House Rules Resolution - Amendments to House Rules

16
HR1-3-102
HR1-5-101
HR3-1-102
HR3-1-104
HR3-2-101
HR3-2-313
HR3-2-314
HR5-1-101
0
House Rules Resolution - Amendments to House Rules
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: James A. Dunnigan
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This resolution modifies House rules.
Highlighted Provisions:
This resolution:
defines "minority leader" and "minority party";
clarifies the dates on which the House convenes;
removes the requirement that the House Rules Committee, when meeting to refer or sift
legislation, prepare minutes of the committee's meeting;
modifies the process by which a standing committee chair allows a response to motions;
and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Legislative Rules Affected:
AMENDS:
HR1-3-102
HR1-5-101
HR3-1-102
HR3-1-104
HR3-2-101
HR3-2-313
HR3-2-314
HR5-1-101
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the state of Utah:
Section 1.
HR1-3-102
is amended to read:
HR1-3-102
. Duties of the speaker.
(1)
The general duties of the speaker are to:
(a)
call the House to order at the time scheduled for convening, and proceed with the
daily order of business;
(b)
announce the business before the House in the order that it is to be acted upon;
(c)
receive and submit in the proper manner all motions and proposals presented by
representatives;
(d)
put to a vote all questions that arise in the course of proceedings, and announce the
results of the vote;
(e)
enforce the House Rules governing debates;
(f)
enforce observance of order and decorum;
(g)
inform the House on any point of order or practice;
(h)
receive and announce to the House any official messages and communications;
(i)
sign all acts, orders, and proceedings of the House;
(j)
appoint the members of committees;
(k)
assign responsibilities to, and supervise the officers and employees of, the House;
(l)
assign places and determine access for news media representatives; and
(m)
represent the House, declaring its will and obeying its commands.
(2)
The speaker shall:
(a)
sign, or authorize a designee to sign, all requisitions on the Division of Finance to
pay House expenses; and
(b)
give final approval of all expenditure requests as authorized by the majority
leader

and
the
minority
leaders of the House
leader
,
as defined in
HR3-2-101
,
including
compensation and reimbursement for expenses for in-state and out-of-state travel on
legislative business.
Section 2.
HR1-5-101
is amended to read:
HR1-5-101
. Convening -- Hour of meeting.
(1)
In addition to the dates provided in
JR1-2-101
, the House shall convene on the date set
by proclamation of the speaker that convenes the House into an extraordinary session.
(2)
During the regular general session, the House shall meet at 10:00 a.m. daily except
Saturdays and Sundays, unless otherwise announced by the presiding officer.
Section 3.
HR3-1-102
is amended to read:
HR3-1-102
. House Rules Committee -- Assignment duties.
(1)
The presiding officer shall submit all legislation introduced in the House of
Representatives to the House Rules Committee.
(2)
For all legislation not specified in
HR3-1-103
that is referred to the House Rules
Committee, the committee shall examine the legislation for proper form, including fiscal
note and committee note, if any, and either:
(a)
refer the legislation to the House with a recommendation that the legislation be:
(i)
referred to a standing committee for consideration; or
(ii)
read the second time and placed on the third reading calendar if the legislation:
(A)
has received a favorable recommendation from a House standing committee;
(B)
is exempted from the House standing committee review requirements under
HR3-2-401
; or
(C)
has received a favorable recommendation from the House Rules Committee
meeting as a standing committee as permitted under
HR3-1-101
; or
(b)
hold the legislation.
(3)
In carrying out the House Rules Committee's functions and responsibilities under this
rule, the committee may not:
(a)
table legislation without the written consent of the sponsor;
(b)
report out any legislation that has been tabled by a standing committee;
(c)
amend legislation without the written consent of the sponsor; or
(d)
substitute legislation without the written consent of the sponsor.
(4)
The House Rules Committee may recommend a time certain for floor consideration of
any legislation when the legislation is reported out of the House Rules Committee, or at
any other time.
(5)
When the House Rules Committee is carrying out the committee's functions and
responsibilities under this rule, the committee shall:
(a)
when the Legislature is in session, give notice of the committee's meetings according
to the requirements of
HR3-1-106
;
(b)
when the Legislature is not in session, post a notice of meeting at least 24 hours
before the meeting convenes;
and
(c)
have as the committee's agenda all legislation in the committee's possession for
assignment to committee or to the House calendars
; and
.
(d)
prepare minutes that include a record, by individual representative, of votes taken.
(6)
House Rules Committee meetings are open to the public, but comments and discussion
are limited to members of the committee and
the committee's
committee
staff.
Section 4.
HR3-1-104
is amended to read:
HR3-1-104
. Rules committee duties during sifting.
(1)
Upon motion from the floor, the House Rules Committee shall prioritize legislation for
floor action and review and update this priority as necessary for the calendars.
(2)
The House Rules Committee may recommend a time certain for floor consideration of
any legislation when it is reported out of the House Rules Committee, or at any other
time.
(3)
When the House Rules Committee is carrying out
its
the committee's
functions and
responsibilities under this rule, the committee shall:
(a)
during a legislative session, give notice of
its
the committee's
meetings by either:
(i)
providing oral notice from the floor of the time and place of
its
the committee's

