| Members Present: Sen. Derrin R. Owens, Senate Chair Rep. Jefferson S. Burton, House Chair Rep. Sandra Hollins, House Vice Chair Sen. Wayne A. Harper Sen. Don L. Ipson Sen. Jen Plumb Rep. Cheryl K. Acton Rep. Tyler Clancy Rep. James A. Dunnigan Rep. Matthew H. Gwynn Rep. Calvin R. Musselman | Rep. Judy Weeks Rohner Members Absent: Sen. Curtis S. Bramble Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore Sen. Stephanie Pitcher Rep. Karianne Lisonbee Rep. Angela Romero Staff Present: Gary R. Syphus, Finance Manager Andrew Talleh, Financial Analyst Linda Service, Committee Secretary |
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| 1.Call to Order/Approval of Minutes |
| Chair Burton called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. |
| 2.Attorney General's Office |
| Chairs Burton and Owens acknowledged the contribution Attorney General Sean Reyes and his team have made over the years and expressed gratitude for their service to the State of Utah. |
| Andrew Talleh introduced the LFA presentation to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) with a brief overview. He addresed areas of efficiency highlighting Crimes Against State Economy Case Unit and a recommended reduction for contract attorneys. |
| Sean Reyes, Utah Attorney General, introduced his team and presented his Top Ten Legislative Wins: 10) Caring for Utah's Kids, 9) Safe UT App, 8) Defending Utah law and returning funds back to the state, 7) Providing tools, 6) Protecting public lands and resources, 5) Human trafficking, 4), Keeping markets safe, 3) Pushing back on federal overreach, 2) Modernizing and improving law enforcement, and 1) Increasing compensation. |
| Dan Burton, General Counsel, Office of the Attorney General (OAG), addressed critical issues in 2024 that they hope to solve with budget requests - case loads, judicial deadlines, and expansion of the Medicaid fraud unit in southern Utah. |
| Rep. Acton gave credit to the OAG for enforcing the laws of Utah. She appreciated that crime is taken seriously in the state |
| Sean Reyes, Dan Burton and Melissa Holyoak, Solicitor General, OAG, responded to a question from Rep. Burton asking if two criminal appeals attorneys is enough. |
| Sen. Owens thanked the Office for their resistance to organized crime. |
| Sen. Plumb expressed her appreciation for the persistence and tenacity displayed by the AG's Office to impact the opioid crisis. |
| 3.Courts |
| Gary Syphus provided the LFA presentation addressing a brief overview, background, issues and recommendations. |
| Ron Gordon, State Court Administrator, provided an overview of the Utah Judiciary and then focused on their specific budget requests which are in two main categories - Access to Justice and Administration of Justice. |
| Rep. Musselman requested clarification from Ron Gordon related to requests, senior judges, and case backlog processing. |
| Ron Gordon responded to questions from Rep. Hollins and Sen. Owens. Topics were: contractors being converted to in-house contractors and the need for more interpreters. |
| Karl Sweeney, Director of Finance, State of Utah Judiciary, clarified their request for positions. |
| Sen. Owens noted an almost $50,000 rent increase in the American Fork courts building and asked at what point is a new building considered. Sen. Harper spoke to the need to investigate the feasibility of owning rather than renting/leasing buildings. Ron Gordon responded. |
| MOTION:Sen. Harper moved to approve the minutes of the June 13, 2023, January 18, 2024, and the January 22, 2024 meetings.The motion passed with a vote of 11-0-6. | |||
| Yeas - 11 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 6 | |
| Rep. C. Acton Rep. J. Burton Rep. J. Dunnigan Rep. M. Gwynn Sen. W. Harper Rep. S. Hollins Sen. D. Ipson Rep. C. Musselman Sen. D. Owens Sen. J. Plumb Rep. J. Rohner | Sen. C. Bramble Rep. T. Clancy Sen. K. Cullimore Rep. K. Lisonbee Sen. S. Pitcher Rep. A. Romero |
| 4.Request for Appropriation |
| Sen. Vickers - Utah Debate Commission - Rebecca Edwards, Co-Chair, Scott Howell, Former Co-Chair, and Phil Cooper, Chief Financial Officer, all of the Utah Debate Commission |
| Sen. Weiler - Utah Crime Stoppers - Deborah Dilley, Department of Health and Human Services |
| Rep. Gwynn - P.O.S.T. Training Reporting and Management Application - Chelsey Burns, Utah Department of Information Technology Services |
| Sen. Owens spoke for Sen. Cullimore - Hazard Chemical Analysis System Procurement - Steve Styler, Foxley and Pignanelli, and Jim Senesco, AFC International |
| MOTION:Chair Owens moved to saunter.The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-8. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 8 | |
| Rep. C. Acton Rep. J. Burton Rep. M. Gwynn Sen. W. Harper Rep. S. Hollins Sen. D. Ipson Sen. D. Owens Sen. J. Plumb Rep. J. Rohner | Sen. C. Bramble Rep. T. Clancy Sen. K. Cullimore Rep. J. Dunnigan Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. C. Musselman Sen. S. Pitcher Rep. A. Romero |
| MOTION:Chair Burton moved to reconvene.The motion passed with a vote of 9-0-8. | |||
| Yeas - 9 | Nays- 0 | Abs- 8 | |
| Rep. C. Acton Rep. J. Burton Rep. M. Gwynn Sen. W. Harper Rep. S. Hollins Sen. D. Ipson Sen. D. Owens Sen. J. Plumb Rep. J. Rohner | Sen. C. Bramble Rep. T. Clancy Sen. K. Cullimore Rep. J. Dunnigan Rep. K. Lisonbee Rep. C. Musselman Sen. S. Pitcher Rep. A. Romero |
| Rep. Johnson - Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Insurance Program - Brandy Grace, Director, Utah Association of Counties and Beau Mason, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Safety |
| Rep. Cutler - Road Rage Public Education Campaign - Colonel Michael Rapich, Utah Highway Patrol |
| Rep. Watkins - Utah Communications Authority Revisions HB0229 with a handout "Price Communication Center, Unit 1545" - Mike Kourianos, Mayor, Price, Utah |
| Price Communication Center |
| Sen. Owens assumed the chair. |
| Sen. Buxton - Unreinforced Masonry School Funding Request with a handout "Addressing the Seismic Vulnerability of Utah's Schools" - Robert Grow, Seismic Safety Commission and Ari Bruening, CEO, Envision Utah |
| Seismic Vulnerability |
| MOTION:Rep. Hollins moved to adjourn. |
| Chair Owens adjourned the meeting at 10:53 a.m. |