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Legislative analysts flag 232 recommendations, proposed 'sweeps' and an unused opioid settlement award
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Summary
LFA staff presented a funding‑item follow‑up showing 412 tracked items, 232 recommendations (112 substantive), and recommended reductions including an $8.5 million set of proposed education sweeps, a $2.8 million ongoing reduction tied to an audit, and a recommended $300,000 reduction in an opioid‑settlement pilot whose recipient is defunct.
Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA) staff presented their annual funding item follow‑up report on Nov. 18, recommending a range of funding adjustments and improvements to performance measures across state programs.
Tim Barice, presenting for the LFA performance team, said the office is tracking 412 funded projects and that analysts produced 232 recommendations this year; 112 of those recommendations were flagged as more substantive funding sweep or performance‑change suggestions. "Here's our 412 items that we're following up on this year," Barice said and walked the committee through the online dashboard that allows members to filter by status, sponsor or subcommittee.
Barice highlighted examples: the LFA identified approximately $8,500,000 in proposed funding sweeps in public and higher education tied to implementation delays and hiring challenges; the LFA recommended an ongoing $2,800,000 reduction based on a state auditor report related to the Utah MEP Alliance; and a law‑enforcement grant program had nearly $2,300,000 unspent and recommended for sweep. He also noted a one‑time recommended sweep of $317,000 associated with the Office of Rail Safety (an office LFA says no longer exists) and recommended sweeping $97,800 that has sat unused for three years at the Ogden Railroad Museum.
Laurie Haupt summarized opioid‑settlement reporting required under SB 2: 12 projects were funded and reported this year, and LFA recommends reducing $300,000 tied to a behavioral‑health prescription digital therapeutic pilot because the original recipient is no longer in business. "Of the 12 items that were funded this year and required reporting, 1 item has a recommended funding sweep," she said.
Committee members asked procedural questions and received a live tutorial on finding items in the dashboard; LFA staff said the tool includes project‑level analyst comments and will be distributed to members by email following the meeting.
What happens next: LFA recommended the report be referred to the appropriate appropriation subcommittees for follow‑up; the committee voted to do so and will expect subcommittee review of specific recommended sweeps and performance‑measure changes.
