[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6323887,"mediaKeyId","2340751-92d8239832f8f5abbfaa78e11e068e3d","parentId",2340751,"title","Senate committee advances GRAMA overhaul after hours of testimony and public opposition","audioSeconds",3623,"startMs",189345,"endMs",3813320,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340751-92d8239832f8f5abbfaa78e11e068e3d&start=189&end=3813","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340751-92d8239832f8f5abbfaa78e11e068e3d/thumbnail_189345.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6323887/Utah/Senate-committee-advances-GRAMA-overhaul-after-hours-of-testimony-and-public-opposition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323887-876f1352b20f32dc245c538b0f30af13/orig.mp4?Expires=1770870473&Signature=KF37JawHvJCWzrooTo5n1Ojtx5vCKMhO~hoJtzVqHgOhHGUJHco0klK7yzWAS8LqrH8f2s2XIv0laTDol7EhIYbJWTJrYLEo6tiZYcKs9bwCWum-CfHwgu-ArneOlcHFumuSSxGxKHo~CjKlerY~S2ATlqe0vXYJgB4Tjyb~PVTnf~cOV5Y00noNLL9hV2158AD7GJQ7oYG615BOEIZJdNDUhduqlo03YbzVW5NWSBiTLjBMKKCIxFHCsnhItI~LC9JqGQhF2UlTDgUAScFwwc8WlXH~gyj6-9QFML~5Kn-H31UMXHVy1QgFNvw1Kj62eeMaKNTTARLM8vyoPxbE-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Utah State Legislature","date","2025-02-18T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Standing Committee voted to favorably recommend first substitute Senate Bill 277, the Government Record Management Amendments, after extended presentations and extensive public comment.

Supporters told the committee the current State Records Committee (SRC) appeals process has become slow and inconsistent. Sponsor Senator McHale said the substitute “entirely focuses on the process” and would create an administrative law judge with a legal background and training to decide GRAMA appeals more quickly. Rachel Terry, director of risk management for the State of Utah, testified she does “not take a position on the bill” but said litigation and appeals have increased costs and that other states using a similar model “move cases more quickly and efficiently and reach more consistent outcomes.” Jeff Lambert, commissioner of higher education, said classifying records is a legal question and that legal expertise would provide “clarity and predictability” for institutions required to follow GRAMA.

The substitute retains the existing GRAMA balancing test, the bill sponsor said, but replaces the seven-member volunteer SRC process with an appointed director and a staff attorney to administer appeals and training. The director would be an attorney authorized to practice in Utah, serve a four-year term, and be the primary decisionmaker on administrative appeals. The fiscal note referenced during questioning indicates the change would create two ongoing state positions with an estimated cost “above $400,000” annually. The bill also includes training and outreach provisions intended to improve records classification at state and local levels.

Opponents in the committee room and online urged the panel not to remove the SRC’s citizen-led structure. Mike Judd of the Media Coalition praised the sponsor’s engagement but said “that reposing the decision making process into 1 person, a lawyer … I don’t think that the media coalition agrees with that.” Multiple public commenters, including former SRC members, reporters and civic groups, warned the change would concentrate power in an appointee beholden to the governor; attorney John Gadd pointed to a provision cited in testimony that would permit the governor to remove the director “with or without cause,” and said that raises concerns about independence.

Senators debated tradeoffs between timeliness, expertise and public confidence. Sponsor McHale and supporters pointed to audit findings and internal data showing long delays: committee discussion referenced a statutory 73-day target for SRC cases and stated that in recent years fewer than 10% of appeals met that target, with an average time from notice of appeal to decision of 156 days in 2023. Opponents said delays resulted in part from appointment gaps and urged further study and public engagement rather than moving to a single decisionmaker now.

The committee first approved a motion to delete the bill’s original title and body and replace it with the first substitute. Later, a motion to favorably recommend the first substitute passed on a roll call vote with four senators in favor and two opposed; the chair counted the result as 4–2. The committee’s action moves the substitute to the full Senate for further consideration.

If the measure proceeds, core points left for future debate include restrictions on removal of the director, reporting and transparency requirements for the new office, and metrics to determine whether the new process actually reduces time-to-decision and litigation costs.

