S. 1453 would confirm the acceptability of the University of Utah’s ongoing use of a 594‑acre parcel of land. In 1968, the Department of the Interior conveyed the land to the university under the condition that it be used for public purposes. The university established and is currently operating an academic research park on the land, which houses technology, education, and medical facilities. The bill also would allow the university to develop student housing and a transit hub on the land and to use the area for other purposes related to the research park. Because those uses would have no cost to the federal government, CBO estimates that enacting S. 1453 would have no effect on the federal budget.
On August 13, 2025, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 2876, the University of Utah Research Park Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on June 25, 2025. The two bills are similar, and CBO’s estimates of their budgetary effects are the same.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Katherine Chou. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
