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House Approves Narrowed Reforms to Initiative, Referendum Timing; Clerk Response Time Limited to Five Days
Summary
Lawmakers passed fourth substitute HB 10 to close procedural loopholes in initiative and referendum petitions: applicants may attach a self‑prepared summary when an ordinance text is unavailable, and clerks must return official petition forms within five days so petitioners can use the full 45‑day circulation period; passed 75–0.
The Utah House on March 3 approved fourth substitute House Bill 10, a bipartisan change to the initiative and referendum process designed to prevent local officials from delaying challenges by withholding operative copies of ordinances or holding petition packets beyond the statutory window.
Representative Greene, sponsor of the substitute, told the floor the fourth substitute restores a requirement that signers declare they have read the petition language and narrows the bill to two main fixes: allow applicants to attach a self‑prepared summary of the law when the ordinance or resolution text is not yet available, and require city or county clerks to return official petition materials within five days so petitioners can use the full 45‑day period to gather signatures.
Members questioned whether local tax laws or school district tax increases would be affected; the sponsor said existing processes for local tax‑law challenges remain unchanged and this bill addresses only the timing and clerk response issues. Representative Draxler and others defended the measure as preserving transparency and preventing gamesmanship at the city level.
The fourth substitute passed by a unanimous 75‑0 vote and will be transmitted to the Senate.
