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House rejects lowering threshold to lift bills from Rules Committee after protracted debate
Summary
A floor amendment to reduce the threshold for lifting bills from the House Rules Committee from two-thirds to a simple majority failed after an extensive debate over openness and management of the legislative calendar; the broader rules resolution (HR 1) ultimately passed.
Members of the Utah House engaged in an extended and at times heated debate over proposed changes to House rules contained in HR 1, focusing on whether the Rules Committee should keep the existing two-thirds threshold to "lift" bills or allow a simple majority to do so.
Representative Kim R. Birmingham moved an amendment to replace the two-thirds requirement with a simple-majority standard, arguing that prior practice concentrated too much authority in a small, closed Rules Committee. Birmingham described the Rules Committee as meeting "in closed meeting" and said the committee "keeps no minutes," urging the full House to "let the majority rule." Supporters of the amendment framed it as a transparency and majority-rights reform.
Opponents, including Representative Adams (Rules Committee sponsor), Representative Wharton and Representative Bishop, defended the two-thirds lifting threshold as a necessary management tool to keep the legislative calendar manageable during a 45-day session and to prevent late-session chaos. Representative Jack Arrington and others warned that a simple-majority rule could convert the Rules Committee into a partisan bottleneck when party balance changes and would produce logistical problems when many bills are introduced but few can be scheduled.
Other amendments were proposed (including deletion of language that would have required the sponsor's written consent before the Rules Committee could amend or substitute bills) and rejected in floor votes. The Birmingham amendment failed by roll-call (24 in favor, 49 opposed). After further debate and consideration of pink-sheet amendments, HR 1 as presented by the Rules Committee passed by a recorded vote of 63 to 10.
What's next: HR 1 will govern House procedure going forward; the change preserves the Rules Committee's management authority subject to the amendments the House adopted.
