Any ethics investigation of Utah County lawmakers and a Republican float project appears dead, at least for now.

Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, and Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, were tied to a state audit critical of the Mountainland Applied Technology College.

The audit claims that MATC President Clay Christensen falsified time cards of employees who worked on a steel chassis donated by a trucking company to the Utah County Republican Party for a parade float. Utah law prohibits the use of public money for political purposes, and MATC is publicly funded.

One early allegation was that Christensen was feeling political pressure to get the project done from Bramble, the state Senate majority leader. Those claims were largely dismissed by state auditor Auston Johnson and Sen. Mike Dmitrich, a Democrat who is co-chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee.

Lockhart claims the county party tried to pay for the work from the beginning, but that she was told to wait until the work was done. After the float was complete, she was then told the money had been given by an anonymous donor.

But enough public clamor remained, including op-eds in both Salt Lake City newspapers calling for an investigation, that political leaders remained open to an investigation if lawmakers requested one.

But three weeks after the audit was released, things seemed to have cooled down.

"I have not seen anything more since that initial flurry," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, adding that the issue appears dead.

"Based on the facts I have at this point, I think that it is."

Things are similarly quiet in the House.

The issue isn't dead for Christensen. The Utah College of Applied Technology is still conducting an investigation to determine if any disciplinary action needs to be taken. No timeline has been given for completion of the investigation.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B3.