House votes to recall Senatebill on graduation requirements after close division

The Utah House of Representatives voted 40-33 on Feb. 26 to recall First Substitute Senate Bill 33, a contested measure on public school graduation requirements, back from the Senate for further consideration.

Representative Dan McKay, who offered the motion to recall, said the recall was aimed at giving the House an opportunity to propose alternative options. "Now that we've taught the Senate a lesson about local control, I think they're much more amenable to some other options," he said on the floor.

House leaders and the Speaker explained that recall requires the Senate to transmit the bill back into the Houses possession; only after that could the House move to reconsider final passage. The motion to recall triggered a call of the House and an extended roll-call division before the final tally was announced.

Representative Brian King asked whether a majority or two-thirds vote was required; the Chair clarified the motion required a majority of those present. After a brief interruption for members returning to the floor, the House proceeded to vote, and the Speaker declared the recall motion passed.

The recall does not itself change the bills language. It returns the measure to the House for additional action, including the possibility of a motion to reconsider once the Senate transmits the bill. No subsequent amendments or votes on the substance of SB33 were recorded before the House recessed.

The next procedural step depends on whether the Senate sends the bill back to the House; members on the floor said they expect additional opportunities to debate and vote on alternatives once the bill is recalled.