This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Legislative leaders initiated the veto override process on Friday by polling lawmakers on whether to challenge the governor's actions on six bills and several budget line items.
In statements from the House and Senate, lawmakers questioned Gov. Gary Herbert's decision to cancel expansions of an online preschool program, called UPSTART, and a reading software program for students in grade three and under.
"These vetoed initiatives are proven and important," said Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton. "UPSTART, for example, has been expanded several times, with this governor's approval, to meet skyrocketing demand."
In his veto announcement Wednesday night, Herbert said there was a need to evaluate the state's early learning initiatives to ensure efficiency and avoid duplicating services.
Herbert's veto affects only supplemental funding for the UPSTART and reading software programs, as both continue to be funded with ongoing appropriations.
And UPSTART, which is administered by Utah-based Waterford Institute, is eligible to bid for additional funding through SB101, which was signed into law and creates a grant program for high-quality preschool programs run by public, private and home-based providers.
A Waterford representative said the company will likely submit a grant application through SB101 if the UPSTART program's direct funding is not reinstated by a veto override.
Draper Republican Sen. Howard Stephenson described the vetoes as "surprising." He suggested the governor had relied on inaccurate information, undoing changes that lawmakers approved after careful consideration.
"We wish that the governor had spoken with us prior to making his official action on these funding items so that we could have provided him with much needed context and more accurate data," Stephenson said.
A two-thirds majority of both the House and Senate is required to override a gubernatorial veto. Legislative leaders said the results of their polling will be announced by Thursday, April 14.
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