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Senate approves multiple gubernatorial appointments, including Medicaid inspector general and victims board nominees
Summary
During the December 2015 extraordinary session the Utah Senate consented to a slate of gubernatorial appointments and reappointments — including the inspector general of Medicaid services and members of victims reparations and parole boards — by recorded consent with no recorded 'nay' votes.
The Utah State Senate, meeting in an extraordinary session in December 2015, consented to a series of appointments and reappointments transmitted by Gov. Gary R. Herbert under Utah Code 67-1-1 and -2. The Senate recorded "With 20 a's, 0 nay's, and 9 being absent" when it approved the slate.
Appointments read to the body included reappointment of Clark A. Harms to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole; appointment of Mitchell Thomas to the Youth Parole Authority to replace James Smith; appointment of Julie Gordon Smith to the Crime Victim Reparations and Assistance Board to replace Diane Stewart; appointment of Brooks Ryan Keeshan to replace Michael Madsen; and the reappointment of Robert Chep Loftus. Another listed appointment included Patricia Ann Connor to the defined contribution risk adjuster board and a nomination of Jean D. Cottrell as executive director of the Office of Inspector General of Medicaid Services.
Senator Alan M. Christensen, reporting for the Health and Human Services Confirmation Committee, said the committee met with Jean D. Cottrell and recommended him, noting Cottrell had served as second in command and as interim director of the inspector general's office and was "prepared to hit the ground running." Senator Madsen, reporting on the victims reparations nominees, said committee hearings raised questions about how the Victims Reparation Fund is funded and suggested it may be time to review whether the fund meets its original purpose.
A motion was made to approve the names read, the Senate recorded the consent, and senators congratulated those present. Committees were then asked to notify the governor's representative that the Senate had concluded business. The session adjourned later in the day.
