MINUTES OF THE
LEGISLATIVE AUDIT SUBCOMMITTEE
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 • 4:00 p.m. • 445 State Capitol


Members Present:
President J. Stuart Adams, Co-chair
Sen. Karen Mayne
Sen. Evan J. Vickers
Rep. Brian S. King

Members Absent:
Speaker Brad R. Wilson, Co-chair
Rep. Francis D. Gibson

Staff Present:
Mr. Brian J. Dean, Deputy Auditor General
Mr. Darin R. Underwood, Deputy Auditor General
Mr. Kade R. Minchey, Auditor General
Ms. Julia Conner, Executive Assistant

Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.

1. Committee Business
2. Audit Report Presentations
Mr. Brian Dean, Deputy Auditor General, introduced An In-Depth Budget Review of the Department of Natural Resources (Report#2019-10).
2A - An In-Depth Budget Review of the Department of Natural Resources (Report#2019-10)
Mr. David Gibson, Audit Supervisor, presented the findings of the audit.
Rep. King asked a question regarding Chapter 3, and voiced concerns over the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) failure to address audit recommendations, four separate audits in four separate years, and the lack of compliance with statutory requirements (Utah Code 63I-5-301).
Mr. Brian Steed, Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources, responded to the audit.
Rep. King asked a question regarding Chapter 3 and the multiple failures to address audit recommendations.
Rep. King asked how long Utah Code 63I-5-301 had been in place.
President Adams asked a question regarding when it could be expected to do a follow up and see changes implemented.
Sen. Vickers asked a question regarding the watershed restoration fund and the recommendation to put this in statute.
Sen. Vickers asked a question regarding the recommendation to raise hunting and fishing fees.
Sen. Mayne commented on the lack of addressing audit recommendations for years.
Mr. Steed commented that DNR is committed to fixing the problem.
President Adams recommended that an audit follow up be performed in a year.
Mr. Darin Underwood, Deputy Auditor General, introduced A Performance Audit of Same Day Voter Registration Controls (Report#2019-09).
2B - A Performance Audit of Same Day Voter Registration Controls (Report#2019-09)
Mr. Ryan Thelin, Performance Auditor, presented the findings of the audit.
Rep. King asked a question regarding the pilot program from 2014-2017.
Rep. King asked a question regarding the interactive figure and the number of ballots in Salt Lake County and Utah County.
Rep. King asked whether it's best to keep the county by county provisional ballots or move to a state wide process.
Mr. Justin Lee, Director of Elections, Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, responded to the audit and Rep. King's questions.
President Adams asked a question regarding provisional ballot access to counties.
Rep. King asked a question regarding election security in 2020.
Mr. Dean introduced A Limited Review of RISE Testing Issues (Report#ILR2019-C).
2C - A Limited Review of RISE Testing Issues (Report#ILR2019-C)
Mr. Matt Harvey, Audit Supervisor, presented the findings of the audit.
Sen. Mayne asked a question regarding what prompted the change in vendors.
Ms. Debbie Davis, Chief Audit Executive, Utah State Board of Education, responded to the audit findings.
Mr. Zachary Christensen, Director of Purchasing, Utah State Board of Education, responded to the findings of the audit.
Mr. Darin Nielsen, Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning, Utah State Board of Education, responded to the audit findings.
3. Other Items/Adjourn
Sen. Vickers moved to adjourn.