Fiscal Highlights - May 2015

Justice Reinvestment Initiative Funding and Performance Goals - Gary R. Syphus ( PDF)

House Bill 348, Criminal Justice Programs and Amendments, amended current criminal justice statute, and legislators appropriated approximately $14 million ($12 million ongoing and $2 million one-time) to help meet the requirements in the bill. The changes in policy and funding are far-reaching. 
Some of the new requirements include:
  1. New standards for mental health and substance treatment,
  2. Reduced penalties for certain offenses,
  3. Enhanced tracking of offenders in order to better assess and treat, and
  4. A requirement to create standardized graduated sanctions to address offender violations.

The new funding spans across four agencies and includes pass-through funds to local governments to meet the requirements in the new law. The table below provides a breakdown of the funding associated with the changes in the law.

With this funding comes the expectation of certain desired results. The Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice submitted the following outcome measures in the performance note:
  1. Reduce prison population (estimated CY 2016 prison population is 7,145 with a target to reduce population to 6,118 by CY 2020),
  2. Increase successful discharges from prison (estimated FY 2016 parole success rate at 20% aimed to increase to 25%  by FY 2020; and estimated FY 2016 successful probation rates from 37% to 47% by FY 2020), and
  3. Reduce recidivism with targeted reentry, treatment, and recovery services (estimated FY 2016 parole recidivism rate at 71% with a goal to reduce it to 62%; and estimated FY 2016 probation recidivism rate at 19% to reduce to 16% by FY 2020). 
May 2015 Content ( PDF)
Bond Refunding: Saving Money on Debt Service - Clare Tobin Lence
Bonds are used to finance large State initiatives, usually in the form of major infrastructure proj...
Budget Policy Changes Enacted in 2015 G.S. - Steven M. Allred
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature passed several bills that had an impact on budgeta...
Classroom Teachers in Utah's Public Schools - Ben Leishman
Do classroom teachers really only represent 50% of all full time equivalent (FTE) positions in the ...
Department of Environmental Quality Significant Changes - Brian Wikle
Executive DirectorAmanda Smith, Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)...
Employment Drives Economic Growth - Andrea Wilko
Strong employment continues to be the largest factor in economic growth in Utah.  Economists...
Justice Reinvestment Initiative Funding and Performance Goals - Gary R. Syphus
House Bill 348, Criminal Justice Programs and Amendments, amended current criminal justice statute,...
The April Tax Payments are In - How Do They Look? - Thomas E. Young
Every year staff presents you with point estimates for year-end revenue collections to the General ...
UCAT Program Approvals - Angela J. Oh
Certificate programs provided by campuses of the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT) are deve...
Utah System of Higher Education Increases Tuition by 3% for 2015-2016 - Spencer C. Pratt
During its regular meeting on March 27, 2015, the State Board of Regents approved a first-tier tuit...
What Are We Doing to Reduce Catastrophic Wildfires in Utah? - Ivan D. Djambov
The Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands is tasked in S.B. 56, Wildland Fire Policy (2015 GS...
Where Does the Department of Health's Fee Revenue Come From? - Russell T. Frandsen
The Department of Health estimates total revenue of $13.1 million for FY 2016 from 1,200 fees. &nbs...
Workforce Services Will Report on $29 Million of Additional One-time TANF Projects - Stephen C. Jardine
The Legislature passed S.B. 47, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, during its 2015 General Se...

Reports/Archive | Budget Process | Office Background | Who's Who | Organization Chart

Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst
House Building, Suite W310
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Phone (801) 538-1034 Fax (801) 538-1692