The Utah Legislature adjourned its 2017 regular legislative session sine die on March 9, 2017.

Lawmakers worked just beyond their midnight deadline and passed a record 535 bills and resolutions during the 45-day session.

The passed bills include House Bill 52 creating a misdemeanor when a person conspires to make a contribution through one or more persons to avoid disclosure, House Bill 204 requiring the state to hold a presidential primary in every year a presidential election is held, and Senate Bill 275 repealing provisions requiring in certain circumstances a corporation to disclose donor identity and notify donors if the corporation uses the money to influence the outcome of an election.

In a statement to the Utah House of Representatives, Gov. Gary Herbert said it was the best legislative session he has ever seen by the state.

The Utah Legislature adjourned a one day special session sine die on November 16, 2017. Lawmakers unanimously passed a bill to fix a complicated gas tax distribution formula in order to evenly distribute revenue and reflect the legislative intent of the original bill passed last year.

Lawmakers also passed a bill clarifying the definitions of solid waste and solid waste management facility, seeking approval from Gov. Gary Herbert who vetoed similar legislation earlier this year and requested changes.

Per Utah law, the ban on contributions during a special legislative session concludes at the time of adjournment.

Gov. Gary Herbert has called a special legislative session beginning November 16 to fix a flawed gas tax formula.

The session was called after the Utah League of Cities and Towns and the Utah Association of Counties negotiated a solution to redistribute the tax revenue evenly.

The special session, Utah’s fourth this year, is also expected to consider a bill aimed at exempting some recycling facilities from certain licensing requirements.

On November 8, incumbent Republican Gov. Gary Herbert won his third election as Utah governor defeating Democratic challenger Mike Weinholtz 73.9 percent to 22.1 percent.

Herbert first became governor in 2009 when then-governor John Huntsman became the American ambassador to Singapore. Herbert was then elected in a special election in 2010, and again in the general election in 2012.

Utah, a Republican stronghold state, has not elected a Democratic governor in over 20 years.

Photo of Gov. Gary Herbert by 32ATPs on Wikimedia Commons.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will likely call a special session in mid-November to remedy a flawed road funding formula based on a statewide gas price increase.

The faulty gas tax bill was passed earlier this year in the Legislature’s general session to correct a mistake in the 2015 transportation funding reform. The 2016 bill was based on differing calculations resulting in a funding deficit for some cities and counties in the state.

No other items are expected to be added to the special session agenda.

In Utah, special sessions typically take place on the monthly interim study days with November 16 being the only such day remaining this year.

Photo of the Utah State Capitol by Robert Cutts on Wikimedia Commons.

On July 13, the Utah Legislature adjourned its special session sine die.

Lawmakers voted for the state to allocate up to $10 million in funds for a new stadium in the Fairpark area of Salt Lake City.

An additional bill passed during the one-day special session regulates the use of personal drones over wildfires.

Photo of the Utah State Capitol by Scott Catron on Wikimedia Commons.

On Monday, July 11, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued a call for a special legislative session to be held this Wednesday, July 13. The session was called to consider legislation related the Judicial Nomination Commission, the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, the Utah State Fairpark, and other matters.

One major concern the governor wants addressed in the special session is unmanned aircrafts being used near wildland fires. “This summer, wildfires in the state have become significantly worse due to drones interrupting air operations,” Gov. Herbert said in his press release.

On May 18, the 2016 second special session of the 61st Utah Legislature adjourned sine die.

The one-day special session restored funding to various educational programs throughout the state. The funding had been vetoed by Gov. Gary Herbert earlier this year.

On April 18, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, and Speaker of the House Greg Hughes announced an agreement to convene a special legislative session in May. The purpose of the session is to address education funding for the state.

The special session will be called to match the legislature’s regularly scheduled interim meetings. The veto override poll in the House of Representatives and Senate will be temporarily suspended, pending the issuance of a call to special session, according to the governor’s press release.

The Utah Legislature adjourned its 2016 session sine die on March 10. Gov. Gary Herbert has until March 30 to veto or sign legislation. The governor does not possess a pocket veto. The normal effective date for bills passed this year, unless otherwise specified, is May 9.

Photo of the Utah State Capitol by Robert Cutts on Wikimedia Commons.

On February 24, the Utah Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 2, which asks Congress to repeal the 17^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and proposes a new Amendment to return the power of choosing U.S. Senators to state legislatures. The resolution contends the “popular election of senators has diluted the power of the separate states, diminished federalism, and resulted in the increased power of the federal government over the individual states.”

In the proposed language of the new Amendment, each state must create “a liaison committee” to “work with its United States Senators in evaluating the impact of federal legislation on its state. All legislation proposed by Congress, and all treaties proposed, shall be submitted to each State’s liaison committee.” Additionally, the language of the Amendment calls for the senators to be subject to removal by the senator’s state legislature and for their salary to be provided by the senator’s state. The resolution quotes arguments made by James Madison in the Federalist Papers that federal legislation should be “ratified by two independent power sources: the people’s representatives in the House and the state legislatures’ agents in the Senate.”

The resolution passed 20-6. All five senators from the Democratic Party, along with one Republican senator, voted against the resolution. Three other Republican senators did not vote.

On December 8, 2015, the City Council of Salt Lake City unanimously passed an ordinance reducing campaign contribution limits for city candidates. A proposal to ban corporate contributions failed after Councilmember Erin Mendenhall convinced the council the money would instead enter the campaigns through corporate political action committees (PACs) and super PACs, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

The new law lowers the amount an individual or entity can give to a mayoral candidate from $7,500 to $3,500 and to council candidates from $1,500 to $750. The council also banned contributions from contractors doing business with the city.

Photo of downtown Salt Lake City by NorthernMagnolia on Wikimedia Commons.

The Utah Legislature adjourned its one-day special session on August 19, 2015. A resolution to build a state prison in Salt Lake City was approved, as expected. Gov. Gary Herbert, who called the special session, will address whether he will sign or reject the resolution at his regularly scheduled news conference today.

Today at 3 p.m. the first special session of the Utah 61st Legislature will be held. The session, expected to last one day, was called by Gov. Gary Herbert on August 14 to vote on a resolution concerning the building of a new state prison in Salt Lake City. While the resolution is expected to pass, the new prison still faces opposition from city leaders, who may file “an environmental lawsuit to slow or block the project,” according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Photo of the Utah State Capitol by Robert Cutts on Wikimedia Commons.