While the GOP House caucus approved what it would like to see, its Senate counterpart must still weigh in and its deliberations so far have been behind closed doors.

The House GOP would like to give corrections and public education big boosts but took large chunks of committee-recommended funding from higher education and Medicaid.

The House wants to spend nearly $15 million on a 300-bed parole-violator center and the Gunnison 192-bed prison. Also, $3 million will go to officer retention and recruitment, though a committee had proposed $5.8 million.

In higher education, the caucus gutted a bill requesting $14.5 million for priorities at individual institutions of higher education. Instead, only $2 million will go toward the conversion of Utah Valley State College to a university.

The Health and Human Services Committee recommended $4.1 million for inflation in Medicaid, and placed the funding in its top five priorities, but that didn't come through. Instead the committee's top priority of reducing the disabilities waiting list was given $1.1 million, the recommended amount.

Democrats, who are far outnumbered in the House and Senate, have yet to pick their funding priorities.

Some advocates wasted little time in criticizing GOP decisions.

The Crossroads Urban Center, which serves low-income people, said the priorities list, if approved, would cut dental services for 40,000 elderly and disabled people. It said "health care reform this session was really a great big joke."

The House GOP list did include about $1 million for a health care reform task force.

"It seems like nobody's happy. It must be a decent budget," said Majority Whip Gordon Snow.

While many are cringing at having only $175 million to appropriate after two record-breaking surplus years, conservatives take a different view.

"One of the main conservative values is to maintain government without growing government," said Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace. "Less is better, and that's exactly what this budget has done."

Rep. Greg Hughes, co-chairman of the conservative caucus, agrees.

"In the budget process there will be a lot more scrutiny because there is less money," Hughes said. "Every idea presented is not in play because there is a finite amount of money and that has forced the Legislature to weigh the programs."

smcfarland@sltrib.com

Select items on the list:

* Year Round Math

and Science $8.9 million

* Differentiated pay

for teachers $5 million

* English Language Learner

Achievement and

* Family Literacy Centers $5 million

* Healthcare reform $1.2 million

* Growth in Drug Courts $1 million

* This is the Place Park $450,000

Meals on Wheels $318,000