Committee keeps Land Trust Advocacy Office, advances SITLA audit fixes in HB 483

SALT LAKE CITY — The House Natural Resources, Environment and Agriculture Committee on Monday advanced House Bill 483, adopting third-substitute language that retains the Land Trust Advocacy Office while enacting several audit-driven reforms to the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA).

The committee voted to adopt third substitute HB 483 after hearing a detailed presentation from Representative Walter, the bill sponsor, and testimony from SITLA Director Michelle McConkie and multiple beneficiaries and education representatives.

The bill responds to two audits released Aug. 20, 2024, that recommended improving controls, accountability and proactive management at SITLA and the broader trust-system entities. Under the approved substitute, SITLA will participate in an annual audit under the supervision of the state auditor and will move to a multi-year cadence for estimating the value of land holdings used for financial reporting.

"The first provision is that the bill requires the school and institutional trust lands administration to participate in an annual audit under the supervision of the auditor," Representative Walter told the committee. He said SITLA would have flexibility about how that audit is performed, including retaining outside auditors if the state auditor chooses to…