next meeting; or
(ii)
when oral notice is impractical, post written notice of
its
the committee's
next
meeting;
(b)
when the Legislature is not in session, post a notice of meeting at least 24 hours
before the meeting convenes;
and
(c)
have as
its
the committee's
agenda all legislation in
its
the committee's
possession
;
and
.
(d)
prepare minutes that include a record, by individual representative, of votes taken.
(4)
Anyone may attend a meeting of the rules committee, but comments and discussion are
limited to members of the committee and committee staff.
Section 5.
HR3-2-101
is amended to read:
HR3-2-101
. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1)
"Chair" means:
(a)
the chair of a standing committee; or
(b)
a standing committee member who is authorized to act as chair under
HR3-2-202
.
(2)
"Committee" means a standing committee created under
HR3-2-201
.
(3)
"Dispose of legislation" refers to a committee action that transfers ownership of
legislation to the House Rules Committee, to another standing committee, or to the
House floor.
(4)
"Favorable recommendation"
or "favorably recommend"
refers to a committee action
that transfers ownership of legislation to the House second reading calendar.
(5)
"Legislation" means a Senate bill, House bill, Senate resolution, House resolution, joint
resolution, or concurrent resolution.
(6)
"Legislative sponsor" means:
(a)
the chief sponsor; or
(b)
the legislator designated by the chief sponsor to be the opposite chamber floor
sponsor.
(7)
"Majority vote" means a majority of a quorum as provided in
HR3-2-203
.
(8)
"Minority leader" means the highest ranking individual elected to lead the minority
party.
(9)
"Minority party" means the political party in the Legislature with the second most
members.
(8)
(10)
"Original motion" means a non-privileged motion that is accepted by the chair
when no other motion is pending.
(9)
(11)
"Pending motion" refers to a motion starting when a chair accepts a motion and
ending when the motion is withdrawn or when the chair calls for a vote on the motion.
(10)
(12)
(a)
"Privileged motion" means a procedural motion to adjourn, set a time to
adjourn, recess, end debate, extend debate, or limit debate.
(b)
Privileged motions are not substitute motions.
(11)
(13)
"Substitute motion" means a non-privileged motion that is made when an
original motion is pending.
(12)
(14)
"Under consideration" means the time starting when a chair opens a discussion
on a subject or piece of legislation that is listed on a committee agenda and ending when
the committee disposes of the legislation, moves on to another item on the agenda, or
adjourns.
Section 6.
HR3-2-313
is amended to read:
HR3-2-313
. Chair to allow response to motions before placing motions for a vote.
(1)
After the chair accepts an original motion, and before the chair places the original
motion for a vote, the chair shall permit, in the following order:
(a)
except as provided in Subsection
(3)
,
the
chief
legislative
sponsor of the legislation
that is affected by the original motion to respond to the original motion;
(b)
committee members to debate the original motion;
(c)
the legislative sponsor of the legislation that is affected by the original motion to
respond to the debate;
and
(c)
(d)
the committee member who placed the original motion to have the final word on
the motion.
(2)
After a chair accepts a substitute motion, and before the chair places the substitute
motion for a vote, the chair shall permit, in the following order:
(a)
the committee member who placed the original motion to respond to the substitute
motion;
(b)
except as provided in Subsection
(3)
,
the
chief
legislative
sponsor of the legislation
that is affected by the substitute motion to respond to the substitute motion;
(c)
committee members to debate the substitute motion;
(d)
the legislative sponsor of the legislation that is affected by the substitute motion to
respond to the debate;
and
(d)
(e)
the committee member who placed the substitute motion to have the final word
on the motion.
(3)
For a motion or substitute motion to favorably recommend, permitting the legislative
sponsor to respond under Subsections
(1)(a)
and
(2)(b)
is at the chair's discretion.
Section 7.
HR3-2-314
is amended to read:
HR3-2-314
. Chair to place motion for vote.
After the chair has permitted a committee member to
sum on
have the final word on
a
motion as required under
HR3-2-313(4)
HR3-2-313
, the chair shall place the motion for a
vote unless the motion is withdrawn subject to the requirements of
HR3-2-511
.
Section 8.
HR5-1-101
is amended to read:
HR5-1-101
. Definitions.
As used in this
House Rule
title
:
(1)
(a)
"Government official" means:
(i)
an individual elected to a position in state or local government when acting within
the individual's official capacity; and
(ii)
an individual appointed to or employed in a full-time or part-time position by
state or local government when acting within the scope of employment or within
the individual's official capacity.
(b)
"Government official" does not mean a member of the legislative branch of state
government.
(2)
"Lobbyist" has the meaning identified in Utah Code
Subsections

36-11-102(11)(a)

and
(b)
Section
36-11-102
.
(3)
"Minority leader" means the same as that term is defined in
HR3-2-101
.
(4)
"Minority party" means the same as that term is defined in
HR3-2-101
.
(3)
(5)
(a)
"Volunteer lobbyist" means a person not registered as a lobbyist who engages
in lobbying within the meaning of Utah Code
Subsection
36-11-102(10)
Section
36-11-102
.
(b)
"Volunteer lobbyist" does not mean an individual who appears on the individual's
own behalf to engage in lobbying within the meaning of Utah Code
Subsection
36-11-102(10)
Section
36-11-102
.
Section 9.
Effective Date.
This resolution takes effect upon a successful vote for final passage.
1-21-26 5:49 PM