said he supports the companion law, but he raised concerns about what impact the constitutional change will have on education funding in the future.
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