Committee advances bill changing required audits for small commodity boards to lower‑cost reviews
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Summary
House Bill 346 changes a statutory term from "audit" to "review" for certain agricultural marketing boards after growers and the Department of Agriculture said full audits create excessive costs
House Bill 346, submitted by Representative Welton, passed the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Standing Committee on Feb. 14, 2025, after sponsors and agriculture stakeholders described cost burdens created by mandatory audit language.
Representative Welton told the committee the bill makes a single word change in state code, replacing the term "audit" with "review" for certain producer marketing boards and control boards. He said boards often write only a handful of checks a year on accounts of modest size and that audits impose a significant, often unnecessary cost.
Craig Butters, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF), said the department supports the bill and that the change addresses excessive audit costs for small boards such as the Tart Cherry Board. Terry Camp, vice president of public policy for the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, said the federation worked with Representative Welton and supports the change, noting producers remain accountable and a review can be elevated to an audit if necessary.
Representative Shipp moved that the committee favorably recommend HB 346. The motion passed by voice vote.
Supporters said the amendment preserves oversight while reducing burdens on small agricultural producer boards; opponents were not recorded at the hearing. The committee passed HB 346 with a favorable recommendation to the House.
Votes at a glance: The committee passed HB 346 by voice vote; the transcript records an affirmative voice vote but does not list individual vote counts.