SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Legislature is poised to spend about $40 million on flood relief efforts.
Ahead of Wednesday's special session called by Governor Spencer Cox, the legislature filed House Bill 1001, which will dip into funds to pay for flood mitigation. Lawmakers will also shuffle some money around to help. FOX 13 News is told it includes:
- $20 million for snow removal, avalanche control, slide mitigation and other emergency flood impacts.
- $5 million to address flood damage to state and local government infrastructure.
- $5 million as a contingency for higher-than-anticipated flood costs.
- $3 million for state costs related to the state of emergency.
That is in addition to $7 million Utah's Department of Public Safety has in its disaster recovery account.
Earlier this year, Gov. Cox requested — and the legislature approved — $5 million for flood mitigation "just in case." The state has already blown through that with flooding the state has already experienced. But lawmakers are being warned there is still significant snowpack in northern Utah that has yet to melt and above-average temperatures forecast in the next couple of weeks.
In addition to the flood funding request, the governor will also ask the legislature in special session to modify a gun bill to comply with federal law, tweak legislation on firefighter retirement benefits and approve a number of appointments to boards and commissions.
