This is your daily news rundown for Friday, April 3. In this edition:
- President Trump is including $1 billion for Great Salt Lake in this year's budget proposal
- Half of Medicaid funds intended for patients at Utah nursing homes were misused, an audit says
- Over 300,000 Utah voter registration records could become public next month
Trump is requesting $1 billion for Great Salt Lake in his budget proposal
President Donald Trump is requesting $1 billion to restore and protect Great Salt Lake as part of his annual budget proposal.
Gov. Spencer Cox announced the request on Friday, just over a month after Trump first said on social media he wanted to support the struggling lake.
According to the budget, that money will go toward establishing a “comprehensive federal program” led by the Interior Department focused on issues like removing invasive species and restoring ecosystems.
The funding is part of Trump’s larger 2027 fiscal year budget proposal, announced on Friday, which includes a massive increase to the military budget and a 10% cut in non-defense spending.
Half of Medicaid funds for patients at Utah nursing homes were misused, audit says
Half of Medicaid funds intended for patient care at nursing homes in Utah were misused, according to a new state audit.
From 2016 to 2024, $922 million was spent on the Skilled Nursing Facility Upper Payment Limit Program — but just 49% of that was actually spent on improving nursing home care.
The rest, the audit found, went to administrative fees for several organizations that operate nursing facilities and hospitals.
The Department of Health and Human Services also reportedly collected almost $2 million more in fees in one year than it actually cost to administer the program.
The auditor’s office recommended several steps to make sure program funds were being used as intended, including not allowing funds to be used for administrative expenditures and closer monitoring of spending overall.
Over 300,000 Utah voter registration records are set to become public next month
The voter registration records of more than 300,000 Utahns are becoming public next month.
That’s because of Senate Bill 153, passed by lawmakers earlier this year, which says that if those records were classified as private without a reason listed before April 6 of this year, they will be reclassified as public starting May 25.
Voters who want to be classified as an “at-risk voter” and keep their records private, such as those who are a victim of domestic violence or a member of the military, have to submit a form to their county clerk by May 6.
As per the law, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson sent letters to every voter whose records would be affected to inform them of the change.
For all voters, personal identifying information will still be private, such as date of birth, driver license number, and social security number.
