Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House passes bill easing residency rules for municipal court judges
Summary
The House approved HB 46 to give municipalities flexibility to appoint or reappoint municipal court judges who reside outside city boundaries or across county lines in limited situations; sponsor said the change addresses small municipalities’ staffing challenges.
The Utah House passed House Bill 46 after the sponsor described the measure as a practical fix for small municipalities that sometimes cannot find qualified municipal-judge candidates within city limits. The bill allows municipal governments greater flexibility to appoint or reappoint judicial officers who reside outside their municipal boundaries and, in constrained circumstances, across county lines.
Representative Bodley explained the bill addresses a situation in which a justice or municipal judge moved out of a municipality but was otherwise well qualified; the new text would permit reappointment or selection from adjoining communities when appropriate. Bodley also offered a technical floor amendment (replacing a semicolon and the word "or" with "and") to correct a drafting oversight from committee, and the House approved the amendment.
The clerk announced the final tally in the transcript as 71 affirmative votes and 0 negative votes for HB 46 as amended. The bill will be forwarded to the Senate.
