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MINUTES OF THE
LEGISLATIVE AUDIT SUBCOMMITTEE
Friday,
January 30, 2026
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4:00 p.m.
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450 State Capitol
Members Present:
President J. Stuart Adams, Co-chair
Speaker Mike Schultz, Co-chair
Sen. Luz Escamilla
Rep. Angela Romero
Rep. Casey Snider
| Members Absent:
Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore
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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| President Adams called the meeting to order at 4:12 p.m. |
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| 2.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Jesse Martinson, Audit Manager, introduced A Performance Audit of Utah State University's Governance, Leadership and Culture (Report 2026-02) |
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| A Performance Audit of Utah State University's Governance, Leadership, and Culture (Report 2026-02) |
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| Mr. Martinson and Mr. Nick Varney, Senior Audit and Operations Supervisor, presented the findings of the audit. |
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| Mr. Varney responded to a question from President Adams on the motivation to grow existing programs. |
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| Mr. Martinson and Mr. Varney continued with their presentation on the findings of the audit. |
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| Mr. Martinson responded to a question from President Adams about Utah State University (USU) leadership not supporting internal auditors. |
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| Mr. Martinson and Mr. Varney continued with their presentation on the findings of the audit. |
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| Speaker Schultz thanked the auditors publicly for their work on this audit. |
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| Mr. Brad Mortensen, President of USU responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| President Adams thanked President Mortensen for his leadership. |
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| Ms. White, Chair, USU Board of Trustees, Ms. Amanda Covington, Chair, Board of Higher Education, and Mr. Geoffrey Landward, Commissioner of Higher Education, responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| Speaker Schultz thanked the Board of Trustees for the hard decisions they made to drive positive change in higher education, for bringing President Mortensen on board, and for selecting the other new Presidents. |
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| Representative Snider noted that all trustees, all Presidents, and the student body leadership were present in the room. He also noted their commitment to making positive changes at USU. |
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| President Adams commented on the support from the Board of Trustees and the State Board and noted that it will bring future success. |
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| 3.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Brian Dean, Deputy Auditor General, introduced A Performance Audit of the Division of Child and Family Services (Report 2026-03) |
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| A Performance Audit of the Division of Child and Family Services: The Need for Improved Oversight and Controls in Child Welfare (Report 2026-03) |
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| Mr. Dean and Mr. Jake Dinsdale, Senior Audit and Operations Supervisor, presented the findings of the audit. |
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| Mr. Dean responded to a question from Representative Romero regarding the structure of leadership in the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS). |
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| Mr. Dean and Mr. Dinsdale continued with their presentation on the findings of the audit. |
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| Ms. Tracy Gruber, Executive Director, Department of Health and Human Services, Ms. Tonya Myrup, Director of Division of Child and Family Services, and Ms. Carrie Bambrough, Director, Division of Continuous Quality and Improvement, responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| Ms. Gruber responded to a question from Representative Romero regarding the accountability of caseworkers who fail to follow through on safety issues. |
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| Ms. Myrup responded to a question from Representative Romero regarding middle management and supervisors on training for reading data and policies. |
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| Ms. Myrup responded to a question from Senator Escamilla regarding the issues discussed in the audit report. |
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| Ms. Gruber responded to a question from Senator Escamilla about the status of locations with higher issues. |
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| Ms. Myrup followed up by stating that individual assessments of the teams in certain locations are ongoing and constantly being monitored. |
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| Ms. Gruber responded to a question from Senator Escamilla regarding the agency's transparency and improving the agency's relationship with the Legislature. |
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| Ms Carrie Bambrough, Director, Continuous Quality and Improvement Division responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| Speaker Schultz stated that there will be a follow-up to this audit and they expect to see significant improvements. |
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to refer A Performance Audit of the Division of Child and Family Services (Report 2026-03) to the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee as the Lead Committee and to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee as the Review Committee.The motion
passed
with a vote of
4-0-2.
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| Yeas -
4 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
2 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
Rep. C. Snider
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 9, 2025, meeting.The motion
passed
with a vote of
4-0-2.
|
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| Yeas -
4 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
2 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
Rep. C. Snider
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to refer to A Performance Audit of Utah State University's Governance, Leadership, and Culture (Report 2026-02) to the Higher Education Appropriations Committee as the Lead Committee and to the Education Interim Committee as the Review Committee.The motion
passed
with a vote of
4-0-2.
|
|
| Yeas -
4 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
2 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
Rep. C. Snider
| |
| 4.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Martinson introduced A performance Audit of Drinking Water Cybersecurity (Report 2026-01) |
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| Mr. Martinson, Mr. Christopher McClelland, Cyber Security Audit Supervisor, and Mr. Brandon Checketts, Performance Auditor, presented the findings on the audit. |
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| A Performance Audit of Drinking Water Cybersecurity: Opportunities to Improve the Resilience of Critical Utilities (Report 2026-01) |
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| Mr. McClelland responded to a question from President Adams regarding manual override if there is a critical system attack. |
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| Mr. Nathan Lunstad, Director, and Michelle Deras, Assistant Director, Division of Drinking Water, responded to the findings of the audit. |
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to refer A Performance of Drinking Water Cybersecurity (Report 2026-01) to the Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Interim Committee as the Lead Committee and to the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee as the Review Committee.The motion
passed
with a vote of
5-0-1.
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| Yeas -
5 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Rep. C. Snider
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
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| 5.Audit Report Presentations |
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| Mr. Kade Minchey, Legislative Auditor General, introduced The Best Practice Handbook: Diagnosing Root Causes and Driving Results (Report 2026-04) |
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| The Best Practice Handbook: Diagnosing Root Causes and Driving Results (Report 2026-04) |
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| Mr. Martinson and Mr. Brent Packer, Audit Supervisor, presented the findings of the report. |
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| President Adams suggested that the report be shared with all universities. |
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| Mr. Martinson and Mr. Packer continued with their presentation on the findings of the report. |
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| Schultz commented on the series of Best Practice Audits that have been done and why the Office of the Legislative Auditor General is the best, as they want to make the government better for the citizens of Utah. |
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| President Adams commented on the overall process and how you can see practical changes in the State of Utah through following the best practices. |
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to refer The Best Practice Handbook: Diagnosing Root Causes and Driving Results (Report 2026-04) to the Legislative Management Committee as the Lead Committee and to the Executive Appropriations Committee as the Review Committee.The motion
passed
with a vote of
5-0-1.
|
|
| Yeas -
5 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Rep. C. Snider
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to prioritize the following audits and to grant the Auditor General flexibility to begin them as staff expertise and resources become available: - A systemic audit of the South Summit School District. In addition to the standard scope of LEA audits, this audit should specifically track and report student achievement and other key findings for at least three years following the audit through the auditor's in-depth follow-up process. - A performance audit of the use of impact fees.The motion
passed
with a vote of
5-0-1.
|
|
| Yeas -
5 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Rep. C. Snider
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
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| Mr. Minchey announced that the Office of the Legislative Auditor General's office released their annual report and the Strategic Plan. Mr. Minchey explained the offices' objectives and vision. |
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| MOTION:Speaker Schultz moved to adjourn at 5:46 PM.The motion
passed
with a vote of
5-0-1.
|
|
| Yeas -
5 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Sen. J. Adams
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. A. Romero
Rep. M. Schultz
Rep. C. Snider
| | Sen. K. Cullimore
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