Federal agreements could require legislative approval

A bill that would require legislative leaders to sign-off on agreements made with the federal government that implement federal programs like No Child Left Behind got the green light from the Senate Tuesday.

Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, said the measure would help state leaders know how much an agreement is ultimately going to cost the state before entering into a federal agreement.

"This bill puts some safeguards around enjoining ourselves by choice to federal education agreements that would end up costing us more than we would benefit," Dayton said.

Under SB162, the Governor's Office or the Legislature would have to also approve agreements with the U.S. Department of Education, depending on how much money was involved.

As written in the bill, if the State Board of Education were to enter into an agreement costing education entities more than $100,000 annually, the contract would require the approval of the Governor's Office.

If the agreement exceeds $500,000 then it also would require the approval of legislative management and if larger than $1 million annually it would require legislative approval.