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MINUTES OF THE
LEGISLATIVE AUDIT SUBCOMMITTEE
Tuesday,
October 15, 2024
•
4:00 p.m.
•
445 State Capitol
Members Present:
President J. Stuart Adams, Co-chair
Speaker Mike Schultz, Co-chair
Sen. Luz Escamilla
Sen. Evan J. Vickers
Rep. Jefferson Moss
| Rep. Angela Romero
Staff Present:
Brian J. Dean, Deputy Auditor General
Donna Hernandez, Office Manager
Darin R. Underwood, Deputy Auditor General
Kade R. Minchey, Auditor General
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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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| Speaker Schultz called the meeting to order. |
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| MOTION:President Adams made a motion to approve the minutes from the August 20, 2024 meeting. The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |
| 2.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Jesse Martinson, Audit Manager introduced A Performance Audit of the Signature Verification Process: Improving Controls and Transparency (Report #2024-16). |
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| A Performance Audit of the Signature Verification Process: Improving Controls and Transparency |
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| Mr. Martinson and Mr. Andrew Poulter presented the findings of the audit. |
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| Mr. Poulter responded to a question from President Adams regarding statistically significant sampling numbers for invalidated and validated signatures. |
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| Mr. Poulter responded to a question from Speaker Schultz regarding invalidated signatures. |
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| Mr. Kade Minchey, Auditor General, discussed the mission statement and purpose of the Office of the Legislative Auditor General. |
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| Mr. Poulter and Mr. Martinson continued with the presentation on the findings of the audit. |
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| Mr. Martinson responded to questions from President Adams regarding: - errors surrounding the qualifications of the candidates, - clarification on if the candidates complied with what they were required to do. |
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| Mr. Poulter responded to questions from Senator Escamilla regarding: - subjectivity on signature verification and the statewide training process, - the timeliness of engaging with citizens after their signature has been invalidated, - feedback on subjectiveness of the signature verification process. |
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| Mr. Poulter responded to a question from Representative Moss regarding the additional time candidates had to collect signatures. |
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| Senator Vickers expressed his appreciation for the Office of the Legislative Auditor General for trying to make things better through the audit process and the recommendations that were made to improve the process. Senator Vickers also mentioned the hard work and accuracy of the staff collecting and verifying these signatures. |
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| Mr. Poulter responded to questions from Representative Romero regarding: - chain of custody to notify citizens of signature issues, - concern over the notification process of denied signatures. |
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| Speaker Schultz discussed the importance of recognizing that Utah's Office of the Legislative Auditor had received a national award for leading the nation in creating a best practice for auditing the election process system. |
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| Mr. Minchey responded to a question from Speaker Schultz regarding what other states are doing regarding election audits. |
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| Mr. Ryan Cowley, Director of Elections, Office of the Lieutenant Governor and Mr. Brian McKenzie, Davis County Clerk responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| President Adams thanked Davis County for the work and effort by his staff and appreciated willingness to help us improve as well as the training that was done by the staff. |
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| Representative Romero restated that there was nothing fraudulent, no fraudulent signatures, and wanted it clear that while there were some discrepancies no forgeries were found. |
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| Mr. McKenzie responded to a question from Representative Moss regarding things that can be done to enhance training. |
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| Mr. McKenzie responded to a question from President Adams on the type of training that is given to elections staff. |
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| Mr. Cowley responded to a question from Representative Escamilla about substantial and responsible best practices |
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| Speaker Schultz mentioned the mission statement of the Legislative Auditor General and thanked Mr. Cowley and Mr. McKenzie for working closely with the legislative auditors and wanted to make sure that their appreciation was shared with their teams. |
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| MOTION: President Adams moved to refer A Performance Audit of the Signature Verification Process to the Government Operations Interim Committee as the lead committee and the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee as the review committee.The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |
| 3.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Minchey discussed the background on why the legislative auditors are working on an audit of the Behavioral Health System. He explained that the Office of the Legislative Auditor General will do a series of audits on various topics in behavioral health including workforce shortages, outcomes, and bed shortages. Mr. Minchey explained this first audit will deal with the governance of Utah's Behavioral Health System. |
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| Ms. Leah Blevins, Audit Manager introduced A Performance Audit of Utah's Behavioral Health System. |
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| A Performance Audit of Utah's Behavioral Health System: A Case for Governance, Strategic Planning, and Accountability |
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| Ms. Blevins and Ms. Madison Hoover presented the findings of the audit. |
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| Ms. Blevins and Ms. Hoover responded to questions from Senator Escamilla regarding: - the process of accountability and enforcement as well as stopping services, - the deficiency rate on level of care between counties based on the geographic location of the citizen, - the recommendation for an elevated position in charge of multiple areas. |
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| Ms. Hoover responded to questions from Representative Romero regarding: - process to ensure compliance with rules within the entities providing services, - accountability when services are not provided. |
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| Ms. Tracy Gruber, Executive Director of the Department Health and Human Services (DHHS) responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| Mr. Brent Kelsey, Director of the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DHHS) responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| Ms. Gruber responds to a question from Senator Escamilla clarifying the willingness of the DHHS to take on this new central role. |
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| MOTION: President Adams moved to refer A Performance Audit of Utah's Behavioral Health Systems to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee as the lead committee and both Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee and Government Operations Interim Committee as joint review committees. The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |
| 4.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Brian Dean, Deputy Auditor General introduced A Performance of Statewide Credit Card Processing Fees. |
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| A Performance Audit of State Credit Card Processing Fees: A Review of the Statewide Contact, USHE Institutions, and Local Education Agencies (Report 2024-18) |
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| Mr. Dean and Ms. Hilary Galvin presented the findings of the audit |
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| Mr. Dean and Ms. Galvin responded to questions from Senator Escamilla regarding: - clarifying which executive branches are required to use the system and what Local Education Agency (LEA) and Utah Higher Education Institutions are using the system,- the tiered system of fees for transactions processed, - options that an entity might use to make their selection of credit card vendor, - ways to encourage LEAs to join the state contract. |
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| MOTION: President Adams moved to refer A Performance Audit of State Credit Card Processing Fees to the Government Operations Interim Committee as the lead committee and the Education Interim Committee as the review committee. The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |
| 5.Prioritization of Audits |
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| MOTION: President Adams moved to prioritize the following audit and give flexibility to the Auditor General to begin the audit as staff expertise and resources become available: An audit of cybersecurity readiness throughout the state, including public and higher education. The audit should also specifically focus on cybersecurity readiness of public utilities in the state. The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |
| 6.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Dean introduced the 2nd Follow-Up of the Low-Cost IT Procurement Efficiency Evaluation. |
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| Efficiency Evaluation Follow-Up: 2nd Follow-Up of the Low-Cost IT Procurement Efficiency Evaluation |
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| Mr. Dean and Mr. Brent Packer, Audit Supervisor presented on the findings of the audit. |
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| MOTION: President Adams moved to refer the 2nd Follow-Up of the Low-Cost IT Procurement Efficiency Evaluation to the Legislative Management Committee as the Lead Committee. The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |
| MOTION:President Adams made a motion to adjourn. The motion
passed
with a vote of
6-0-0.
|
|
| Yeas -
6 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
0 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. J. Moss
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Sen. E. Vickers
| | | |