Utah House opens 2000 session; Speaker urges principles and family 're-enshrinement'

The Utah House of Representatives convened Monday for the first legislative session of the new millennium, opening with an invocation by President Boyd K. Packer and a floor address from Speaker Martin R. Stevens that laid out guiding principles for lawmakers.

"To reenshrine the family as the basic unit of our society," Speaker Martin R. Stevens said in his opening remarks, listing six roles he said the legislature should keep in mind: stay within constitutional duties; protect individual rights and freedoms; provide prescribed basic services; minimize tax burdens while delivering services; protect marketplace equity; and support families in their responsibilities. He urged members to "put principles before politics" and to conduct debate with civility.

The House acted quickly on routine organization items. By voice vote members approved continuing the same leadership organization used during the 1999 session and ordered that the invocation and the Speaker’s remarks be printed in the House Journal. Representative Cohen moved to adopt the House rules used last year, and the motion passed by voice vote.

The morning proceedings included the formal reading of a certificate of membership by Lieutenant Governor Olin S. Walker, confirming members chosen in the November 1998 general election and the start dates of their terms, followed by a roll call in which representatives answered 'here' or 'yes' to establish quorum.

Speaker Stevens also used the opening to preview the day’s schedule, including a Human Rights Commission presentation at 11:45 a.m., the chief justice’s state-of-the-judiciary address at 2 p.m., and the governor’s address to begin at 6 p.m. at the request of television media.

The House recessed until 2 p.m. with routine announcements about staff, interns and session logistics.