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SALT LAKE CITY — In response to a revealing audit last year, the House and Senate have passed a bill that would set certain requirements for the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative governing authority.
The House passed SB62 with a 72-2 vote and will now be sent to the governor's office.
The legislative audit of USTAR, released in October 2013, revealed lapses in oversight at USTAR and said officials failed to accurately report jobs, revenue and return on investment.
USTAR was created eight years ago to bolster the state's economic development though university research and commercialization of technologies.
SB62 would require USTAR to lease buildings to state universities and to have written standards and expectations for technology outreach programs and research teams. The bill would also require USTAR to provide a detailed report and audit annually.
"All in all, I think this bill that we have addresses a lot of problems that we found with USTAR — not that there won’t be more tweaking down the road — but I think we’re in a pretty good place with this bill," said floor sponsor Rep. Jim Bird, R-West Jordan.