The committee’s proceedings included more than two dozen public speakers for and against the substitute; their remarks and the committee’s discussion will accompany the bill as it moves to the Senate floor.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee - February 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Standing Committee voted to favorably recommend first substitute Senate Bill 277, the Government Record Management Amendments, after extended presentations and extensive public comment.","taxTitle","2025 Utah Legislature, Utah Legislature, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",78171,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6323877,"Committee sends four bills to the Senate floor: veterans housing, disaster fund revisions, financial disclosures and glass recycling",753,3912778,4666455,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340751-92d8239832f8f5abbfaa78e11e068e3d&start=3912&end=4666","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2340751-92d8239832f8f5abbfaa78e11e068e3d/thumbnail_3912778.jpg","/articles/6323877/Utah/Committee-sends-four-bills-to-the-Senate-floor-veterans-housing-disaster-fund-revisions-financial-disclosures-and-glass-recycling","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323877-faf6e55c755d42be54c4462cded85585/orig.mp4?Expires=1770870473&Signature=oAZgq0WMjv6R2QGHfxW6pPUuNuhclDCWpVnqfcJr6Lys17NCkfm2dj0bGk8z8mylPaU12fcibRj9IaMNBgHUZ2YyZ-q5HGJPU9igYexwvGGmdvfvhQmhLQOqznj4T~JMsT035g1hElIRKn16h1OnCISv1Zsx-SDmvxmYGseU-XN9d8lh2f8tmnxE-xw~sxAZCbhvNgQmmMTvBlPv2NyMgy1zxpWwujJuyUWrm4RSkQcOyk3zklPE07gdujfMEM0YVOzRsHjx-iyC-YkEk-waAAktNbgwCz85MlpHVNBeFnGW4v6ZAuHVXq4tLki35ENerOeiXvr7QiSwC5nlqTw2pA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Standing Committee favorably recommended four bills with limited debate and public comment during the same hearing.

House Bill 266 — Veteran Housing Amendments (Representative Daley Provost): The bill would codify a requirement for the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to produce best practices for helping veterans and coordinate with the Utah Homelessness Committee on programs addressing veteran homelessness. The sponsor said the measure is a first step toward addressing a high risk of homelessness among veterans. Public comment included a veteran and a former homelessness-services worker; the committee voted to send the bill out with a favorable recommendation.

House Bill 239 — Disaster Fund Revisions (Representative Volbrick): The substitute clarifies purposes and eligibility for a post-disaster recovery and mitigation restricted account, allows transfer of up to $10 million from the state disaster recovery restricted account when balances exceed $50 million, and would remove a local match requirement so the Division of Emergency Management can fund pre-disaster mitigation projects in communities that do not meet federal disaster thresholds. The sponsor and the Division of Emergency Management stressed the measure is intended to help communities affected by monsoon flooding and other localized disasters. The committee favorably recommended the bill.

House Bill 95 — Financial Disclosure Revision, second substitute (Representative Peterson): The second substitute requires the lieutenant governor’s office to modify the public disclosures website so users can more easily search campaign contributions by donor, a change supporters said would improve transparency and public trust. The committee favorably recommended the substitute.

House Bill 177 — Glass Recycling Amendments (Representative Welton): The bill commissions a study on glass recycling and the circular economy, noting the state’s current systems do not always reuse glass and that recycling could reduce landfill pressure. The committee favorably recommended the substitute.

Each of these measures was advanced by voice vote or unanimous consent in committee; sponsors confirmed they would waive further summation. Public comment varied by bill, with HB239 receiving several agency-level speakers and HB266 and HB95 receiving a small number of public comments. All four bills will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.","The committee unanimously or by voice vote recommended four bills — veterans housing, disaster fund revisions, a financial disclosure website fix, and a glass recycling study — to the full Senate.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_47":92,"_49":50,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6323882,"Committee approves Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act amendment; bill moved out unanimously",0,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2340751-92d8239832f8f5abbfaa78e11e068e3d&start=189&end=189","/articles/6323882/Utah/Committee-approves-Utah-Constitutional-Sovereignty-Act-amendment-bill-moved-out-unanimously","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6323882-5c5b8c747b46481725d0e6c110ac9070/orig.mp4?Expires=1770870473&Signature=gCQjGN30e~GQK2CAc9kc8zxykK1wPZ2wMEGcXyHb4VzPVasRdxP4fpAfV3FX~GqBN3SkgWfq2J-qHkZJgoBkyNZM~XTOQl1N5OlBzBiUXwsRGtD6aUSzugN9qRiAaDQbgb82ec2mUT6IXRkg30z4ID9tp1h~xzvOhwqKae-ShLP~pY1zAndozrvYwBB59Fu3LhcuOy24KyKPG4Kj610TKrfi~qRvXmHLmzGv4F4HyOJ4Yi7VhRxJrBV47rEnlvjT51VN2Sb8rzVmO5UZC0HSJpwfAtgkoxsfAdkzq--UJ3TrgQkXS1zIleRLMO46afbbecwVGS2KRi8k3RZm5h9qRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Standing Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 265, Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act Amendments, after adopting Senate Amendment No. 1.

Sponsor Senator Bridal moved Senate Amendment No. 1, which the sponsor described as removing the words “legislative staff office” from a specified line of the bill. The committee called the question on the amendment and approved it unanimously. With the amendment adopted, the committee then voted unanimously to favorably pass SB 265 as amended.

There were no public comments recorded on SB 265 during the meeting. The committee’s unanimous recommendation advances the amended bill to the next stage of the legislative process.","Senate Bill 265, the Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act Amendments, was amended to remove language referencing the legislative staff office and was unanimously approved by the committee as amended.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee advances GRAMA overhaul after hours of testimony and public opposition

Committee sends four bills to the Senate floor: veterans housing, disaster fund revisions, financial disclosures and glass recycling

Committee approves Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act amendment; bill moved out unanimously