MINUTES OF THE
SOCIAL SERVICES APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 • 8:00 a.m. • 30 House Building


Members Present:
Sen. Jacob L. Anderegg, Senate Chair
Rep. Paul Ray, House Chair
Rep. Raymond P. Ward, House Vice Chair
President J. Stuart Adams
Sen. John D. Johnson
Sen. Michael S. Kennedy
Sen. Daniel W. Thatcher
Sen. Todd D. Weiler
Rep. Steve R. Christiansen
Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost
Rep. Sandra Hollins
Rep. Marsha Judkins
Rep. Michael L. Kohler
Rep. Michael J. Petersen
Rep. Candice B. Pierucci
Rep. Norman K. Thurston

Members Absent:
Sen. Luz Escamilla

Staff Present:
Russell T. Frandsen, Finance Officer
Clare Tobin Lence, Finance Manager
Kimberly D. Madsen, Financial Analyst
An Bradshaw, Committee Secretary

Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
1.8:00 Call to Order
Chair Ray called the meeting to order at 8:21 a.m.
Chair Ray asked the committee members and staff to introduce themselves.
2.8:00 Public Input on Topics on Today's Agenda
Jean Hill, Catholic Diocese of Utah, encouraged the return of money lost last year due to COVID and an increase in funding for affordable housing.
3.8:00 Approval of Minutes
MOTION:Sen. Anderegg moved to approve the minutes of the meetings held on October 19, 2020.The motion passed with a vote of 16-0-1.
Yeas - 16Nays- 0Abs- 1
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. J. Anderegg
Rep. S. Christiansen
Rep. J. Dailey-Provost
Rep. S. Hollins
Sen. J. Johnson
Rep. M. Judkins
Sen. M. Kennedy
Rep. M. Kohler
Rep. M. Petersen
Rep. C. Pierucci
Rep. P. Ray
Sen. D. Thatcher
Rep. N. Thurston
Rep. R. Ward
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. L. Escamilla
4.8:05 Update on Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution
4-COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Heather Borski, Deputy Director, Department of Health (DOH), turned the time over to Rich Saunders, Interim Executive Director, DOH, to introduce himself.
Rich Saunders introduced himself and the current executive board of the department.
Heather Borski provided an update on the state's coronavirus vaccine distribution.
Rep. Judkins asked for additional information on the doses available and the administration of second doses. Rich Saunders and Heather Borski responded.
Sen. Weiler asked if there was a difference between the first and second doses of the coronavirus vaccines and Heather Borski responded that there was not.
Sen. Anderegg commented on the distribution of the vaccines and asked Rich Saunders for more information on the topic.
Rich Saunders described the state's process and answered additional questions from Sen. Anderegg. Heather Borski also provided information on the state's efforts.
Rep. Ward asked why the state was not using second doses as first doses for vulnerable populations and Heather Borski responded.
Rich Saunders discussed the conversations going on in the department updating distribution decisions.
Sen. Kennedy thanked DOH for their work and discussed flexibility when distributing the vaccine to vulnerable populations. Sen. Kennedy asked about the data collection stream and Heather Borski and Rich Saunders responded.
President Adams thanked DOH for their work and asked about the prioritization of vaccinating those over age 65. Rich Saunders responded.
Rep. Hollins asked about vaccinating multi-cultural populations and Heather Borski and Rich Saunders responded.
Rep. Christiansen commented on the importance of vaccinating the vulnerable first. He then asked for information on the effectiveness of counties in distributing the vaccine and Rich Saunders responded.
Lee Perry, former representative, explained HB 419, Substance Use and Violence Prevention Reporting Amendments (2020 Defunded Bill), to the committee with assistance of Sen. Thatcher.
5.8:20 Requests for Appropriation - Bills Funded in 2020 General Session and De-Funded in 2020 5th Special Session
Rep. Christiansen requested clarification on reviewing the defunded bills.
Sen. Thatcher discussed the onus on the committee to decide how to best spend limited funds.
Sen. Anderegg explained SB 39, Affordable Housing Amendments (2020 Defunded Bill), to the committee.
Rep. Dailey-Provost explained HB 378, Disability Act Compliance Amendments (2020 Defunded Bill), to the committee.
Chair Ray asked where funding for the bill comes from and Clare Tobin Lence responded.
5g-Reinstating Funding for HB 195 - Identifying Wasteful Healthcare Spending
Rep. Suzanne Harrison explained the request to the committee.
Chair Ray asked if data has been analyzed and Heather Borski responded that the data has not been gathered yet.
Rep. Thurston discussed the results other states experienced after gathering wasteful spending data.
Navina Forsythe, Director of the Center for Health Data and Informatics, DOH, answered questions regarding the work being done to gather and analyze data.
Rep. Steve Eliason explained the request for HB 295.
Rep. Eliason explained the request for HB 220.
Rep. Eliason explained the refunding request for HB 35.
Chair Ray asked if the State Hospital was meeting its obligation to admit forensic patients within 14 days and Rep. Eliason responded.
Sen. Derrin Owens explained the request for HB 389.
Chair Ray commented on the need for the bill and Sen. Owens responded.
Rep. Jeffrey Stenquist explained the request to restore funds for HB 208.
Rep. Peterson asked if educating through media was cost-effective and Rep. Stenquist responded.
Rep. Ward asked for reconsideration of funding for HB 214.
Rep. Pierucci explained that discussions are ongoing regarding cut lists and Chair Ray and Sen. Anderegg added comments.
6.9:00 General Session Orientation and Initial Budget Actions
The agenda item was not discussed.
7.9:10 Review of Funded and De-Funded Budget Items from 2020
The agenda item was not discussed.
8.9:25 Impact of Budget Reductions from 2020
The agenda item was not discussed.
MOTION:Rep. Pierucci moved to adjourn.The motion passed with a vote of 14-0-3.
Yeas - 14Nays- 0Abs- 3
Sen. J. Anderegg
Rep. J. Dailey-Provost
Rep. S. Hollins
Sen. J. Johnson
Rep. M. Judkins
Sen. M. Kennedy
Rep. M. Kohler
Rep. M. Petersen
Rep. C. Pierucci
Rep. P. Ray
Sen. D. Thatcher
Rep. N. Thurston
Rep. R. Ward
Sen. T. Weiler
Sen. J. Adams
Rep. S. Christiansen
Sen. L. Escamilla
Chair Ray adjourned the meeting at 10:00 a.m.