Archive

During the 2024 interim, the Legislative staff have been hard at work designing and testing a new fiscal note system, intended to improve the user experience for policymakers, staff, and state agencies. The updated system, dubbed “FiNS” (Fiscal Note System), is in the final stages of deployment in preparation for the 2025 General Session. The […]

On Thursday, December 5th, Governor Spencer Cox released his Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Recommendations, and in doing so formally kicked off the budget season. In the state government rendition of letters sent to Santa, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget submits the statutorily required list of recommended investments to the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA) […]

On Wednesday, November 20th, legislative and executive branch economists released the revenue update for November, detailing collections for the first four months of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The Revenue Summary (TC-23) published by the Tax Commission tallies funds collected by the state, while the impact of those collections is interpreted in the Revenue Snapshot co-produced […]

The tax generated by the sale of oil and natural gas, and the mining of various compounds is a complicated, and widely discussed piece of the state budget. Severance tax applies to the “upstream” activity within the extractive industries, where the resource is severed from the land. Any oil, gas, or mining production in the […]

You may recall last August when we discussed Internal Service Funds (ISFs) as they relate to the Attorney General’s Office.  Today, we take a step back and review how Internal Service Funds play a role in the state’s budget. Function and Purpose of ISFs The purpose of an ISF is for an agency to provide […]

The Transportation Investment Fund of 2005 (or TIF for short) is one of the largest accounts in the state budget, with revenues of over $3.2 billion in FY 2025. While appropriations for transportation projects represent a significant part of the state’s budget, the funding sources for these projects can be a bit confusing. In committees, […]

During the Legislative “off season,” appropriations subcommittees are hard at work diving into the nitty-gritty, budgetary details that no General Session allows enough time to explore. These deep dives are organized under the Accountable Budget Process, a statutory requirement set in motion by H.J.R. 18 from the 2019 General Session. This process allows subcommittees to […]

Within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), the Legislature actively funds 13 scholarship programs centrally located and overseen by the Utah Board of Higher Education (UBHE) and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education. Each of these programs was created statutorily, and are budgeted under the USBE Student Assistance line item. Each of […]

The Fiscal Health Dashboard is a one-stop shop for legislators and constituents to answer questions about Utah’s current and long-term financial position. The Legislative Fiscal Analyst developed the dashboard in compliance with both UCA 36-12-13(2)(h) and J.R. 3-2-402. Though the statutory and rule requirements are to prepare the legislature for an upcoming General Session, the […]

This fall, the leaves won’t be the only thing changing around the Capitol. During the 2024 General Session, the Legislature passed both a resolution and a bill that impact the appropriations process. This post summarizes how H.J.R. 23 and H.B. 335 will impact the budget even before the 2025 General Session gets underway. H.J.R. 23 […]

When the Legislature appropriates new funding for a project, it’s kind of like your family setting out on a road trip to your favorite theme park—if the journey is successful, you’ll make it to the place where all your dreams come true. Appropriating the funding is like getting on the freeway, it’s a starting point […]

In the 2021 General Session, the Legislature separated the Divisions of State Parks and Outdoor Recreation which were previously a single line item housed in the Department of Natural Resources. The following year, the Office of Outdoor Recreation in the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity was combined with the new division to complete a single […]

When conjuring a picture of the state’s budget, appropriations (authorized spending) and expenditures (actual spending) jump to the front of mind. However, both appropriations and expenditures hinge on revenues, both forecasted and collected. This flip side of the budget coin provides a unique challenge for policy makers, since revenues in the short term are largely […]

In July we covered the Statewide Master Plan, a guide for state office space planning and investments. In that post, it was discussed how both the 2023 and 2024 General Sessions contingently put money towards the Plan, if certain revenue collections materialized. The shortfall in FY 2023 resulted in a rescinded $125.0 million appropriation. During […]

In June, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS) opened the doors on its latest store, an upgrade for the Salt Lake City Downtown location which was considered out of date and undersized. This first ever two-story location featuring nearly 40 doors of refrigerated products is perhaps the latest example of the shift initiated by […]

According to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, average rental prices along the Wasatch Front climbed more than 20% from 2020 to 2021. While the State of Utah’s Housing Market Report (report) does note contraction in the housing market in 2023, the implications of interest rates and the pandemic on Utah’s housing market are enduring: […]

