Utah bill would require background checks for public employees managing public money

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State Senator Diedre Henderson says she has been doing what she can to cut down on the large number of bills the Utah legislature has to deal with each session. She is best known for dealing with issues of transparency but Henderson is sponsoring one bill that she feels is important.

Her proposed bill would require background checks or credit histories for public employees managing public money. On KVNU’s For the People program Thursday, Henderson said she got the idea from the state Director of Finance, John Reed Hunt.

“He mentioned to me that the Department of Technology Services are required to do background checks on their employees before they hire them,” Henderson explained, “because they deal with public information, sensitive information, personal information.

“He said, ‘But I can’t. I can’t do background checks on employees that I want to hire. I don’t have the stated authority to do that.’ These guys are dealing with taxpayer money.”

The Republican from District 7 said her bill was introduced Friday. She refers to it as, “a no brainer.”

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