President Deborah Bayle said the organization will support bills that help address the underlying conditions that force families to live paycheck to paycheck.

At a Tuesday news conference at the Capitol, United Way leaders endorsed several items in Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s budget and added suggestions for additional funding:

* Financial Stability. U.W. supports a bill that would create a "financial literacy passport" to teach students about credit card debt, home purchases and retirement planning. It also supports the governor's request for $2.6 million to pay for housing for low-income workers and the homeless. And it wants the state to help more low-to-moderate-income families apply for the earned income tax credit with $100,000 in outreach funds.

Since 2004, the $500,000 the state has spent on such efforts has resulted in $23 million in tax credits. "That's an enormous return on investment," said Lane Summerhays, chairman of U.W.'s financial stability council and president of the state's Workers Compensation Fund.

* Education. U.W. wants $11 million to improve teaching quality and boost student interest in math and science; $7.5 million to help students learning English, $4 million to add guidance counselors, $700,000 to expand Head Start by 100 preschool students and $480,000 to help adults earn their GED.

* Health care reform. The U.W. supports the governor's multiyear, "market-driven" approach to reform that will start with providing consumers better information about the cost and quality of existing care.

* Immigration. Scott Anderson, chairman of U.W.'s board of directors and president of Zions Bank, stressed U.W. doesn't condone "illegal behavior." It doesn't support Utah-specific immigration legislation but agrees with a bill that urges Congress to act.

U.W. also supports a proposed legislative task force that would study federal and state laws related to undocumented immigration, as well as $200,000 requested to provide social services for refugees.

hmay@sltrib.com