MATRIX may die in Utah

Gov. Olene Walker has temporarily pulled the plug on the state's involvement with the much-maligned MATRIX supercomputer database, but state lawmakers — still angry that former Gov. Mike Leavitt kept them in the dark about the project — are looking to kill it once and for all.

Leaders on both sides of the aisle say there is no way they will support spending $2 million needed to fund Utah's participation in the database, not in light of all the other needs in the state.

"I don't anticipate we will fund it," Senate Majority Whip John Valentine, R-Orem, said. "Even if there is federal funding, there is a strong sense this could be Big Brother, and we may not (allow a federal grant) now that we know about it."

"No, we should spend no money on it," said Rep. Morgan Philpot, R-Sandy, who has filed two bills aimed at stopping the project.

The pilot program, first reported in the Deseret Morning News last week, links hundreds of databases from around the nation into a system that can create dossiers on just about every person. It is scheduled to expire in August, after which Utah would have to pony up about $2 million to continue its participation. That means the state Department of Public Safety would have to have the money in its 2004-2005 budget now being debated on Capitol Hill.

But MATRIX isn't in Gov. Olene Walker's budget, nor has a request been made to a legislative committee to add it to the state budget. "We didn't know MATRIX existed," legislative budget boss John Massey said. "And there is no money" for MATRIX in the GOP majority's suggested 2004-2005 budget, now in extensive hearings, Massey said.

That leaves a special legislative session sometime in the months ahead as the only means to get the project funded, and only then if the state is flush with additional cash. While the state is running a $50 million-plus surplus this year, both Republican and Democratic leaders are struggling to find extra cash for public education, Human Services and other programs — programs with much larger constituents in this election year than a secret data system.

Last week, Walker, who says she knew nothing about Utah's involvement in MATRIX, ordered public safety officials to suspend the state's participation until an oversight committee has a chance to review privacy issues and public concerns. She appointed three lawmakers, a citizen representative, a member of her staff and a chief deputy from the Attorney General's Office to the committee.

That committee will hold its first meeting Tuesday, said Walker spokesperson Amanda Covington. "All the meetings will be open to the press and public," she added.