Utah lawmakers spent most of their Wednesday special legislative session debating the finer points of relatively small budget items and making flowery patriotic pitches for a limited military tax exemption.
Still, the House and Senate wrapped up business fairly quickly, approving each of the four items placed on the agenda by Gov. Olene Walker - a respectable feat considering technical difficulties they faced in temporary chambers they'll occupy for four years while the state Capitol is renovated.
Voting buttons in the House didn't work, requiring time-consuming roll call votes. But dissenting votes were few.
No one opposed the military tax exemption, which nevertheless received a throaty explanation.
"You hear a lot about message bills," said the bill's Senate sponsor, Provo Republican Sen. Curtis Bramble. "This is a message and the message is, that those brave men and women serving our country deserve our support."
Chimed House sponsor Nephi Rep. Darin Peterson, "As a collective body, we're saying to our troops, 'We honor you, respect you and God bless you.' ”
The sponsors couldn't say how many families qualify for the one-year state income tax exemption, which is limited to reservists and Utah Guard personnel. They estimate it will mean up to $200 extra a month per family and will cost the state $5.5 million.
But the tax break is expected to benefit a small number of people as state and federal exemptions already exist for military in combat zones. The new exemption simply expands the state tax break to apply to military personnel in training.
Much ado was also made over a $152,000 appropriation for surveillance and security to protect sensitive archaeological artifacts at the Range Creek site.
Panguitch Republican Sen. Thomas Hatch and others balked at giving the Department of Natural Resources more money on top of its already several-million-dollar law enforcement budget.
But the proposal's sponsor, Rep. Ron Bigelow, forged a compromise, carving $50,000 from the University of Utah's Natural History Museum, which oversees the cataloging and surveying of artifacts at the site.
The rest of the money comes from a one-time surplus.
"This is the absolute bare minimum we can do between now and the general session to safeguard this national treasure," he said.
Lawmakers also approved a $3 million appropriation - $1.5 million in federal violent-offender money and $1.5 million that was supposed to be used to buy Oxbow from Salt Lake County - to expand the state prison in Draper by 300 beds and relocate Salt Lake Community College vocational prison programs.
The feds appear unwilling to OK use of the violent-offender money, so lawmakers approved "just in case" language allowing them to tap capital improvement funds if necessary.
