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Effort to lift two 'gifts to legislators' bills to the Utah House floor fails after heated debate
Summary
A motion to lift House Bill 187 (Gifts to Legislators) and House Bill 344 from committee and place them on the third-reading calendar was defeated after members sparred over committee procedure and fairness. Supporters said the public petition demanded a floor hearing; opponents cited committee process.
A substitute motion to bring two ethics-related bills to the Utah House floor failed on Feb. 21, 2001, after a prolonged floor debate over committee procedure and fairness.
Representative Becker, who introduced the motion to amend the judiciary committee report, said the bills — one titled Gifts to Legislators (HB 187) and another by Representative Murray (HB 344) — were the subject of a petition and should be debated publicly on the House floor. “Let’s just say no to gifts,” Becker said, arguing the measures would remove the public appearance of influence and restore trust in lawmaking.
Opposition came from several committee members and others who said the judiciary committee had spent significant time on the bills and that selectively lifting items would unfairly privilege some measures over others. Representative Farren and Representative Bryson both said committee members had worked hard and that time constraints, not avoidance, explained why some bills had not been voted on in committee.
Representative Daniels, who had served on the committee, disputed claims about disorder in the committee and urged the House to hear the bills on the floor. Representative Wei, who spoke in support of the original committee’s process, apologized for the tone of earlier remarks but stood by his view of the committee’s actions.
After the question was called to cut off debate and a roll call was completed, the substitute motion received 27 yes votes and 43 no votes and failed. The House then adopted the original judiciary committee report and placed the committee’s recommended bills on the third-reading calendar in the ordinary fashion.
The episode highlighted tensions over committee time management, petitions to bring measures to the floor, and how the House balances committee deliberation with public pressure to consider ethics-related proposals. No final floor debate or passage on HB 187 or HB 344 occurred as a result of the failed lifting motion; their further progress remained governed by the rules and committee schedules.
