Utah House advances Senate bills, approves Meadow maintenance shed and rejects Capitol parking plan

SALT LAKE CITY — On May 24, 2006, the Utah House of Representatives advanced multiple Senate measures and acted on two Capitol-area resolutions during a floor session at the State Capitol.

The chamber approved Senate Bill 3,001, a technical appropriation transfer for the Division of Museum Services, after Representative Bigelow said the office had been moved administratively but the budget had not. "It does not appropriate anything new, it just moves it from one division to another," Bigelow said. The bill passed, 65 to 0.

Lawmakers also cleared Senate Bill 3,003, which fixes a transitional provision tied to the Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic Violence Protection Orders Act. Representative Wyatt told members the change closes a gap created when the effective date was moved from May 1 to July 1 and the transitional language was not updated. "In voting for this bill, all you are doing is clarifying the effective date and solving this transitional problem," Wyatt said. SB 3,003 passed, 64 to 0.

The House approved Senate Bill 3,007 on a closer vote. Representative Bigelow described the measure as moving $1,528,000 from a restricted account so the Division of Finance can expend funds to fulfill economic development incentive contracts for fiscal year 2007. SB 3,007 passed, 38 yes, 28 no, with nine members absent.

On concurrent resolutions, the chamber approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 301, which clears a transfer related to a transportation maintenance shed in Meadow. Representative Barris explained the Utah Department of Transportation built a replacement shed for $731,000 and, under state code (which requires legislative approval for construction projects over $250,000), the planned exchange of the older shed to the town of Meadow in return for five acres needed legislative sign-off. The House voted 66 to 0 to approve SCR 301.

The House rejected Senate Concurrent Resolution 302, a resolution authorizing construction of a below-grade parking structure on the Capitol’s east side and a reconfiguration of the northeast lot to add roughly 300 visitor stalls. Representative Harper, sponsor of the resolution, said finishing excavation now would be less disruptive and less costly than delaying construction to a later session. "If you want to delay it to some date in the future you vote against it," Harper said. After debate and one brief question from Representative Johnson, the resolution failed, 31 to 36, and will be returned to the Senate.

Other floor actions included placing Senate Bills 3,002 and 3,004 (access-to-information and securities amendments) on the calendar and then ‘circling’ them for later consideration because pending amendments were not yet available. The reading clerk also reported that the Senate president had signed House Bill 3,003 (shelter hearing technical amendments); it was transmitted for the speaker’s signature and enrolling.

The House recessed at the session’s close for a half-hour 'saunter' until 5:30 p.m.