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The Utah Government Transparency & Performance Act (UT-GT&P)

Utah state companion to GT&P. Extends the Utah GRAMA (Government Records Access and Management Act), Office of the State Auditor oversight, and the Utah False Claims Act (Utah Code Ch. 26B-4).

THE UTAH GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY & PERFORMANCE ACT (UT-GT&P)

Vehicle: State passage. Utah Legislature, regular session. Primary referral to House / Senate Government Operations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the “Utah Government Transparency & Performance Act (UT-GT&P).”

SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT

The Legislature finds that Utah operates the Government Records Access and Management Act (“GRAMA”) under Utah Code Title 63G Ch. 2 and the Open and Public Meetings Act under Title 52 Ch. 4; that the Office of the State Auditor operates under Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 3; that the Legislative Auditor General operates under Utah Code Sec. 36-12-15; that state-agency performance reporting operates through the Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget; that whistleblower protection operates under Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 21; that state employment is governed by Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 19; and that Utah has a state False Claims Act in the Medicaid-fraud context under Utah Code Sec. 26B-4-501 et seq. (formerly Sec. 26-20-1 et seq., the Utah False Claims Act). This Act extends these frameworks.

TITLE I — DEFINITIONS & COORDINATION WITH UTAH LAW

Sec. 101. Definitions

  1. (a) “State agency” has the meaning in Utah Code Sec. 63G-2-103.
  2. (b) “State Auditor” means the office under Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 3.
  3. (c) “UFCA” means the Utah False Claims Act under Utah Code Sec. 26B-4-501.

Sec. 102. Coordination with Existing Utah Law

  1. (a) Consistent with:
  • Utah Code Title 63G Ch. 2 (GRAMA).
  • Utah Code Title 52 Ch. 4 (Open and Public Meetings Act).
  • Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 3 (State Auditor).
  • Utah Code Sec. 36-12-15 (Legislative Auditor General).
  • Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 21 (whistleblower protection).
  • Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 19 (state personnel management).
  • Utah Code Sec. 26B-4-501 et seq. (UFCA).
  • Utah Code Title 63G Ch. 3 (Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act).

TITLE II — STATE-AGENCY OUTCOME PUBLICATION

Sec. 201. Utah Agency Outcome Dashboard

  1. (a) The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, in coordination with the State Auditor and Legislative Auditor General, shall maintain a Utah Agency Outcome Dashboard (“UT-AOD”).
  2. (b) Each State agency shall publish, for each major program in its budget submission, machine-readable performance data on cost per unit, output volume, and outcome measurement.
  3. (c) Updated at least quarterly.

Sec. 202. Integration with Budget Submissions

  1. (a) Each State agency shall include UT-AOD data in its annual budget submission.

TITLE III — STATE CIVIL-SERVICE ACCOUNTABILITY

Sec. 301. Published Performance Expectations

  1. (a) Utah Code Title 67 Ch. 19 shall be applied so that executive and director positions have published annual performance expectations tied to agency program measures.
  2. (b) Two-cycle failure grounds non-retention.

TITLE IV — REGULATORY PARTICIPATION

Sec. 401. Utah Regulatory Participation Dashboard

  1. (a) The Division of Administrative Rules, in coordination with agencies that adopt rules under Utah Code Title 63G Ch. 3, shall publish a Utah Regulatory Participation Dashboard.
  2. (b) Informational.

TITLE V — WHISTLEBLOWER REWARDS

Sec. 501. Utah False Claims Act Reward Alignment

  1. (a) Utah Code Sec. 26B-4-503 (awards under UFCA) is hereby amended so that a qui tam relator may receive a share aligned with the federal range under 31 U.S.C. Sec. 3730(d).
  2. (b) Amounts payable drawn from amounts recovered to the State.
  3. (c) This Section does not create a general state false-claims cause of action outside the Medicaid-fraud context of UFCA.

TITLE VI — IMPLEMENTATION & GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 601. Severability

If any provision is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect the remainder.

Sec. 602. Effective Date

This Act shall take effect May 1 of the year following enactment.

Canonical federal version: GT&P. Other Utah bills: UT-ACSA, UT-MEWRA, UT-AI-Workforce.