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Melvin R. Brown elected speaker as Utah House opens 1995 session
Summary
The Utah House of Representatives convened to swear in members, elect Melvin R. Brown as Speaker by acclamation and announce majority and minority leadership and committee assignments; the House also suspended routine readings and referred first-reading bills to the Rules Committee.
Melvin R. Brown was elected Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives by acclamation as the legislature opened its 1995 session, members said during a formal swearing-in and organization meeting.
Lieutenant Governor Ollene Walker read a certificate of election for members chosen in the November 1994 general election, and newly sworn legislators took the oath of office. Representative Ciccinelli nominated Brown, and the House approved his selection by voice vote. Brown took the Speaker’s oath and used his opening remarks to emphasize the responsibilities of elected office, invoking the state constitution and urging collegial, public‑minded service. "We're your servants, and we hope you understand and we understand that responsibility which we have to serve you," Brown said.
Why it matters: The speaker sets the House agenda and appoints committees; Brown’s election and the leadership slate shape early committee assignments and the flow of bills this session.
In organizational actions, the House voted to print the morning prayer and Brown’s remarks in the House Journal and adopted Mason’s Manual as its parliamentary authority. The majority caucus moved that Representative Christine R. Fox serve as majority leader, Representative Michael G. Waddup as majority whip and Representative Kevin S. Garn as assistant majority whip; the motion carried. The minority caucus announced Frank R. Pignanelli as minority leader with Kelly C. Atkinson as minority whip and Grant D. Prossman as assistant minority whip.
The speaker was authorized to appoint committees to draft House rules and to work with a Senate committee on joint rules; the House also approved a committee to wait upon the Senate to notify that chamber the House was organized and ready for business. Representative Evan L. Olson was appointed speaker pro tempore, and Byron L. Harvard was named parliamentarian.
Proceedings included an extended reading of bills on the House calendar; the reading clerk placed a long slate of first‑reading bills and resolutions on the record covering a broad range of topics from education and public safety to tax and local government matters. The Speaker announced those bills read for the first time would be submitted to the Rules Committee for referral. Representative Fox moved and the House suspended the routine reading of bill titles for the remainder of the session, a suspension the chair said was carried by the two‑thirds vote required.
The House recessed briefly to prepare for a joint convention recognizing Human Rights Day and plans to return for afternoon business.
Authorities referenced in the session included the Utah Constitution (quoted in Brown’s remarks) and Mason’s Manual as the House’s parliamentary guide. The lieutenant governor’s certification of election (dated within the transcript) established terms beginning Jan. 1, 1995.
