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Utah House adopts organizing motions, appoints committees and refers broad slate of bills to Rules Committee
Summary
The House approved a package of organizational motions (continuing prior leadership and rules, printing the invocation and opening remarks in the journal), appointed committees to meet the Senate and the Governor, and the reading clerk presented dozens of bills (House bills 4–84 and many others) which were read for first time and sent to the Rules Committee.
The Utah House of Representatives moved quickly through organizational business after opening remarks, approving a series of motions to continue the chamber's previous organization, adopt prior rules, and refer a broad initial slate of legislation to the Rules Committee.
Representative Greg Curtis moved that the House "continue with the same organization ... as was constituted during the annual general session of 2003" with respect to the speakership and leadership; the motion passed with verbal ayes recorded on the floor. Representative Goodfellow successfully moved that the invocation and the speaker's remarks be printed in the House Journal. Representative Dilley moved to adopt the same House and joint rules used in 2003; that motion passed as well.
The speaker was authorized to appoint committees to wait on the Senate and the Governor. The speaker appointed Representatives Doug Agard, Greg Buxton and Ross McGee to inform the Senate the House was organized and ready for business, and appointed Representatives Roger Barris, Levar Christiansen and James Gallons to wait on the Governor. Representative Barris reported the Governor's message included notice that the State of the State address was scheduled for Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Procedural adjustments approved included authorization for legislators to sign prefiled bills with the sponsor's permission and a decision to continue the practice of reading only short titles of bills and resolutions unless a member requests the long title.
The reading clerk then introduced a long list of bills and resolutions (the transcript enumerates House bills 4–84, many bills in the 174–211 range, and other items), and the speaker announced they "will be considered read for the first time and referred to the Rules Committee." The Rules Committee was excused to meet in Room 305 while the House "sauntered."