During the 2013 General Session, the Legislature passed H.B. 129, “Amendments to Powers, Functions, and Duties of Office of Legislative Fiscal Analyst,” which required the Office to develop and publish a taxpayer receipt. The receipt is intended to answer the question of how an individual’s tax dollars are expended for government purposes. The receipt does […]

The Statewide Master Plan guides investments in existing state office space and supports the new construction of carefully planned rural centers. The first master plan for state buildings was completed in January 2021 by the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM). The plan evaluated 215 state-owned and state-leased office spaces and laid out multiple […]

Salaries have long been a focal point in discussions about education funding. Teachers are fundamental to our educational system, and debates about their compensation have focused on adequacy, fairness, and impact on recruitment and retention. In Utah, salaries for public educators are comprised of state, local, and federal funds. Ultimately, the total amount a teacher […]

In February 2022, the first of several large settlements was finalized in the nationwide, multi-district litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors. These settlements, worth an estimated $26 billion, were with Janssen (J&J) and the “Big 3 Distributors” (Cardinal, McKesson, and Amerisource Bergen). Additional settlement agreements have been reached with McKinsey and Company (a consulting firm […]

Local jails play a significant role in Utah’s criminal justice system. Specifically, county jails serve an important function by housing a portion of state inmates and certain probationers (who are sentenced to serve in a county jail as a condition of their probation). The program that pays for state inmates to use local facilities is […]

2024 Third Special Session Fiscal Impacts During Wednesday’s Special Session, the legislature considered five bills and two resolutions. Only two of those bills or resolutions had direct, measurable fiscal impacts to the state: June Revenue Reports These positive fiscal impacts, however small, were welcomed by the relatively stagnant revenue growth observed in the latest revenue […]

On Friday, May 17th, the Tax Commission along with the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget released the latest revenue monitoring reports, detailing collections through May 9th. Through 10 months of the fiscal year (FY), revenues to all state funds have kept pace with the astronomical collections observed during tax season […]

For the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA), it’s almost the happiest time of year. With the General Session in the rearview mirror, economists now watch with anticipation as the state income tax fund should see the largest single bump of the fiscal year. While April 15th has come and gone, revenue reports won’t show the outcome […]

It’s hard to believe that two years ago we were writing about the abnormally dry conditions gripping the state, while last year the legislature considered how to pay for the impending threat of flooding. It’s true that every General Session has the common problem of predicting what resources will be needed up to 15 months […]

Late last week, the Tax Commission released their revenue summary report, detailing collections through eight months of the Fiscal Year (FY). As of March 7th, revenue to all sources grew 0.2%, or $22.8 million, over FY 2023. The March Revenue Snapshot, produced by the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, […]

The Legislative Fiscal Analyst’s Performance and Operations Team recently published two new efficiency evaluations of state agency programs: Last December, we highlighted some of the operations methodologies that the team uses for process improvement. In this post, we describe how various methodologies relate to each of the recommendations made to the State Records Committee for […]

The Utah Legislature concluded the 2024 General Session with an operating and capital budget of $29.4 billion for fiscal year 2025. The budget includes $12.9 billion from the sales-taxed backed General Fund and the Income Tax Fund. Top legislative budget priorities included state fund investments in:  As required by the Utah Constitution, legislators balanced the […]

On Friday, February 16th, the Legislative Fiscal Analyst along with the Governor’s Office announced updated consensus revenue estimates for Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 and 2025. The net impact of these modest changes are positive. While the last few years of astronomical growth may paint available revenue in a lackluster light, in reality these figures demonstrate […]

As week four of the 2024 General Session comes to a close, so too does the work of appropriations subcommittees. Next Monday and Tuesday, the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC) will hear reports from each of the seven topical budget committees. These reports detail all committee actions including motions, intent language, reallocations, fees, and the coveted […]

Recently, the Utah Legislature has identified the need to invest in mental health interventions and crisis support. S.B. 155, “988 Mental Health Crisis Assistance” (2021 General Session) created the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline line. The 988 Lifeline, which went live July 2022, has provided support, resources, and hope to individuals experiencing mental health emergencies […]

Management expert Peter Drucker said, “what gets measured, gets managed.” As a state, Utah is committed to wisely using state dollars in order to provide effective services. Recently, state agencies have been refining their strategic plans to better communicate a path to serve citizens (see executive branch agencies strategic plans). This effort focuses on the […]