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Utah lawmakers note governor's supplemental special‑session call; House bills on law practice, primaries introduced
Summary
Gov. Michael O. Leavitt’s supplemental proclamation for the Sept. 20, 2001, special session listed several emergency and administrative items — from public‑safety and Olympic security to election‑rule and tobacco‑funding fixes — and the House introduced two bills for consideration.
Gov. Michael O. Leavitt on Sept. 20 submitted a supplemental proclamation expanding the agenda for a special session of the Utah Legislature, and the House noted the additions and introduced two bills for consideration.
The lieutenant governor attested the governor’s certificate for the proclamation, which the presiding member said would be "noted and filed." The proclamation added a slate of items to the special‑session call, including proposed changes to the repayment terms of a revenue bond for a cancer clinical research hospital (cited as section 63B‑10‑301), correction of venue rules for actions on written contracts (section 78‑13‑4), and a proposal to regulate the unauthorized practice of law.
Other items listed in the proclamation ranged from election‑administration matters — a change in the date by which a political party must designate which registered voters may vote in that party’s primary — to a resolution condemning retaliation against Arab and Islamic communities following the Sept. 11 attacks. The proclamation also included items on Olympic security (extending arrest authority to federal and out‑of‑state law enforcement officers during the 2002 Winter Games), proposals to increase penalties for riot and false alarms, extending workers’ compensation for out‑of‑state public‑safety officers during February, and continuing state insurance payments for state employees called to active duty in the armed forces.
The governor’s supplemental call further proposed renaming the Utah Professional Athletic Commission in honor of the late Rep. Pete Suazo and directing gross‑receipts tax and ticket‑fee funding for amateur boxing. Later in the reading, the governor submitted an amendment adding three more items: optional lower municipal reclassification by population, a resolution requesting federal permission to harvest insect‑infested timber stands for forest health, and an amendment to tobacco‑settlement funding law to comply with the Utah Constitution (Article XXII, Section 4).
The Reading Clerk announced two bills tied to items on the call: House Bill 2003, an amendment addressing the unauthorized practice of law sponsored by Rep. Stephen Urquhart; and House Bill 2004, a measure on certification of primary voting requirements by political parties sponsored by Rep. Lorraine T. Pace. No floor debate or votes on either bill were recorded in the transcript provided.
Representative Buffmeier asked about access to materials for members without computer access; staff said hard copies would be available at 7 a.m. and they would try to place copies on members’ desks by that time. With no other announcements, the presiding member put a motion to adjourn, declared it passed and adjourned the House for the evening.
The special session’s listed items are agenda directives from the governor; the transcript records their reading and introduction of two bills but does not show committee referrals, hearings, debate on the individual measures, or formal votes on the substantive items. The Legislature may convene again to take action on the items listed in the proclamation.
