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Utah House approves substitute bill letting governor fill U.S. House vacancies
Summary
The House passed Substitute House Bill 163 to let the governor select a replacement from a list of three names when a Utah U.S. House seat becomes vacant, aligning the process with existing practice for U.S. Senate vacancies; the substitute clarifies earlier wording and passed 62–0.
Substitute House Bill 163, intended to give Utah’s governor the authority to fill a vacancy in the office of a U.S. representative by choosing one name from a list of three, passed the Utah House by voice/roll call and will go to the senate for further action. An unidentified member of the House floor (speaker identified in the record as S2) told colleagues the measure mirrors the existing procedure used for U.S. Senate vacancies and corrects ambiguous language in the statute. Representative Mel Brown and Representative Byron Harwood had previously raised concerns about the bill’s wording, the sponsor said, and the substitute incorporates recommended fixes.
The House put Substitute HB 163 to a vote after brief discussion and appeared to have unanimous support; the clerk announced the final tally as 62 yes, 0 no. The sponsor thanked colleagues for their input and urged support; the measure will be forwarded to the Utah Senate.
