Utah Gov. Spencer Cox will call lawmakers for a special legislative session to consider financial and legal issues regarding House Bill 11, relating to student eligibility in interscholastic activities.

The call is set for 2 p.m. on Friday, March 25. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The Utah legislative session adjourned sine die March 4 after 45 days.

During the session, lawmakers approved a $25 billion budget that included a notable increase for public education funding.

The budget was the largest ever, driven by the economy and additional spending from Washington D.C.

Additionally, a nearly $200 million package cutting income taxes was approved.

Legislation that passed during the session will become effective 60 days following the date of adjournment sine die.

Gov. Spencer Cox has called the Utah Legislature into a special session on redistricting set to begin November 9 at 10:30 a.m.

Lawmakers will vote on a set of maps that will determine the boundaries of Utah’s political districts, from school boards to the state Legislature and Congress, for the next decade.

In addition, Cox outlined other issues to be considered by lawmakers, including a vote to change the name of Dixie State University and an opportunity to consider provisions related to COVID-19 and the workplace.

It is not yet clear when the special session is slated to end.

The 2021 session of the Utah Legislature adjourned sine die on March 5 after being in session since January 19.

During the session, lawmakers introduced legislation relating to PAC reporting requirements and amending provisions of the state procurement code.

Utah House Bill 310 relating to PACs establishes that a PAC must report each contribution and expenditure to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office within 31 days after the contribution is received or the expenditure is made.

Under the bill, if the exact amount of an expenditure cannot be determined before the deadline to report the expenditure, the PAC must report a reasonable estimate of the amount of the expenditure before the deadline and report the exact amount of the expenditure.

House Bill 310 was introduced February 4 but did not pass during the session.

In relation to procurement code amendments, Utah Senate Bill 188 defines the term contract price as the price under an existing contract between a procurement unit and a contractor and specifies that it does not include a proposed price or cost contained in a solicitation response or any other bid, proposal, or offer submitted by a person other than the contractor under the existing contract.

Under Senate Bill 188, a contractor under a multiple award contract resulting from a bidding process may not lower the contract price unless the contractor’s solicitation response led to the award was the lowest price solicitation response.

Senate Bill 188 is currently being drafted for the enrolling process to be sent to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk. Gov. Cox has until March 25 to sign or veto legislation, or it will become law without signature.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is targeting a special session from June 18 to June 19 to adjust next fiscal year’s budget in response to COVID-19.

A plan is underway to allow lawmakers the option of attending virtually.

The day prior to the special session, legislators will get new revenue estimates during a meeting of the Executive Appropriations Committee.

It is not known how the budget numbers will look, but they will be drastically different from the more than $900 million in excess revenue lawmakers used to set this year’s fiscal budget.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced March 31 he will call a special legislative session within two to three weeks to deal with growing COVID-19 concerns.

Gov. Herbert said several items will be at issue during the special session.

Items include extending the state’s personal income tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15, and potentially opening the state’s General and Education funds.

It is unclear whether Gov. Herbert will ask lawmakers to take steps dealing with the spring and summer election deadlines.

This does not affect lobbyist reporting.

When the special session is called, all restrictions on contributions from individuals, lobbyists, principals, and political committees will apply.

In the final hours of the legislative session ending just before midnight on March 12, lawmakers pushed through a series of measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislature extended the state of emergency for Utah to June 30, and instituted a “no handshake” rule at the Capitol.

To help seniors who are highly susceptible to the novel coronavirus, $24 million was appropriated.

An additional $16 million was appropriated to the Utah Department of Health.

Finally, $4 million was passed for Utah’s Division of Emergency Management dealing with COVID-19.

Senate Majority Whip Dan Hemmert passed a resolution that allows lawmakers to meet remotely, using electronic communication methods.

House Bill 186, relating to lobbyist registration as a foreign agent, was introduced but not passed.

The bill would have required a foreign agent to register with the lieutenant governor prior to engaging in any lobbying activity.

In total, lawmakers passed 510 bills ranging from affordable housing and education to women’s rights and technology.

In the 2019 legislative session, legislators passed House Bill 64 and Senate Bill 147 amending the state’s lobbying provisions. Both bills were signed by Gov. Gary Herbert this month.

House Bill 64 creates disclosure requirements for lobbying local government and board of education members.

The new requirements include quarterly reporting and prohibit expenditures by lobbyists and principals over $10. Not included in the $10 limit are expenditures for food, beverage, travel, lodging, or admission to or attendance at a tour or meeting.

Senate Bill 147 follows a national trend in modifying requirements for lobbyist ethics and harassment training and adds a due date for completion as well as penalties for non-completion.

Both bills go into effect on May 13, 2019, 60 days after the adjournment sine die of the legislature.

The Utah Legislature will meet in a special session on December 3 to discuss the voter-approved medical marijuana ballot measure passed by a majority of voters this month.

This week, Senate President Wayne Niederhauser said his fellow senators needed to attend the session and he could compel their presence if necessary.

Gov. Gary Herbert vowed to call a special session to discuss medical marijuana regardless of the outcome of the bill. Gov. Herbert has been working with legislators and the Mormon church to find a compromise and tweak legislation based on the passed measure.

A two-thirds majority vote is necessary to make the legislation effective.

The Utah Legislature adjourned a veto session sine die on Wednesday after overriding a pair of vetoes from Gov. Gary Herbert.

The Legislature resurrected and passed Senate Bill 171, allowing legislators to defend laws they pass in court instead of relying on the Attorney General’s office, and House Bill 198, requiring the Attorney General to give written legal opinions to the Legislature when requested.

A spokesperson for the Governor said he hopes for an opportunity to test the constitutionality of the new laws in court.

The Utah Legislature will meet in a special legislative session Wednesday September 20, 2017, to consider a proposed $11.4 million settlement to be paid to the state by a contractor responsible for faulty renovations to one of the state’s highways.

The settlement agreement requires the contractor to pay for long term repairs to the highway and includes a provision requiring the governor and Legislature to approve settlements over $1 million for state agencies moving forward.

Gov. Gary Herbert also called the session in order to set aside money to curb crime in Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande neighborhood. The special session is set to convene at 2 p.m.

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.

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.