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Utah House opens 1998 session with prayer, MLK commemoration and procedural votes
Summary
The Utah House opened its 1998 general session with an invocation by Elder Robert c Hales, a Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration program and a series of procedural motions: the House retained prior leadership arrangements, adopted last year’s rules, and suspended formal first-reading title recitals for bills (members may still request a full reading).
The Utah House of Representatives convened its 1998 general session in Salt Lake City with ceremonial remarks, a prayer and unanimous procedural actions that set the legislature’s business schedule.
Elder Robert c Hales offered the opening prayer, asking for guidance for “those who have been elected to represent the people of this great state” and invoking protections for freedoms of assembly, the press and religion. The Murray High School madrigals then sang the national anthem.
Speaker Melvin r Brown welcomed members, acknowledged staff and interns, and urged lawmakers to be loyal to constituents and the institution’s checks and balances as the House begins a 45-day session. The House appointed Carol Lee Peterson as chief clerk and introduced staff and security personnel, including Tom Mogulan as sergeant at arms and Bruce Briggs as voting machine operator.
On motions setting procedure, the House moved quickly. By voice vote it agreed to continue the same organization as in 1997 for speakership and party leadership, to print the prayer and the Speaker’s remarks in the House Journal, and to adopt the House and joint rules used in 1997. Members also authorized committees to notify the Senate and the Governor that the House is organized and ready for business.
Representative (transcript speaker 6) moved under suspension of the rules to forgo reading the full titles of bills and resolutions on first introduction; the motion was clarified to rely on the Utah Constitution and to allow any member to request a full-title reading when desired. That motion passed by voice vote.
The House recessed for lunch and later planned to reconvene for messages from the judiciary and Governor’s State of the State address.
The session closed the opening proceedings by adopting the Rules Committee report that put a slate of bills on the second- and third-reading calendars and by assigning introduced measures to standing committees. The House recessed until 2 p.m.
