SB 151: Public Safety Funding Amendments - Utah

Substitute #4 → Substitute #5 · 4 edits

MODERATE

Substitute #5 reduces the General Fund appropriation for Highway Patrol trooper hiring by $700,000, bringing total FY 2027 funding from $5.7 million down to $5 million. The Transportation Investment Fund of 2005 contribution of $2 million remains unchanged, and the corresponding offset at Utah Valley University is reduced from $3.7 million to $3 million.

FISCAL

General Fund appropriation for the Motor Vehicle Safety Impact Restricted Account reduced from $3,700,000 to $3,000,000

Total Highway Patrol Field Operations funding reduced from $5,700,000 to $5,000,000 (the $2,000,000 from the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005 is unchanged)

Utah Valley University Fire and Rescue Training offset reduced from ($3,700,000) to ($3,000,000)

Restricted fund transfer from General Fund to the Motor Vehicle Safety Impact Restricted Account reduced from $3,700,000 to $3,000,000

Substitute #5 → Enrolled · 7 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005 by creating three new sub-funds (Transit, Cottonwood Canyons, and Active Transportation) to target specific infrastructure needs. It establishes strict eligibility rules for funding projects in municipalities or counties with housing ineligibility notices, requiring a 30% local match for most transit projects. The bill also sets specific dollar amounts for various highway projects and mandates that certain construction on U-111 cannot begin until a right-of-way is dedicated by October 1, 2024.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the Transportation Investment Fund by creating distinct sub-accounts for transit, active transportation, and a specific canyon area, while simultaneously narrowing the scope of fund usage in areas with housing ineligibility notices.

FISCAL

Created three new sub-funds within the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005: the Transit Transportation Investment Fund, the Cottonwood Canyons Transportation Investment Fund, and the Active Transportation Investment Fund, each with specific funding sources and usage restrictions.

Allocated specific funding amounts for various highway improvements, including $705 million for right-of-way acquisition and construction of specific corridors and $28 million in pass-through funds for local projects.

ELIGIBILITY

Added restrictions preventing the use of fund money for projects in municipalities or counties with housing ineligibility notices, unless the project is a limited-access facility or interchange.

REQUIREMENT

Established a requirement that public transit districts or political subdivisions must provide at least 30% of project costs for most public transit and pedestrian projects to qualify for state funding.

Mandated that the department and commission appear before the Executive Appropriations Committee to present bond needs before any bonds authorized under specific sections can be issued.

TIMELINE

Set a deadline of October 1, 2024, for dedicating the right-of-way for the U-111 project; if not met, the project is limited to two lanes instead of the originally planned realignment.

Scheduled $300 million for SR-89 improvements and $28 million for specific local projects to be available only for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025.

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to correct the effective date from May 6, 2026, to July 1, 2026, and to fix formatting errors in the text that obscured the legislative intent. The core policy provisions regarding funding amounts, tax distributions, and hiring new Highway Patrol troopers remain unchanged.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability was adjusted by correcting the start date of the fiscal year and the effective date of the legislation to align with the standard July 1 start of the Utah fiscal year.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from May 6, 2026, to July 1, 2026, ensuring the bill applies to the correct fiscal year.

TECHNICAL

Formatting errors in the text, such as missing spaces and inconsistent numbering, were corrected to improve readability and ensure the legal text is clear.

Substitute #3 → Substitute #4 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill simplifies the funding rules for Utah's Highway Patrol and transportation projects by removing complex tax distribution formulas and outdated project lists. It replaces the previous requirement to transfer a specific amount of insurance tax revenue with a new mandate for the Legislature to directly appropriate funds. Additionally, it clarifies that money from the Transportation Investment Fund can now be used to operate state highways and enforce traffic laws if those roads were built with fund money.

Scope change

The bill narrows the scope of the insurance tax revenue transfer, removing the automatic calculation of amounts from the Firefighters' Retirement Trust Fund and the Executive Appropriations Committee notification requirement. It also expands the permissible uses of the Transportation Investment Fund to include highway operations and enforcement.

FISCAL

Removed the automatic transfer of insurance premium tax revenue to the Firefighters' Retirement Trust Fund and eliminated the requirement for the office to notify the Executive Appropriations Committee about excess funds.

Replaced the automatic transfer of $3,000,000 from insurance tax revenue to the Motor Vehicle Safety Impact Restricted Account with a new requirement for the Legislature to annually appropriate that amount directly.

Reduced the total appropriated amount for Highway Patrol trooper hiring from $5,000,000 to $2,000,000 in the operating budget.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the list of specific highway construction projects that could be funded by the Transportation Investment Fund, replacing it with a general authorization for the executive director to use funds for prioritized projects.

ELIGIBILITY

Added the ability to use Transportation Investment Fund money for the operation of state highways and enforcement of traffic laws, provided the highway was constructed or renovated using fund money.

TECHNICAL

Deleted obsolete sections regarding the repeal of previous statutes and removed detailed coordination clauses with other bills.

Substitute #2 → Substitute #3 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates how insurance premium taxes fund firefighter retirement programs and directs specific insurance tax revenue to hire new Highway Patrol troopers. It also clarifies how money in the Transportation Investment Fund can be used for public safety and repeals outdated code sections.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of funding sources for Highway Patrol hiring by adding specific insurance tax revenue and clarifying the use of existing transportation funds.

FISCAL

Changed the distribution of insurance premium tax revenue to the Utah State Retirement Office, removing the requirement to fund the long-term disability program and the Firefighters' Retirement Trust Fund based on a 2004 contribution rate percentage, and removing the reference to the repealed Section 49-11-902.

Directed the Division of Finance to transfer $3,000,000 annually from insurance premium tax revenue into the Motor Vehicle Safety Impact Restricted Account specifically to hire new Highway Patrol troopers.

Modified the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005 to explicitly allow the Department of Public Safety to use fund money to pay for Highway Patrol troopers.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Retirement Office to inform the Executive Appropriations Committee when the current tax revenue exceeds the amount needed for firefighter programs, allowing for potential future reductions.

TECHNICAL

Added a coordination clause to clarify how this bill interacts with a separate bill regarding firefighter cancer amendments.

Repealed obsolete code sections (49-11-902 and 49-11-903) that are no longer relevant.

TIMELINE

Established a special effective date of July 1, 2026, for the new funding provisions.

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill modifies how insurance premium taxes fund firefighter retirement programs and directs new funding to hire Highway Patrol troopers. It simplifies the distribution rules for firefighter funds, allowing the Retirement Office to determine amounts based on specific funding goals rather than rigid percentages. Additionally, it establishes a new annual transfer of $3 million from insurance taxes to a restricted account specifically for hiring new troopers.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of funding sources for Highway Patrol hiring by creating a new restricted account and modifying the Transportation Fund limitations to allow up to $2 million for new trooper hires.

FISCAL

Changed the distribution of insurance premium tax revenue for firefighters from fixed percentages (50% and 10%) to a flexible model where the Retirement Office determines amounts needed to fully fund disability programs and reach an 110% actuarial funded ratio for retirement.

Added a requirement for the Division of Finance to transfer $3 million annually from insurance taxes to the Motor Vehicle Safety Impact Restricted Account to hire new Highway Patrol troopers.

Amended the Transportation Fund limitation to explicitly allow up to $2 million to be appropriated for hiring new Highway Patrol troopers.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the reporting requirement for the Retirement Office to inform the Executive Appropriations Committee when tax revenues exceed the costs of firefighter programs, enabling potential future reductions.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a citation error in the Utah Code sections affected list, changing 72-2-103 to 72-2-124.

Public Safety Funding Amendments

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