Utah House concurs with Senate on Medicaid inspector general office; bill passes unanimously

The Utah House on March 11 concurred with Senate amendments to third substitute House Bill 106, creating an independent Medicaid inspector general office to be housed administratively in the Department of Administrative Services.

"The bill no longer sends the Medicaid inspector general to the auditor's office," Representative Wilcox said, adding the change "creates an independent office" that is "completely independent" from the executive director while allowing the state auditor and legislative auditor general to perform oversight. Wilcox said the principal parts of the earlier bill (HB315) remain intact.

Members asked whether the inspector general could be removed and to whom the office would report. Wilcox said the inspector general "can still be removed for cause" and that, though housed in Administrative Services for administrative purposes, the office will report to the governor, the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate rather than to an agency director.

After brief discussion and waived summation, the motion to concur passed and final passage votes were recorded: third substitute House Bill 106 received 70 yes votes and 0 no votes. The House clerk announced the bill "will be returned to the Senate for the signature of the president" and the speaker will sign it for enrolling.

The House noted the bill was considered under suspension of the rules because it had not been on the calendar for more than one legislative day; that exception was recorded in the journal. The next formal step is enrollment and transmittal of the enrolled act for the governor's signature following the Senate's final processing.