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Utah lawmakers have their work cut out for them when it comes to trimming the state budget this week. The current economic downturn is prompting lawmakers to cut 3 percent from current spending, and that could be a very difficult task.
Three percent of the state's $11 billion budget equals about $272 million. That's how much lawmakers estimate they need to cut to avoid trouble. That charge sparked the governor to call a special session for tomorrow.
Complicating this process is the fact that more than half the state's budget has been declared off limits for cutting; that's the amount dedicated to public education.
So, which programs will get cut? No one knows, and that means lots of people are swarming Capitol Hill today, trying to get a promise from lawmakers not to cut them. But no promises are being made, aside from the one to education.
Among those concerned are people who represent Medicare and other low-income assistance programs. Right now, they're not sure exactly how concerned they should be. Heather Tritten, with the Utah Community Action Partnership, said, "If somebody is on Medicaid or food stamps, if they're in any of these kinds of programs, they're already in trouble. And when the economy goes down, they're also the first to lose their jobs."
Lawmakers have talked about cutting back on things like transportation projects, changing the way projects like that are funded, and lots of smaller cuts together.
The truth is, no one--not even lawmakers--knows what the final cuts will look like, so there are a lot of people who are defending their turf today and tomorrow before the decision is made.
E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com
