SALT LAKE CITY — Two of Utah's largest government agencies are merging under a bill signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox.
House Bill 365 merges Utah's Department of Health with the Utah Department of Human Services. The new agency will begin operations in 2022.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, is designed to create efficiencies in agencies where a lot of services overlap. Another government agency, the Utah Department of Workforce Services, will take over more Medicaid-eligibility functions.
"As a longtime member of the Social Services Appropriations Committee, I see many opportunities for funding and policy alignment that will improve the customer experience while protecting taxpayer dollars," Rep. Ray said in a statement released through the governor's office. "We worked in expectations that the public and employees will be included in the transition planning and at the forefront of how this system will transform."
The agencies are already moving ahead with plans to merge. On Tuesday, they launched a website to outline the merger plans.
