The House and Senate solved a stalemate over the final pieces of the $9 billion budget on the last day of the session by dropping their pet projects, planning to try again next year.

The battle began when the House voted to take $4.5 million from the state's savings account to help construct a 120-bed veterans' nursing home near the Weber County Fairgrounds.

Senators balked, saying if the House gets its nursing home, they wanted funding for the Drug Offenders Reform Act, which would boost drug treatment with the expectation that the prison population would drop.

After a series of negotiations, legislative leaders offered lawmakers two options: fund the nursing home and a DORA pilot project - or nothing.

They chose nothing.

House members said they didn't fully understand the drug treatment program.

Senators believed the nursing home may not be necessary because of the availability of private beds.

Senate President John Valentine was one of many lawmakers who left unsatisfied.

"I'm personally disappointed that we weren't able to fund both DORA and the nursing home," he said.

Johnnie Janes, from the Utah Veterans Advisory Council, said he felt the nursing home was "held hostage" by senators who didn't understand the proposal.

"We are not happy about it at all," he said.

"Our main concern is the veterans who are going to die without care because of a one-year wait."

Janes said he will continue the push next year.

Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, promised to bring DORA back as well, but will change his tactics.

He will find a House sponsor and limit the proposal to cover probationers only to begin with.

Lawmakers on both sides grumbled about budget items being held hostage.

"The reason to fund DORA is not to get a nursing home," said House budget chief Ron Bigelow.

"It should be approved on its own merits."

The decision marked the last big fight over the state's $9 billion budget, which lawmakers approved in several hefty appropriations bills during the second half of the 45-day session.