Riverton Republican Rep. David Hogue's House Bill 114 would set aside $3.3 million in tobacco-settlement funding to cover medical care for 12,000 poor kids enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). That money would be matched by $13 million in federal funds. Currently, about 54,000 Utah kids have no medical insurance. With $7 million annually and federal matching funds, CHIP provides health care for 29,000.

The bill passed the House Thursday on a vote of 50 to 19, but not before conservative lawmakers balked.

Springville GOP Rep. Aaron Tilton said state government is like a "heroin addict" when it comes to federal funding that eventually could be cut. And Rep. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, said covering such children would only increase "dependency on government."

Some Democratic lawmakers cried hypocrisy. "It seems that we have plenty of money to put concrete and asphalt on our highways. What are our priorities?" asked Holladay Rep. Pat Jones. "This is the role of our state -to protect those who are unable to protect themselves."

The state has $51 million in unused federal funds still available for the program.

- Rebecca Walsh