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House passes SB 134 to tighten referendum timelines for taxation measures
Summary
Senate Bill 134, which revises referendum timing to align tax referendums with truth-in-taxation schedules and sets specific certification, signature and verification deadlines, passed the House 72–0 after sponsor Rep. Stratton said stakeholders supported the clarifications.
Senate Bill 134, aimed at clarifying and speeding the referendum process for taxation-related ballots, passed the Utah House on Feb. 26 with unanimous support.
Representative Kurt Stratton, sponsor on the floor, said the bill fills gaps that have left local tax measures in limbo for as long as 15 months in recent years. He described a timeline that sets deadlines for a political subdivision to certify referendum packets, gives citizens 40 days to gather signatures, 12 days for verification and 30 days for campaigning so votes appear in the same year as the tax decision. "What we have done ... is we've created some specific deadlines for the political subdivision to meet in the process," Stratton said.
Stratton told the House the League of Cities and Towns and other stakeholders were engaged in crafting the change. Members asked practical questions about administrative burden and whether two days is enough time for local clerks to begin the process; Stratton replied that the bill shifts the initial burden and that stakeholder groups are comfortable with the plan. The bill passed the House 72–0 and will return to the Senate for further consideration.
Clarifying details: the sponsor provided a paper comparing SB 134 as amended with current law and described the assumptions about timing relative to truth-in-taxation hearings (he referenced August 7 as a commonly used benchmark date for those hearings).
