Lawmakers urged to start budget work now as Utah House opens; members adjourn until next floor day

Opening remarks on the Utah House floor Monday emphasized early budget work and committee preparedness, and members approved a motion to adjourn until the next scheduled floor time.

Representative Bigelow used personal-privilege time to tell colleagues, "now is the time to get into the budget," urging especially new members to begin changes in committee so the chamber does not have to "find that last $10,000" on the final night. She encouraged members to reallocate funds within committees, "build your support," and finalize changes well before the session’s closing hours.

The urgency was echoed by Representative David Clark, who reminded the chamber that "we will be in floor time tomorrow" and urged members to "go home, read, come back prepared." Clark warned that insufficient preparation can leave bills stranded at the end of the session and said the decisions made in the coming days will affect which measures reach the floor.

Representative Noble offered brief announcements for members: an evening open house hosted by the Utah Beverage and Utah Manufacturers Association at Little America from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and a reminder that posters will be displayed "on the hill" tomorrow morning beginning at 9 a.m. in the State Office Building.

Before adjournment, Representative David Clark moved "that we adjourn until Tuesday, January 16 at 10AM." The Speaker restated the motion as adjournment until 10 a.m. the next morning; the motion was declared nondebatable and approved by voice vote. The transcript records the motion and the voice vote but does not include a roll-call tally.

The House recessed after the approved motion; no further items or votes were recorded in the provided transcript.